Québecor blocks TVA Sports for Bell customers as NHL Playoffs begin

Québecor blocks TVA Sports for Bell customers as NHL Playoffs brainstorm

The CRTC warned that doing so would violate its rules

quebecor sign

Québecor cutting TVA Sports signals to all Bell Idiot box customers mere minutes before the NHL Playoffs began on Wednesday nighttime.

In doing so, the communications company ignored a alert from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) that withholding access to the channel would break its rules.

TVA Sports is the sectional French-language broadcaster of the NHL Playoffs, significant that Bell's French customers who are looking to tune into the hockey games are currently out of luck.

Québecor is denying access to TVA Sports over a royalties dispute with Bell.

Both companies license channels to one some other, although Québecor claims it is not being paid enough for TVA Sports.

Last month, the visitor launched a website chosen fairvalue.ca in which information technology argued that Bell's specialty French-linguistic communication channels like RDS become much higher subscription wholesale fees than TVA'due south do. Québecor has called for customers to switch over to channels offered by its Vidéotron subsidiary instead.

Bell, meanwhile, stated that its RDS aqueduct brought in 67 pct more than viewers on boilerplate than TVA Sports last year. Equally a upshot, Bell said it "will not cheapen the clear fan favourite" by paying Québecor more for TVA Sports.

Meanwhile, equally bounty for the TVA Sports disruption, Bell is temporarily offering its Sportsnet channels to its TV customers for free to view the NHL games in English.

Quebecor is denying Bell Television clients access to TVA Sports. That's against the law. Bong wants to ensure hockey fans can still enjoy the playoffs and is temporarily offer Sportsnet, Sportsnet One and Sportsnet 360 at no actress cost.

— Bong (@Bell) April 10, 2019