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ARTICLE · 13 JANUARY 2016

The Competition Bureau Concludes (For Now!) That The Rogers-NHL Agreement Is Not Anti-Competitive

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The Competition Bureau has found that the Rogers-NHL 12-year broadcast agreement has not, "at this time," resulted in a substantial lessening of competition (SLC).

CanadaAntitrust/Competition Law
Aird & Berlis LLP
Aird & Berlis LLP
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The Competition Bureau has found that the Rogers-NHL 12-year broadcast agreement has not, "at this time," resulted in a substantial lessening of competition (SLC). The 2013 agreement marked the first time that one party (Rogers) has held exclusive rights to broadcast all the national NHL games. Prior to the new agreement, broadcast rights were split between Bell (TSN) and CBC, with Rogers and Bell holding regional rights to various Canadian teams.

Media coverage of the Bureau's ruling can be found here. The key concern for the Bureau was whether the exclusive 12-year deal placed Rogers in a position of enhanced market power with respect to sports programming. The SLC concern focused on the competitive effects of the Agreement, in particular:

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