“How do I know that Bell Canada won’t be carrying SunTV? Because their sales representatives told me so when I called them.”
41 Replies to “Anti-Competitive Practices?”
I received a reply from Bell to my query about Sun. They have no intention of carrying Sun.
It’s sort of ironic that the site at the link is complaining about BCE using antitrust practices which limit competition and then disabling comments on the thread.
That said, I hope that BCE is either sanctioned or shut down for purchasing Sun TV and then refusing to air it.
Anyhow, I don’t watch TV so I don’t have a dog in this fight except that I hate the kind of dirty antitrust practices that seems to be a way of life with the Left.
So am i understanding this correctly there will be no sun tv in canada ? I wouldl ike to order it will i be able to ? And when ?
I had the same problem with Bell when Fox News started some years ago. I was told that it was not sutable for Canadians. I canceled and went to Shaw.
I called Shaw Cable here in Calgary and they couldn’t (or wouldn’t) tell me if they’re planning on carrying Sun TV News. Apparently Telus will be. If Shaw doesn’t, I’ll be taking my cable and Internet to Telus. That may be only $1,200 a year, but multiply that by 1,000 or 10,000…
We contacted Telus last week and the sales reps response was “What’s a Sun News”?
I’m on Rogers. For what it’s worth, they’ve carried Fox News since the day it was “allowed.” Don’t know if that matters…
BCE didn’t buy SunTV and then refuse to air it. They bought CTV (SunTV’s competitor) and are now refusing to air SunTV.
Thanks for clearing that up for me, Dan S.
Great, than let’s get rid of the CRTC and the bill for their useless existence.
I have Bell. I will ask the question and if the answer is no I will launch a complain with the competition bureau as well as with my MP. If that doesn’t do the trick I will drop Bell like a bad habit. I believe many, many others will do likewise.
This is the boiler-plate reply I received from a Bell Customer Service Representative last week:
“Thank you for your email dated 3/24/11. My name is Ann Acala EX51293, from the Bell Satellite TV department. We understand that you wish to have the SUN TV News channel on Bell Satellite TV?s channel line-up. We understand your frustration and we are sorry for this inconvenience and we are pleased to assist you further with your concern.
Bell Satellite TV strives to provide excellent customer service. We apologize that you have experienced less than satisfactory service from us on this occasion. We truly understand your frustration regarding the channels that you would like to have and still unavailable up to this time. We would like to thank you though for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. Bell Satellite TV encourages all feedback and suggestions from all of our customers and potential customers, as this will help us to maintain excellent quality products and services that we strive to provide. Rest assured that we will forward your comments to the appropriate department for further review and evaluation.
For more information on Bell Satellite TV products and service, you can visit our website at http://www.bell.ca. If you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to contact us through http://www.bell.ca/contact us. Our Electronic Customer Care Centre is available Monday through Friday from 8am ? 10pm (EST) and Saturday 8am – 6pm (EST).
Thank you for taking the time to contact Bell Satellite TV. Have a great day.”
Thank you for nothing is more like it!
I’m with Eastlink, in Prince Edward Island. Just got off the phone with ’em; Sun TV is available here if you order the Time Zone package. $4.00/month.
Aren’t corporate buy-outs/mergers and media conglomerates a wonderful thing?
When I contacted Shaw a couple of weeks ago they said they “were in negotiations with” SunTV and would be advising customers if/when a deal was done. Might be time to re-pose the question and turn up the heat on them.
@Paul MacPhail: You might be confusing Sun TV (currently on the air) with Sun News Network (launches mid-April).
Ah, yes, Davenport, but never forget that monopolies are always government-enabled.
In a truly free market, no monoply is sustainable.
The dysfunction you correctly identify is due to government regulation. There is zero justification for media regulation — content regulation.
Many years ago I was pi&&ed with Chretien and Martin for disallowing bank mergers. Since that time, and after much reading about banking and monetary matters, I’ve come humbly to agree with that decision.
Why? Well, banking isn’t anything even close to free enterprise. One might even argue that banks are quasi government departments. And for that reason, regulate the sh*t out of ’em.
Your comment could be put in a file called: blaming capitalism for the failure of corporatism (fascism).
carch22, that is the same reply that I got from Shaw.
Whoops, sorry catch22, that should have been a t and not an r.
I made some changes to my Shaw direct satellite package and asked about Sun News today. The rep hadn’t heard of it but did a bit of digging and said a decision hadn’t been made yet but put in a request. I also directed the question to Jim Cummins and team at the Shaw direct website and await a response. Catch-22 is correct, we need to turn up the heat on these providers by daily requests for the service.
Davenport said “You might be confusing Sun TV (currently on the air) with Sun News Network (launches mid-April).”
I’ve been trying to figure this out myself I’m with Cogeco and I get the existing Sun TV. While trying to find the launch date of Sun News Network one of the websites implied that they would be using the existing Sun Channel as the home. And it would be digital only. Does this mean if you have Sun now you will have it later or does it mean once Sun News starts up the other Sun station will disappear?
I wish we could negotiate. I’d trade them Oprah’s network, the Womens channel and CBC for Sun News. Oh and all the French stations as well.
“We contacted Telus last week and the sales reps response was “What’s a Sun News”?”
This is the exact comments we got from the phone operator at SaskTel. We told them we’ll be seeking another cable/satellite provider if they don’t pick-up Sun Media TV.
They’re just protecting that magnificent News Media CTV from being infected with any competion in Canada. Yay Eastlink.
Rose nails it in spades!
Got this from Eastlink in Nova Scotia yesterday.
Thank you for your recent inquiry. We appreciate the opportunity to respond. Sun TV has indicated to us that the service will remain an over the air signal for a few months following the change from Sun TV to Sun News and therefore, we would continue to carry it in its current location. Currently Sun TV is offered as a High Definition channel in your area with a subscription to the Timezone pak.
I look at it this way: Bell won’t be carrying Warren Kinsella. That’s a GOOD thing.
Jackal – what does that have to do with them not carrying Sun? If they did carry WK no one would go to that channel anyhow. I and millions more like me want access to Sun and are prepared to raise a little hell to get it.
Does Bell even know? When I called the rep told me it would be included in the news package. We already have this package, so the implication was I wouldn’t need to do anything, it would just be there. Or maybe she only told me what she needed too get me off the phone.
Bell carries other Canadian and international news networks on its cable systems (CBC Newsworld, CNN, BBC World, as well as CTV News), just as it carries regular networks channels that aren’t CTV or wholly owned by CTVglobemedia.
If Bell has decided (for now) not to carry Sun News on its cable systems, they presumably had good business reasons for doing so. Not every cable provider carries every new channel from day one, in part because nobody knows on day one if anybody will tune in. If Sun News proves popular, I don’t doubt Bell will come around.
Until then, if you simply must have Sun News, get a dish.
“Until then, if you simply must have Sun News, get a dish.”
Um.. Bell is a dish. It’s called “Bell Expressvu”. I have 5 in my house so it’s kinda hard to switch.
I asked my provider here in small town Sask if they were going to carry SUN News. Here’s the reply:
“Currently Rogers in Eastern Canada is the only provider that has the rights to Sun TV. Our marketing department is looking into whether we can access this network in the West. These types of acquisitions take time and are not done in a day.”
Funny how fluff channels “just show up” OWN comes to mind. But when you want something of substance – something that takes a position – well, that’s another story.
“Um.. Bell is a dish. It’s called “Bell Expressvu”. I have 5 in my house so it’s kinda hard to switch.”
yeah i got 6 receivers myself, all in my house, at least that’s what Bell thinks, and its reasons like these that don’t make me feel bad about being a satellite pirate for almost 15 years.
Aaaarrrggghhhhh matey!!!!!
I just called Bell and of course, the rep couldn’t help me at all. So I sent Bell an email telling them, we will be looking at other options for our TV entertainment, if they were not going to offer the Sun News Network. Should we also contact CRTC, I wonder?
I just called Bell and of course, the rep couldn’t help me at all. So I sent Bell an email telling them, we will be looking at other options for our TV entertainment, if they were not going to offer the Sun News Network. Should we also contact CRTC, I wonder?
$ FKA gord: “Does this mean if you have Sun now you will have it later or does it mean once Sun News starts up the other Sun station will disappear?”
I hear they might ‘simulcast’ Sun News Network on the over-the-air Sun TV channel (CKXT-TV) for a while to raise viewer interest and try to get people to subscribe to SNN proper. Even if that’s so, you likely won’t get SNN forever just becaue you have Sun TV now — eventually, the two will probably part ways, and you’ll have to subscribe.
But this is speculative. Apparently, nobody really knows what Quebecor is planning. That lack of clarity, plus the absence of advertising and promotion for SNN — launching in just over two weeks — has more than few people worried.
Just found this on facebook:
Update of where you can find us on April 18th:
If you currently receive Sun TV (check local listings), you’ll be able to watch Sun News Network on that channel until August 31. For example, Channel 213 on Bell TV or Channel 15 if you’re on Rogers in Toronto.
I get Sun TV direct from air on HD. The last few nights there has been a screen crawler advising that they will become Sun news network on HD 15-1 as of April 18. “Sun TV” will likely die. They entered into almost no current broadcast agreements for this winter for network shows they used to carry. I expect they will remain in some form as a local talent network like they were when they started.
Bell is set to purchase CTV, for that reason alone I’m cancelling my subscription to Bell. I don’t do business with Liberal Media barons now or in the future.
That’s right. Limited government cons are now in favor of government antianticompetition laws. You people are the scum of the Earth.
Oh, and stop pitying yourselves. It could be that Bell just doesn’t have much confidence in SunTV. I mean, they’re actually putting Ezra Levant in his own show. BAD IDEA.
The left is pulling out all the red tape in the World to stop this. Makes you wonder at the panic?
JMO
I received a reply from Bell to my query about Sun. They have no intention of carrying Sun.
It’s sort of ironic that the site at the link is complaining about BCE using antitrust practices which limit competition and then disabling comments on the thread.
That said, I hope that BCE is either sanctioned or shut down for purchasing Sun TV and then refusing to air it.
Anyhow, I don’t watch TV so I don’t have a dog in this fight except that I hate the kind of dirty antitrust practices that seems to be a way of life with the Left.
So am i understanding this correctly there will be no sun tv in canada ? I wouldl ike to order it will i be able to ? And when ?
I had the same problem with Bell when Fox News started some years ago. I was told that it was not sutable for Canadians. I canceled and went to Shaw.
I called Shaw Cable here in Calgary and they couldn’t (or wouldn’t) tell me if they’re planning on carrying Sun TV News. Apparently Telus will be. If Shaw doesn’t, I’ll be taking my cable and Internet to Telus. That may be only $1,200 a year, but multiply that by 1,000 or 10,000…
We contacted Telus last week and the sales reps response was “What’s a Sun News”?
I’m on Rogers. For what it’s worth, they’ve carried Fox News since the day it was “allowed.” Don’t know if that matters…
BCE didn’t buy SunTV and then refuse to air it. They bought CTV (SunTV’s competitor) and are now refusing to air SunTV.
Thanks for clearing that up for me, Dan S.
Great, than let’s get rid of the CRTC and the bill for their useless existence.
I have Bell. I will ask the question and if the answer is no I will launch a complain with the competition bureau as well as with my MP. If that doesn’t do the trick I will drop Bell like a bad habit. I believe many, many others will do likewise.
This is the boiler-plate reply I received from a Bell Customer Service Representative last week:
“Thank you for your email dated 3/24/11. My name is Ann Acala EX51293, from the Bell Satellite TV department. We understand that you wish to have the SUN TV News channel on Bell Satellite TV?s channel line-up. We understand your frustration and we are sorry for this inconvenience and we are pleased to assist you further with your concern.
Bell Satellite TV strives to provide excellent customer service. We apologize that you have experienced less than satisfactory service from us on this occasion. We truly understand your frustration regarding the channels that you would like to have and still unavailable up to this time. We would like to thank you though for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. Bell Satellite TV encourages all feedback and suggestions from all of our customers and potential customers, as this will help us to maintain excellent quality products and services that we strive to provide. Rest assured that we will forward your comments to the appropriate department for further review and evaluation.
For more information on Bell Satellite TV products and service, you can visit our website at http://www.bell.ca. If you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to contact us through http://www.bell.ca/contact us. Our Electronic Customer Care Centre is available Monday through Friday from 8am ? 10pm (EST) and Saturday 8am – 6pm (EST).
Thank you for taking the time to contact Bell Satellite TV. Have a great day.”
Thank you for nothing is more like it!
I’m with Eastlink, in Prince Edward Island. Just got off the phone with ’em; Sun TV is available here if you order the Time Zone package. $4.00/month.
Aren’t corporate buy-outs/mergers and media conglomerates a wonderful thing?
When I contacted Shaw a couple of weeks ago they said they “were in negotiations with” SunTV and would be advising customers if/when a deal was done. Might be time to re-pose the question and turn up the heat on them.
@Paul MacPhail: You might be confusing Sun TV (currently on the air) with Sun News Network (launches mid-April).
Ah, yes, Davenport, but never forget that monopolies are always government-enabled.
In a truly free market, no monoply is sustainable.
The dysfunction you correctly identify is due to government regulation. There is zero justification for media regulation — content regulation.
Many years ago I was pi&&ed with Chretien and Martin for disallowing bank mergers. Since that time, and after much reading about banking and monetary matters, I’ve come humbly to agree with that decision.
Why? Well, banking isn’t anything even close to free enterprise. One might even argue that banks are quasi government departments. And for that reason, regulate the sh*t out of ’em.
Your comment could be put in a file called: blaming capitalism for the failure of corporatism (fascism).
carch22, that is the same reply that I got from Shaw.
Whoops, sorry catch22, that should have been a t and not an r.
I made some changes to my Shaw direct satellite package and asked about Sun News today. The rep hadn’t heard of it but did a bit of digging and said a decision hadn’t been made yet but put in a request. I also directed the question to Jim Cummins and team at the Shaw direct website and await a response. Catch-22 is correct, we need to turn up the heat on these providers by daily requests for the service.
Davenport said “You might be confusing Sun TV (currently on the air) with Sun News Network (launches mid-April).”
I’ve been trying to figure this out myself I’m with Cogeco and I get the existing Sun TV. While trying to find the launch date of Sun News Network one of the websites implied that they would be using the existing Sun Channel as the home. And it would be digital only. Does this mean if you have Sun now you will have it later or does it mean once Sun News starts up the other Sun station will disappear?
I wish we could negotiate. I’d trade them Oprah’s network, the Womens channel and CBC for Sun News. Oh and all the French stations as well.
“We contacted Telus last week and the sales reps response was “What’s a Sun News”?”
This is the exact comments we got from the phone operator at SaskTel. We told them we’ll be seeking another cable/satellite provider if they don’t pick-up Sun Media TV.
They’re just protecting that magnificent News Media CTV from being infected with any competion in Canada. Yay Eastlink.
Rose nails it in spades!
Got this from Eastlink in Nova Scotia yesterday.
Thank you for your recent inquiry. We appreciate the opportunity to respond. Sun TV has indicated to us that the service will remain an over the air signal for a few months following the change from Sun TV to Sun News and therefore, we would continue to carry it in its current location. Currently Sun TV is offered as a High Definition channel in your area with a subscription to the Timezone pak.
I look at it this way: Bell won’t be carrying Warren Kinsella. That’s a GOOD thing.
Jackal – what does that have to do with them not carrying Sun? If they did carry WK no one would go to that channel anyhow. I and millions more like me want access to Sun and are prepared to raise a little hell to get it.
Does Bell even know? When I called the rep told me it would be included in the news package. We already have this package, so the implication was I wouldn’t need to do anything, it would just be there. Or maybe she only told me what she needed too get me off the phone.
Bell carries other Canadian and international news networks on its cable systems (CBC Newsworld, CNN, BBC World, as well as CTV News), just as it carries regular networks channels that aren’t CTV or wholly owned by CTVglobemedia.
If Bell has decided (for now) not to carry Sun News on its cable systems, they presumably had good business reasons for doing so. Not every cable provider carries every new channel from day one, in part because nobody knows on day one if anybody will tune in. If Sun News proves popular, I don’t doubt Bell will come around.
Until then, if you simply must have Sun News, get a dish.
“Until then, if you simply must have Sun News, get a dish.”
Um.. Bell is a dish. It’s called “Bell Expressvu”. I have 5 in my house so it’s kinda hard to switch.
I asked my provider here in small town Sask if they were going to carry SUN News. Here’s the reply:
“Currently Rogers in Eastern Canada is the only provider that has the rights to Sun TV. Our marketing department is looking into whether we can access this network in the West. These types of acquisitions take time and are not done in a day.”
Funny how fluff channels “just show up” OWN comes to mind. But when you want something of substance – something that takes a position – well, that’s another story.
“Um.. Bell is a dish. It’s called “Bell Expressvu”. I have 5 in my house so it’s kinda hard to switch.”
yeah i got 6 receivers myself, all in my house, at least that’s what Bell thinks, and its reasons like these that don’t make me feel bad about being a satellite pirate for almost 15 years.
Aaaarrrggghhhhh matey!!!!!
I just called Bell and of course, the rep couldn’t help me at all. So I sent Bell an email telling them, we will be looking at other options for our TV entertainment, if they were not going to offer the Sun News Network. Should we also contact CRTC, I wonder?
I just called Bell and of course, the rep couldn’t help me at all. So I sent Bell an email telling them, we will be looking at other options for our TV entertainment, if they were not going to offer the Sun News Network. Should we also contact CRTC, I wonder?
$ FKA gord: “Does this mean if you have Sun now you will have it later or does it mean once Sun News starts up the other Sun station will disappear?”
I hear they might ‘simulcast’ Sun News Network on the over-the-air Sun TV channel (CKXT-TV) for a while to raise viewer interest and try to get people to subscribe to SNN proper. Even if that’s so, you likely won’t get SNN forever just becaue you have Sun TV now — eventually, the two will probably part ways, and you’ll have to subscribe.
But this is speculative. Apparently, nobody really knows what Quebecor is planning. That lack of clarity, plus the absence of advertising and promotion for SNN — launching in just over two weeks — has more than few people worried.
Just found this on facebook:
Update of where you can find us on April 18th:
If you currently receive Sun TV (check local listings), you’ll be able to watch Sun News Network on that channel until August 31. For example, Channel 213 on Bell TV or Channel 15 if you’re on Rogers in Toronto.
I get Sun TV direct from air on HD. The last few nights there has been a screen crawler advising that they will become Sun news network on HD 15-1 as of April 18. “Sun TV” will likely die. They entered into almost no current broadcast agreements for this winter for network shows they used to carry. I expect they will remain in some form as a local talent network like they were when they started.
Bell is set to purchase CTV, for that reason alone I’m cancelling my subscription to Bell. I don’t do business with Liberal Media barons now or in the future.
That’s right. Limited government cons are now in favor of government antianticompetition laws. You people are the scum of the Earth.
Oh, and stop pitying yourselves. It could be that Bell just doesn’t have much confidence in SunTV. I mean, they’re actually putting Ezra Levant in his own show. BAD IDEA.
The left is pulling out all the red tape in the World to stop this. Makes you wonder at the panic?
JMO