Interesting read here. I wonder which ones.
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/...y-channels-after-posting-big-loss_a_23469711/
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/...y-channels-after-posting-big-loss_a_23469711/
Corus is going to Cut Specialty Channels
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If it were up to me these would be on the chopping block, consolidated or sold
Dejaview
H2 - consolidate to History
ACTION - IFC - Movietime - Consolidate to one if any
Cooking and Food - do we really need two
Crime+Investigation - CMT - DTOUR - fyi - why do these all exist - Make it one and call it Global-2 for repeats
COSMO - Slice - W Network - Lifetime - Would one at most two channels be better
OWN - has it really been a success, combine it with the above
ABC spark - YTV - consolidate
BBC Canada - lost its way a long time ago
EuroWorld Sport - they have no other sports property - Sell
Dejaview - yeah I already mentioned this one.
Dejaview
H2 - consolidate to History
ACTION - IFC - Movietime - Consolidate to one if any
Cooking and Food - do we really need two
Crime+Investigation - CMT - DTOUR - fyi - why do these all exist - Make it one and call it Global-2 for repeats
COSMO - Slice - W Network - Lifetime - Would one at most two channels be better
OWN - has it really been a success, combine it with the above
ABC spark - YTV - consolidate
BBC Canada - lost its way a long time ago
EuroWorld Sport - they have no other sports property - Sell
Dejaview - yeah I already mentioned this one.
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I'd have to agree with most of that. BBC Canada is a cruel joke on Canadian TV subscribers. It doen't even make an effort to provide a decent BBC offering. If I were the BBC, I'd be revoking the license for the name and suing for damages to the brand.
I'd also have to say that this is long overdue, for the entire industry. At least Corus is now doing the right thing by shutting unprofitable channels down. Canadian consumers are being forced to pay for far too many zombie placeholder channels that make a profit from subscriber fees but offer nothing of value for viewers. If consumers were given a real choice of what channels they subscribe to, such channels would have been gone a long time ago.
I'd also have to say that this is long overdue, for the entire industry. At least Corus is now doing the right thing by shutting unprofitable channels down. Canadian consumers are being forced to pay for far too many zombie placeholder channels that make a profit from subscriber fees but offer nothing of value for viewers. If consumers were given a real choice of what channels they subscribe to, such channels would have been gone a long time ago.
IMHO, ya many of those channels have lost their way and should be consolidated. I think they will chop at least 10 of them My picks are BBC Canada, since we now have real British Tv with Britbox offerings. EuroWorld too is a joke, nothing on their worth watching. ACTION can go too. My other picks would be H2, its gone in the U.S. already, as well as CMT with no music shows at all. Also other picks would be IFC and DTour. I personally watch and like DIY and FYI, so I hope they stay.
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In Canada, combining channels won't necessarily make channels more profitable. Channels must have subscriber and advertiser revenue. Making a channel more popular won't necessarily provide more income since they probably already have widespread carriage. A channel that spends more on content and charges more may get taken out of basic packages and get move to more expensive tiers, actually reducing subscribers. Advertising revenue is based on viewers but it's a diminishing source of revenue due to the loss of advertisers to advertising powerhouses like Google and Facebook.
The real problem is media ownership concentration and the way channels are sold by BDUs. Let's take FX and FXX. For the amount of original programming they air, there is no real reason to have two channels. Two channels exist for the simple reason that it doubles revenue. That's the fallacy of the 500 channel universe. Instead of 50 channels that each air 50 original programs each year, we now have 500 channels that each air 5 original programs each year. (The numbers are indicative, not real.) Each time a new channel is launched, the cost of distribution and the price of TV packages for consumers goes up. Broadcasters are making more money than ever but they have created a costly, confusing mess for consumers. It's getting even worse with the launch of numerous OTT services that have their own "exclusive" programming.
The real problem is media ownership concentration and the way channels are sold by BDUs. Let's take FX and FXX. For the amount of original programming they air, there is no real reason to have two channels. Two channels exist for the simple reason that it doubles revenue. That's the fallacy of the 500 channel universe. Instead of 50 channels that each air 50 original programs each year, we now have 500 channels that each air 5 original programs each year. (The numbers are indicative, not real.) Each time a new channel is launched, the cost of distribution and the price of TV packages for consumers goes up. Broadcasters are making more money than ever but they have created a costly, confusing mess for consumers. It's getting even worse with the launch of numerous OTT services that have their own "exclusive" programming.
Services like Britbox, DAZN, CBS All Access, and Netflix, Hulu, and a few others are really eating the lunch of BDU's that provide Tv services. The idea of Linear programming channels are not paying the bills anymore. Customers prefer On-Demand programming to watch when they want. Mind you I still believe News and Sports linear channels will survive.
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The linear stations that survive will do so by launching their own OTT or VOD service. HBO Go is a good example of that. However, they must do so wholeheartedly by offering most of their content online. Feeble offerings like CBS All Access that only offer a small portion of their catalog online will struggle.
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So I'm assuming this my have some relation with Corus trying to sell of Corus Entertainment and couldn't find a buyer.
So if you can't find a buyer, get rid of the money looser and keep the money makers.
I see anywhere from 3-8 channels being shut down, as to which I don't know.
All this will do is shift the programming they have on those they shut down to the ones they keep.
So if you can't find a buyer, get rid of the money looser and keep the money makers.
I see anywhere from 3-8 channels being shut down, as to which I don't know.
All this will do is shift the programming they have on those they shut down to the ones they keep.
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The same could have been said about Shaw when they acquired the former Canwest properties that became part of Corus and even more so about Canwest who acquired them before that and went bankrupt. The purchase of Global seemed to be particularly expensive for Shaw due to some of the benefits they provided as part of the regulatory approval process.
The issue is quite complicated since Chorus consists of properties previously owned by Shaw plus others acquired from the Canwest bankruptcy and yet more that Bell didn't want as part of their acquisition of Astral Media. Those last two purchases by Shaw are questionable. Shaw may have obtained other assets they wanted in the deals. Spinning their broadcast station assets into Corus, making it a separate entity, may have been the smartest decision they made. The current approach of winding down unprofitable operations and selling Chorus whole is probably harder due to the problem finding a buyer plus regulatory issues. It may be easier for Shaw to sell some of the more profitable channels as is and then just wind Chorus down. However, the Shaw family is quite adept at turning a profit, even under difficult circumstances, and will pursue the most lucrative options.
The issue is quite complicated since Chorus consists of properties previously owned by Shaw plus others acquired from the Canwest bankruptcy and yet more that Bell didn't want as part of their acquisition of Astral Media. Those last two purchases by Shaw are questionable. Shaw may have obtained other assets they wanted in the deals. Spinning their broadcast station assets into Corus, making it a separate entity, may have been the smartest decision they made. The current approach of winding down unprofitable operations and selling Chorus whole is probably harder due to the problem finding a buyer plus regulatory issues. It may be easier for Shaw to sell some of the more profitable channels as is and then just wind Chorus down. However, the Shaw family is quite adept at turning a profit, even under difficult circumstances, and will pursue the most lucrative options.
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31 Posts
Corus shutting down some channels are just one of many causes of many Canadians cutting the cord. Soon there's gonna be vacant channel spaces. I wish more foreign channels could come here.
I'm pretty sure that's the other way around: people cutting the cord and not paying into awful packages with zombie channels is the reason why Corus is cutting them. The business model of too many specialty channels is "be in a theme pack with a more popular channel", and that simply doesn't fly the way it used to.
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85 Posts
Let's get back on topic.
Teletoon is going to be renaming to Cartoon Network Canada on March 27. The existing Cartoon Network channel will be relaunching as Boomerang Canada that same day.
I don't know which channels Corus Entertainment will get rid of next.
Teletoon is going to be renaming to Cartoon Network Canada on March 27. The existing Cartoon Network channel will be relaunching as Boomerang Canada that same day.
I don't know which channels Corus Entertainment will get rid of next.
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Not really sure how the thread is off topic but what's more hilarious is no one has posted in it for almost 4 years.
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