Bell Media and Rogers Media have decided to "remove their main sports channels from the bundled packages available to businesses that have a liquor licence," according to Scott Stinson of the NATIONAL POST. They will then "offer TSN and Sportsnet -- and their various regional feeds -- as standalone packages at significantly increased fees." Bars and restaurants will have to "pay specifically for the right to have TSN and Sportsnet in their lineups." Smaller bars will be "charged about [C]$120 monthly for both channels on top of existing fees." The new prices will also "apply to customers who subscribe to those channels through a third party." Stinson notes it "cannot be a coincidence" that Bell and Rogers are "making this change at the same time." With the "decline in television viewership" and with broadcasters now "forced to offer some kind of a-la-carte pricing for their channels, it is not surprising that the major sports broadcasters would look to bars who are showing their product to an audience of dozens, or even hundreds, as a way of capturing some of that leaking revenue back." While bar owners are "understandably displeased by this development," it will be "interesting to see if many dislike it so much that they won’t go along." Stinson: "Would some bars simply turn off the TVs rather than pay a large increase for TSN and Sportsnet?" (NATIONAL POST, 3/22).
