elwoodblues
Elwood Blues
join:2006-08-30
Toronto, ON
| Shaw drops 4 channels
Shaw Communications removed four channels, BBC Kids, Court TV Canada, Discovery Kids and TV Land Canada from the channel lineups on Shaw Digital Cable and satellite service Shaw Direct (formerly Star Choice).
The reason given was to make room for HD channels. Interesting to say the least, the BDU's aren't expanding their resources and thus dropping channels to make more room.
I wonder if users will get a smaller package price?
I can't link to the article, so I'll repost here verbatim
uly 16, 2009
CALGARY – This week, Shaw Communications removed four channels, BBC Kids, Court TV Canada, Discovery Kids and TV Land Canada from the channel lineups on Shaw Digital Cable and satellite service Shaw Direct (formerly Star Choice).
CTVglobemedia owns TV Land Canada and Court TV and while TV Land was carried only by Shaw Direct, Court TV was carried on cable and satellite.
Canwest-owned BBC Kids was carried by cable and satellite, too, and Corus Entertainment’s Discovery Kids was just available on Shaw Direct.
All three programmers confirmed that the channels have either already been removed, or are about to be. Each are category two digital specialties.
Sources at each of the companies say they were not given reasons for the distribution losses, but Shaw Direct is telling customers it is to make way for new high definition channels.
According to CRTC documents, BBC Kids lost $1 million in 2008 (broadcast year ended August 31), on $4.4 million in revenue and nearly two million subscribers; Discovery Kids earned a profit of $407,000 in 2008 on revenue of $3.74 million and just over a million subscribers.
As for the CTVgm properties, CourtTV posted a $1.6 million profit in the 2008 broadcast year (ended August 31st) on revenue of almost $4.9 million and 1.13 million subs. TV Land Canada saw a profit of $350,000 on $3.12 million in revenue and just over a million subscribers.
Sources at all three broadcasters indicated their ongoing support for the channels, in spite of the distribution losses.
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Jake: "Four fried chickens, and a coke" Elwood: "And some dry white toast, pleas |
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dirtyjeffer
Oh Yeah
Premium
join:2002-02-21
London, ON
 ·Rogers Hi-Speed
| that is odd...i can see the stations being dumped if the carrier is losing money (which seems to be the case in the one example)...as well, i wonder if the fees to broadcast these channels also increased, so the cable company simply dumped them...tough to say with the limited info in the article.
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Today's motto: Dearly beloved, We are gathered here today to bid farewell to personal responsibility and accountability. |
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Laidback
join:2001-09-30
Woodstock, ON
 ·PrimusDSL
| reply to elwoodblues
I dumped all my programming to digital basic, i.e. the networks only with them only because they changed my package without my approval to digital favorites or something like that and figured for $65 per month for what amounts to maybe 4 hours tv per week, it wasn't worth it. |
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mike10
join:2004-03-02
Chilliwack, BC
| reply to elwoodblues
I wonder if this has something to do with the recent purchase of sex tv and drive in classics because they have to carry five digital channels that are owned by different companys for every digital channel that they own and have on there service
There also rumors that Nickelodeon Canada will be launching in a couple of months using one of the YTV licenses |
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nelsonbc
| This is too bad because BBC Kids, Discovery Kids are pretty good channels for my kids to watch. Its better than the Nickelodeon crap that is in the states. Even TV Land Canada is pretty good.
I really doubt this has to do with new HD channels but more with dumping these guys because they want more money |
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mike10
join:2004-03-02
Chilliwack, BC | they own bbc kids and discovery kids |
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heyO
@shawcable.net | reply to elwoodblues
Maybe they were dropped because not enough people subscribed to them....but it can't be that simple right? |
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