GATINEAU, Que. - Shows that are broadcast on television in Canada, and distributed on broadband or mobile platforms, should be made available to competitors on those same services, representatives of Rogers Communications told a regulatory hearing Monday.
The cable and wireless company said users shouldn't be prevented from watching popular television shows on a mobile device just because another wireless company has the exclusive rights.
Rogers was the first presenter at six days of hearings by the CRTC into the ownership of media companies by national broadcasters.
Phil Lind, vice-chairman at Rogers, said unless the content is shared fairly, consumers will suffer.
"You could easily end up with Bell owning NHL rights, Rogers owning Major League Baseball rights and Shaw owning NFL football content," he told the hearing.
"Sports fans would be forced to buy three iPhones or three iPads and subscribe to three distributors to ensure they could catch all the action when and where they wanted."
Rogers proposed that content produced specifically for the websites or mobile devices would not be required to be made available to other companies, but whatever was broadcast on television would be.
Rogers Communications (TSX:RCI.B) has its hands in many businesses, from cable TV and wireless to radio and TV broadcasting, Internet advertising, magazine publishing and professional sports.
However, the media company noted even though it is one of the largest cable and wireless companies in the country, its content assets are significantly smaller compared with BCE (TSX:BCE) or Shaw (TSX:SJR.B).
As more TV content goes online and to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, consumers want to see as much of it as possible from whatever provider they choose -- no matter who owns it.
In recent years, much of Canada's private broadcasting sector has been swallowed up by a handful of big communications companies.
CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein said concerns have been raised by independent distribution and programming services that rules are needed to prevent anti-competitive behaviour.
"The commission will only consider new or improved measures if convinced they are needed to maintain a competitive market and necessary to achieve the objectives of the Broadcasting Act," von Finckenstein said.
The hearings were called after Shaw Communications bought 11 local Global TV stations across Canada and a group of specialty stations such as HGTV and Showcase for $2 billion.
Since the Shaw deal, BCE bought the rest of the CTV television network it didn't already own for $1.3 billion.
The federal regulator imposed a moratorium on BCE from signing new exclusive deals that would prevent it from making the TV shows it owns the rights to available to rivals for broadcasting on mobile devices or over the Internet.
Other companies that own broadcast content and the means to distribute it are Quebecor (TSX:QBR.B), which owns the TVA French network in Quebec, the Sun newspaper chain, the Videotron cable TV company and a wireless service.
