(Reuters) – Rogers Communications has entered into multi-year deals with Comcast-owned NBCUniversal and Warner Bros Discover to bring sports and entertainment content to Canada, the telecom giant said on Monday.
The move comes at a time when Rogers is looking to boost its presence in sports and entertainment content to attract a reliable and loyal audience amid stiff competition.
Rogers will launch NBCUniversal’s Bravo channel in September and it will hold the English-language content rights in Canada. Starting January 2025, it will have access to Warner Bros. Discovery’s brands including HGTV, and The Food Network among others.
Rogers said with the new U.S. licensing deals it is planning to increase investments in original content and independent production over the next decade.
“This investment also advances our position as a strong Canadian broadcaster that can compete with foreign streamers” said Colette Watson, president, Rogers Sports & Media.
Financial details of the deals, however, were not disclosed. The company said it had invested $6.9 billion in Canadian content over the last ten years.
In April, Rogers Communications signed a 10-year deal with Comcast to bring Xfinity products, which offers cable TV, internet and phone service to Canada.
(Reporting by Priyanka.G in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
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