Warner Bros. Discovery declines renewing “some” content, trademark agreements with Corus [Update: Rogers takes on lifestyle channels]
Corus Entertainment announced on Friday that Warner Bros. Discovery will not renew “some” of its programming and trademark licensing arrangements with the company. Their current agreement is set to expire on December 31st of this year, with changes not expected to occur until 2025. Corus did not name any of the impacted channels or content libraries. Executive Troy Reeb stated the company plans “to continue operating the country’s largest and most widely distributed lifestyle channels based on the strength of top-rated Canadian programs and alternate foreign content supply.”
The Canadian broadcaster operates a number of services utilizing brands owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Those include Cooking Channel, Food Network, HGTV, Magnolia Network and Oprah Winfrey Network. Warner owns a 20% stake of those services. Corus runs Adult Swim, Boomerang and Cartoon Network on their own – all three being rebranded versions of Canadian creations. Reeb’s comment suggests this may impact the first group of channels.
Corus CEO Doug Murphy stated this “is an unfortunate example of inequitable structural relationships in the Canadian media and telecom industries. […] It highlights the urgent need for regulatory reform, including to rules affecting how market-dominant players interact with suppliers and competitors. Corus intends to explore all potential remedies. We look forward to adapting and advancing our strategies while we pursue new opportunities through our other content suppliers.”
Warner Bros. Discovery operates the reality-television focused Discovery+ streaming service in Canada. It launched locally in October 2021 through a partnership with Corus. Its content includes much of what can be found on the aforementioned lifestyle channels. Warner’s unified MAX streaming service has yet to launch in Canada.
Earlier this week, Bell Media’s Justin Stockman commented on the possibility of MAX launching in Canada. Like Corus, the company relies on content and trademark agreements tied to Warner Bros. Discovery properties – primarily, the Discovery suite and HBO. His response was that their partnership with Warner for streaming service/premium movie network Crave had just been renewed last year and the deal would last nearly long enough for him to reach retirement.
With the arrival of streaming services like Disney+ and Paramount+ in Canada, some U.S. media companies have prioritized their direct-to-consumer business over licensing deals with local players like Bell and Corus. Last summer, Crave lost the streaming rights to the Star Trek franchise.
Update (06/10): Rogers Communications announced a partnership with both Warner Bros. Discovery and NBCUniversal today. The company will launch a Canadian version of NBC Universal’s Bravo cable channel in September. In January, Rogers will take on Warner Bros. Discovery lifestyle and factual brands, including HGTV, The Food Network, Discovery, Motor Trend, Science, Animal Planet, ID, Magnolia and The Cooking Channel. Discovery, Motor Trend, Science, Animal Planet and ID currently have Canadian iterations operated by Bell Media. The rest are run by Corus. Corus separately confirmed this will not impact their deals for Adult Swim and Cartoon Network content.
I Miss Bionix 
Corus CEO Doug Murphy stated this “is an unfortunate example of inequitable structural relationships in the Canadian media and telecom industries. […] It highlights the urgent need for regulatory reform, including to rules affecting how market-dominant players interact with suppliers and competitors.”
Look, he’s not wrong… but… when Corus manages to steal away the rights to Disney Channel programming from DHX, all is right with their world. When Rogers steals away Discovery Channel programming from them, all of a sudden they cry inequitable structural media relationships and call for regulatory reform… 🙄