Broadcasters call Rogers’ Monday Night Hockey removal ‘anti-competitive’

Broadcasters Cogeco, Eastlink, and SaskTel have filed a complaint with the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) over Rogers-owned Sportsnet making Monday Night Hockey a Sportsnet+ exclusive.

Within the complaint, the parties specifically call Rogers’ removal of Monday Night Hockey from TV channels “anti-competitive,” noting that consumers who are subscribed to other broadcast providers are being asked to “become direct Rogers subscribers and are being imposed an additional $12.99 monthly surcharge to access this content,” which the parties note is something that the broadcaster doesn’t do for its own subscribers.

In an email to MobileSyrup, Sportsnet offered the following response to the complaint:

“Rogers Cable has paid Sportsnet fair market value to provide Sportsnet+ exclusive content to their TV customers and decided to make it available to them at no extra cost. All TV providers, including Cogeco, Eastlink and SaskTel, have the same opportunity to make the content available as part of their TV offering, but so far have chosen not to. Fans can contact their TV provider about this option. We’ll fully address all issues raised, including Sportsnet’s right to distribute content exclusively on Sportsnet+, as part of the proceeding.”

The complaint says these actions “constitute clear breaches” of the CRTC’s ruling on the Rogers/Shaw merger, under which the company has to “refrain from entering into any agreement for exclusive or preferential distribution of any online programming service or rights necessary for its distribution,” with the parties noting that the Sportsnet+ exclusive games are a “direct departure” from this commitment.

The parties also highlight Rogers’ recent acquisition of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), alongside 100 per cent ownership of the Toronto Blue Jays, warning that “if Rogers is permitted to unilaterally siphon core NHL broadcasts such as playoff rounds away from linear TV feeds, no marquee sports content, sports or entertainment, will remain safe from platform fragmentation, and other large, vertically integrated media companies will inevitably follow suit.”

This isn’t the first company to target Rogers with complaints about Monday Night Hockey. Earlier this month, Telus sent out an email to OptikTV customers blaming Rogers for why fans can’t find games. In response, Rogers said that all broadcast providers have the ability to make Sportsnet+ content available to their customers, but it’s worth noting that no broadcasters have reached an agreement yet.