The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that BCE's Bell Media is seeking an injunction to block Warner Bros. Discovery content from being broadcast after Rogers Communications takes over as the Canadian rightsholder in January.
A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe says that in a court application filed June 19, Bell said a licensing deal that was announced nine days earlier between Warner Bros. and Rogers breached non-compete provisions that Bell had in place when it previously acquired the rights to the content.
The company also alleged in the court documents that Rogers "induced" Warner Bros. to breach its non-competition obligations to Bell Media, which has delivered certain Discovery programming in Canada for 30 years.
Last month, Rogers said it had signed multiyear deals with Warner Bros. Discovery, along with NBC Universal, for their popular lifestyle and entertainment brands in Canada starting Jan. 1.
That comprises television channels such as Discovery Channel Canada, Discovery Velocity, Discovery Science and Animal Planet, to which Bell previously owned the Canadian programming rights. It also includes others licensed to Corus Entertainment, such as HGTV and The Food Network.
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