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I disagree with you, the prices are VERY close. Especially if you get HD.
Questionnable.
Bell's basic service includes basic HD channels.
Vidéotron charges 3$ more for HD access, but you can receive basic channels in HD for free over the air using an antenna. What a rip-off ! (Yes, if you subscribe ONLY to basic service, you MUST pay HD fees, otherwise it's "not authorized").
Bell basic service includes american networks.
Vidéotron makes you pay extra for Vermont american networks, either in a package or à la carte. But they get them for free, paying absolutely nothing to the stations, AND you get those channels simsubbed almost all the time by canadian networks, reducing even further their value.
À la carte packages
Bell: 15 channels for 15$, 20 channels for 19$, 30 channels for 24$. Something like that.
Vidéotron: 15$ for 23$, 20 channels 26$, 30 channels 32$.
The Movie Network
Bell: 13$ includes their 4 HD versions, Mpix, and superstations.
Vidéotron: 16$, includes 2 HD versions. Period. Mpix is extra, Superstations is extra without HD versions.
When breaking down the numbers for each specialty from the CRTC database, you find out that each specialty costs in average between 40 and 48 cents per subscriber per month, sport channels costs (around 1$) more but were counted. The Movie Network gets 8.87$.
If a cheap car costs $10 000 to build at the factory, does it get a price tag everywhere for $22 000, the car dealer making a 120% profit?
That's what Vidéotron does actually. they don't program the channels, they don't deal with acquisitions, production, advertisements, etc., they just take a signal and deliver it back to you. How come they get the bigger cut? That's sickening.