Rogers Addresses WWE Network Application Issues

Rogers has issued a letter to the CRTC addressing issues raised with their WWE Network application last month. The company stated that they received nearly 300 interveners responding to the application and that only four of them opposed it.

The company said that the Network as distributed in Canada will consist of the same content available on the US version. They added that, in response to the Network having to follow the same Canadian content rules as a Canadian service, the CRTC “authorizes non-Canadian services for distribution in Canada without requiring them to abide by Canadian exhibition requirements or other regulatory obligations. Providing BDU customers with the ability to access non-Canadian services directly benefits the Canadian broadcasting system by increasing the diversity of programming available to Canadians. Furthermore, Canadian talent will benefit indirectly through the enhanced WWE programming offering.”

Rogers also said that the Network will not be exclusive to Rogers cable systems and that other cable companies can negotiate to carry it on their systems.

They added that WWE decided to make the network available as a cable channel rather than a Over the Top service in Canada, noting, “Rogers confirms, however, that it is our priority to deliver television content to customers how they want it and when they want it. The proposed WWE Network, while offered as an affordable linear television service in standard and high definition formats, will also be made available with the same functionality and convenience of the US OTT service. The WWE Network would feature a robust online video-on-demand service that includes a rich library of archive footage. In addition, subscribers will be able to view the WWE Network content on a variety of authenticated mobile devices and screens through Rogers’ Anyplace TV app. The online service will feature the same content as is available on the OTT version of the WWE Network offered in the US and elsewhere, and will complement Rogers’ BDU offering. Presumably, the service would be offered in a similar manner by other Canadian BDUs that decide to carry the service in the future.”

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