Say No to Bell

[French Castanut]

Earlier this year, Bell Canada announced a blockbuster $3.38 billion offer to buy Astral Media Inc. Bell Canada is already one of the country’s largest companies with more than $17 billion in annual revenue and owns massive media empires like CTV and TSN. Now, it wants to buy yet another competitor, Astral Media Inc., the company that provides HBO Canada, The Movie Network, Family, Viewers Choice, and many other popular TV channels. They would control 37.6% of TV viewing in Canada, more than twice the amount of its largest competitor. Ottawa must stop this deal.

If you don’t like what this deal will mean for you, and if you agree that healthy competition keeps prices in check, creates more jobs, and leads to better service, tell Ottawa to say no to Bell Canada's acquisition of Astral Media Inc., and yes to healthy competition.

You can make your voice be heard by the CRTC here, and get more info on this buyout plan:

http://saynotobell.ca/

[sooperphreek]

we are already screwed in this country when it comes to TV. you look at bbc canada and 80 percent is owned by shaw media. what does that mean? canadian content and shaw programing is 75 percent of the programing you have to watch when you want your favorite bbc shows. most of the great channels we have are polluted by canadian content and preference. its sad when you miss some of the great commercials on superbowl day. what? is that a threat to canadian business? its not like i wont see it online after anyways. what is the hysteria all about??

[Captain Awesome]

removed off topic - Jennylives

[sooperphreek]

american taco bell i say yes every time. canadian limited menu overpriced taco bell.....walk right on by. i cant believe that there is a hunger problem in the US with the value meals there. junk it may be but sustenance it is nonetheless.

[mrj222]

The CRTC is a useless puppet organization chalk full of former and future execs for the various media companies. It is there to give the appearance of regulation but bends over to the will of the large corporations with the slightest whisper.

[sooperphreek]

when you sign up for bbc channel the last thing that goes through your mind is being inundated by constant re runs of holmes on homes. and that is a british show how????

[French Castanut]

Bell is mostly unknown in Western Canada, but it owns the wired telephone landlines of all Eastern Canada, Bell ExpressVu (Satellite tv), Bell Mobility (Cellphone provider), Sympatico (Internet provider), Bell Aliant (Maritime phone company), Northern Tel (in Ontario), through their divisions, they offer different 3rd party call centers to serve their own business at lower cost etc.

Buying Astral will mean that they could offer the tv stations to only their customer, and choose which advertisement they run on their channels. They could easily block Shaw, Telus, Starchoice & Videotron from advertising on their channels.

This is nothing new, when TVA (a Quebecor company, Bell direct competition in QC) started a new Sport channel (TVA Sport), Bell opposed offering the channel to Bell customers, because Bell own their own sport channel, RDS. This happened in 2011. I think it went to court so now Bell have to offer the channel to it's customers as well.

TVA has finally reached an agreement with Bell for four distribution channels, TVA Sports, Sun News, and Ms. Yoopa

The four TVA Group channels will be available by 15 December 2011.

"Viewers are undoubtedly the winners of this important announcement," said President and CEO of TVA Group, Pierre Dion.

Mr. Dion has not commented on the negotiations with Bell, or the details of the transaction.

But last September, he was given the harsh words against Bell, who refused to offer the TVA Sports to its subscribers.

"They take Quebec viewers hostage," he had said.

Source: http://tvanouvelles.ca/lcn/economie/arc ... 65507.html

They also already own all these TV + Radio channels:

This is why this buyout is dangerous in Canada.

Source: http://www.bellmedia.ca/about/Media_Landing.page

[French Castanut]

As for Astral, here's their radio stations:

[French Castanut]

And Astral's TV Station (Mostly French specialty channels):

Source: http://www.astral.com/en/home

[Woodenhead]

The CRTC is a useless puppet organization chalk full of former and future execs for the various media companies. It is there to give the appearance of regulation but bends over to the will of the large corporations with the slightest whisper.

QFT

[underscore]

Wait, if Bell buys, Astral, will that mean Shaw will lose all my cartoons? Seeing as they run Family, Disney XD, Teletoon, Teletoon Retro and Cartoon Network.

[Woodenhead]

The CRTC has ruled against the merger.

:sunshine:

CRTC blocks BCE bid for Astral

The commission considered that “convergence, integration and scale [of the deal] may lead to a point at which the size of an entity on a national level becomes so large that it hinders effective and healthy competition.”

Full Article