Bravo Channel Returning to Canada After Major Content Deals Inked
Canadian cable and telco giant Rogers Communications is set to relaunch NBC’s Bravo channel north of the border on Sept. 1.
The move, unveiled on Wednesday, follows Rogers recently signing blockbuster content deals with Warner Bros. Discovery and NBCUniversal. The multi-year deals will see Rogers rebrand its OLN cable channel as Bravo later this week, and offer up U.S. reality TV franchises like The Real Housewives, Below Deck, Summer House, Southern Charm, Top Chef and Vanderpump Rules.
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Bravo used to operate as a Canadian channel until rival Bell Media rebranded it as CTV Drama in 2019. And beginning January 1, 2025, Rogers will launch rebranded local versions of the U.S.-originating HGTV, Food Network, Magnolia, Discovery ID and Discovery channels when a separate content licensing deal with WBD comes into force.
The return and realignment of top American channels north of the border coincides with local broadcasters facing increased cord-cutting and a continuing linear TV ad recession, and so increasingly having to chase viewers online with pricey U.S. TV fare to keep pace with Netflix.
“We’re delivering the best combination of linear channels and on-demand content from these coveted brands, building on Rogers investment to bring Canadians the best sports and entertainment in the way they want to watch it,” Colette Watson, president, Rogers Sports & Media, a division of Rogers Communications, said on Wednesday.
The rise of Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video as dominant streaming players in Canada has drastically reduced ad revenues for Canadian TV networks as marketing dollars shift from traditional TV to online video platforms.
In addition, legacy Canadian networks face a greater impact from economic disruption as they lack the scale of the major studios and U.S. networks as they battle for survival and supremacy in the evolving streaming era.
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