TORONTO – Two of Canada’s big cable companies must think HDNet is a winner.
Both Rogers Cable Communications and Bell ExpressVu began courting the U.S. all-high definition channel in June, when the CRTC added HDNet to the list of approved satellite services.
On Tuesday, after a summer of rate haggling, HDNet announced it’s signed on with both.
In a statement, Mark Cuban, HDNet’s Chairman and co-founder as well as being owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, expressed delight with the deal with Rogers.
Then in a second statement, he expressed the same measure of delight in being ExpressVu’s partner. The pleasure is double because the deals bring his network to Canada for the first time and they blanket the biggest population centres.
HDNet was launched in 2001, with its claim to fame being the world’s first all-HD channel. It offers a mix of original series, music shows and concerts, movies, news programs such as “Dan Rather Reports”, live space shuttle launches, and sports, including boxing, Major League Soccer, and yes, world extreme cage-fighting, all in 1080i format.
The deal allowed both ExpressVu and Rogers to proclaim their marketplace superiority.
“In the next 12 months, Rogers intends to launch even more HD services, solidifying its status as the number one HD provider in the Canadian marketplace,” said David Purdy, Rogers’ vice-president and general manager of TV services.
Bell ExpressVu’s vice-president of marketing, Pat Button, said that “with 50 HD channels and counting – and seven of those in glorious 24/7 HD – ExpressVu offers the ultimate in HD programming.