(Toronto) Rogers Communications Inc. Says It Signed “Mandatory” Multi-Year Deals With NBCUniversal And Warner Bros. Discovery, acquiring Canadian rights to several lifestyle brands from Corus Entertainment and Bell Media, including HGTV, Food Network and Discovery.
The company also announces that it will launch NBCUniversal’s Bravo channel in Canada in September and become the English-language television content rights holder north of the border for titles including reality TV mainstays The Real Housewives, Vanderpump Rules and Top Chef.
Starting in January, Rogers will be home to Warner Bros.’ English-language U.S. lifestyle brands. Discovery, including HGTV, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Magnolia Network and OWN – currently owned by Corus – and Discovery, Motor Trend, Science, Animal Planet and I.D. – owned by Bell.
The news comes after Corus revealed a fall/winter lineup last week that added Pamela Anderson’s Pamela’s Cookin’ With Love to Food Network Canada and Bryan Baeumler’s Building Baeumler to HGTV Canada.
New seasons from HGTV Canada personalities Sebastian Clovis, Scott McGillivray, Debra Salmoni and Randy Spracklin were also announced.
Troy Reeb, Corus’ executive vice president of networks and content, said the programming and brands of several of the lifestyle properties acquired by Rogers “are expected to take a hit” in the new year. He added that Corus’s rights to Adult Swim and Cartoon Network will not be affected.
Corus announced last week that it had been informed by Warner Bros. Discovery that some of its programming and branding deals would not be renewed when they expire at the end of the year.
Colette Watson, president of Rogers Sports and Media, called the deal “a historic long-term content partnership.”
During a virtual event for media and advertisers Monday afternoon, it announced that the partnership makes Rogers the exclusive English-language content rights holder, distributor and advertising representative of the acquired brands, as well as all their respective programming.
Watson noted that the investment helps the company compete with foreign streaming broadcasters.
The Rogers company said it would work with Canadian distribution partners to make the content widely available.