Rogers announces licensing deals with NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery

Rogers Communications announced Monday it has signed deals with NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery to bring more lifestyle and entertainment content to Canadians.
 
The company said the “most coveted sports and entertainment” content will be made available through streaming and distribution partners.

“We’re evolving our business to reflect where consumers are going, bringing the best mix of U.S. and Canadian content to audiences in the way they want to watch it,” Colette Watson, president of Rogers Sports & Media, said in a release.

Rogers will be launching NBCUniversal’s Bravo channel in Canada in September, and in January of next year, it will be home to Warner Bros. Discovery’s U.S. lifestyle and factual brands, including HGTV, The Food Network, Discovery, Motor Trend, Science, Animal Planet, ID, Magnolia and The Cooking Channel.

The content will also be available on Citytv+, which features programming from Citytv, OMNI, FX and FXX.

“We’re already home to Canada’s #1 sports network, and these partnerships solidify our leadership in entertainment with a diverse media portfolio of TV’s most iconic brands,” Watson said.

Rogers says the new U.S. licensing deals will increase investment in Canadian content and independent productions.

“This investment also advances our position as a strong Canadian broadcaster that can compete with foreign streamers,” Watson said.

Rogers said the deals are “multi-year” but didn’t specify the length of time they will be in effect.

This announcement came on the heels of Rogers unveiling its television programming lineup for this year and into next year, which includes Canadian music icon Shania Twain and comedian Katherine Ryan joining the judges’ panel for Season 4 of Canada’s Got Talent.

Rogers Communications is the parent company of Citytv and this website.