OTTAWA — The competition commissioner will appeal the decision by Competition Tribunal Thursday dismissing the watchdog’s application to block the merger between Rogers and Shaw.
The commissioner, which said the sale of Freedom to Quebecor was not a good enough concession for wireless competition in the country, said the office has filed a notice of appeal at the Federal Court of Appeal on Friday.
In a joint statement following the filing, Rogers and Shaw said they are “deeply disappointed” by the news.
“The Tribunal’s decision was the right one, and the Tribunal was clear in its summary that the transactions we have…
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Competition Bureau “considering our next steps”
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Canada’s competition court has dismissed an application by the Competition Bureau to block the merger between Rogers and Shaw, leaving only approval from Innovation Canada in the way of the blockbuster $26-billion deal.
The deal involves the sale of Shaw’s Freedom Mobile brand to Quebecor’s Videotron, which the competition commissioner had argued in his application was not satisfactory to allay competition concerns.
But the tribunal did not agree, saying the deal’s components and compromises “are not likely to prevent or lessen competition substantially,” the Thursday decision said.
In fact, the tribunal said it…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – A lawyer for Shaw Communications argued before the Competition Tribunal today that the competition commissioner “exaggerated” Freedom’s success during testimony, saying Shaw’s wireless subsidiary was over the last five years hobbled by market competition and federal government pricing promises.
The thesis of Kent Thomson’s argument today was that Shaw could not and cannot compete in today’s market, hence why it must combine with Rogers. Thomson noted that Telus, Shaw’s west coast rival, has greatly outspent the Calgary-based company by $7 billion over the last handful of years.
In pushing against suggestions that Shaw and Freedom have successfully…
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CALGARY — Shaw Communications today released its financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year that ended August 31, 2022, reporting a 1.5% year-over-year (y-o-y) decline in quarterly revenue to $1.36 billion and a 1.1% y-o-y decrease in full-year revenue to $5.45 billion.
Shaw’s adjusted EBITDA increased by 1.6% to $624 million in Q4 2022 and by 1.4% to $2.53 billion in fiscal 2022, when compared to the same periods of fiscal 2021.
Funds flow from operations declined 5.3% to $487 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 and fell 11.4% to $1.99 billion…
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Company believes they will capture those customers with their own offering
OTTAWA — The Competition Tribunal heard evidence today that while Quebecor subsidiary Videotron had the opportunity to purchase Shaw Mobile along with Freedom Mobile, they turned it down because they believe they will be able to capture those customers on their own.
Jean-François Lescadres, Videotron’s vice-president of finances answered questions today before the tribunal, which is currently hearing evidence on an application made by the Commissioner of Competition to block the proposed merger of Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications.
Because of concerns about the impact of the deal…
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OTTAWA — A lawyer for Rogers Communications today pushed back on the testimony of Dr. Nathan Miller, a professor at Georgetown University who compiled a report for the Commissioner of Competition supporting his opposition of the merger of Rogers and Shaw Communications and the proposed remedy that would see Quebecor subsidiary Videotron acquire Shaw’s Freedom Mobile.
Miller yesterday referred to the remedy as “inadequate” and claimed the divestiture would mean less incentive for the new owner to invest in Freedom. As he reiterated today, he is “skeptical” a divested Freedom would be profitable.
When questioned by Rogers’ lawyer Crawford Smith,…
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OTTAWA – The remedy Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications offered in an attempt to gain the necessary regulatory approvals for their proposed merger is “inadequate”, according to Dr. Nathan Miller, a professor at Georgetown University who was asked to put together a report on the matter for the Competition Bureau.
Miller spoke today about his report at the Competition Tribunal hearing into the bureau’s application to block the merger.
The remedy he referred to is the sale of Shaw’s Freedom Mobile to Quebecor subsidiary Videotron to address concerns about the impact of the merger on wireless competition in Canada.
Miller argued the…
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CALGARY — Shaw Communications announced today the launch of Disney+ on Shaw TV and Shaw Stream.
With the launch, Shaw’s Fibre+ Internet customers can “watch classic and original shows and movies available from Disney’s six premium brands — including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and Star — through one integrated in-home platform,” says a press release.
“With the integration of Disney+ into Shaw’s robust content lineup, it’s now easier than ever for Shaw TV and Shaw Stream customers to watch the Disney classics they already know and love, as well as discover new originals, movies, mini-series, documentaries and…
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OTTAWA – Documents newly made public today at the Competition Tribunal’s hearing into the Competition Bureau’s application to block the proposed merger of Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications reveals Telus’ strategy to stop and delay the deal.
The document, prepared for Telus’ board on the company’s second quarter of 2022, says Telus continued to execute its “top-of-house strategy” where its executive leadership team met “with political leaders to kill, shape and slow the deal.”
Additionally, the document notes that during the quarter, “NDP leader, Jagmeet Singh, repeatedly asked PM Trudeau during Question Period to block the merger, using TELUS talking points”…
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OTTAWA – The Competition Tribunal hearing on the Competition Bureau’s application to block the merger of Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications continued today, although mostly in camera.
The tribunal heard from Blaik Kirby, group president, consumer and small and medium business at BCE, who also appeared yesterday. He spoke about the competitive environment and Bell’s response to the launch of Shaw Mobile.
“If there is a divestiture the resulting environment is actually going to better for Bell Mobility than the current environment,” Kirby told the tribunal panel, speaking about the divestiture of Shaw’s wireless assets.
“When we look at Shaw today, the…
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