Rogers Media

Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties.

Operations

Current television brands owned by Rogers include two television systems: the English-language Citytv, and the multicultural-oriented Omni Television. Other television brands owned by Rogers include TSC, and Canadian versions of FX, FXX, Bravo, Discovery Channel, Food Network, HGTV, Investigation Discovery, and Magnolia Network.

The Sportsnet family of channels, which began as a group of regional sport channels, now serves as the ''de facto'' sports programming brand and division for Rogers.

In addition to television, the Rogers Radio division owns 55 stations across Canada.

History

Background, formation, and early expansion

Rogers Media was established in 1960 when Ted Rogers and Joel Aldred acquired CHFI. The origins of Rogers can be traced to 1927 when Edward S. Rogers Sr. launched a radio station that would eventually become CFRB.

In August of 1925, the name Rogers came into view on the Canadian broadcasting scene with the introduction of the Rogers Batteryless Radio at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. This invention was made with new tubes by Edward S. (Ted) Rogers, who invented them. Rogers Sr founded the holding company Standard Radio Manufacturing Corporation Ltd.. During the year 1927, the first ever seen radio broadcasting transmitter was built by Edward Rogers. This was a big deal because it operated from power lines without the assistance of batteries or converters. Rogers Batteryless was born from this invention.

In 1939, Edward Rogers died, and his son was only six years old. The Rogers family had involvement in Canada's broadcasting until about the mid-1940s; Velma, Edwards's wife, sold her shares away in Standard Radio Limited. Sixteen years later, the business would resurface again due to the son of Edward Rogers, Ted.

Rogers Media business began in 1960, when Ted borrowed $85,000 to buy Canada's first FM radio station, CHFI. That year, Rogers and Aldred formed Baton Aldred Rogers Broadcasting (a forerunner to present-day competitor Bell Media) when it acquired the license for CFTO-DT, which launched the following year. In 1962, Rogers bought Aldred's shares of CHFI, which changed its name to CHFI-FM Limited, then Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. By 1964, CHFI-AM, which would eventually become CFTR went on air.

In 1986, Rogers acquired CFMT, Canada's first multicultural station. It also received many stations from Selkirk Communications in 1989.

In the most significant acquisition to date, Rogers Media acquired the assets of Maclean Hunter broadcasting properties in 1994. It later resold various properties to Western International Communications and sold CFCN-TV to Baton Broadcasting Inc in 1996.

In 2000, Bell GlobeMedia acquired NetStar, the parent company of TSN, and ultimately divested their stake in Sportsnet, making it a sister channel to CFMT and giving them full ownership.

2007–2013: Acquisition of Citytv and The Score

In June 2007, as part of CTVglobemedia's acquisition of CHUM Limited, Rogers announced its intent to acquire its Citytv stations. CTV had originally intended initially intended to sell CHUM's A-Channel stations and several other specialty channels to Rogers. Still, the CRTC required the Citytv stations to be divested to comply with major-market ownership restrictions. CTV maintained ownership of flagship Toronto station CITY-TV's local news channel CP24, prompting Rogers to establish its own short-lived CityNews Channel in 2011 as a substitute, in cooperation with CITY-TV and sister news radio station 680 CFTR. The network folded in 2013.

On January 16, 2008, the CRTC rejected an application by Rogers to establish a new rock radio station in Parry Sound, citing that it would have a disproportionately negative impact on its North Bay stations and local competitor CKLP-FM/.

Rogers acquired a minority interest in the web-based video production firm Vuguru in 2009. In 2010, Rogers received CHST-FM in London, Ontario, from CTVglobemedia.

In 2011, Rogers announced a partnership with FX Networks to launch a Canadian version of FX. The channel was launched as FX Canada on October 31, 2011, with FX Networks acquiring a minority stake later that year.acclaimed FX Canada launches with exclusive free-view for digital subscribers starting October 31
Canada Newswire October 25, 2011

On August 25, 2012, Rogers Media acquired Score Media's broadcast business, including The Score Television Network, for $167 million, including a 10% stake in its digital business. The network has since been rebranded as Sportsnet 360.

2013–2017: NHL, WWE, and Vice deals

On November 26, 2013, Rogers announced that it would become the exclusive national media rightsholder for the National Hockey League (NHL) beginning in the 2014–15 season under a 12-year contract valued at $5.2 billion. This gave Rogers rights to broadcast national telecasts on the Sportsnet networks and CBC Television (the latter as part of a sub-licensing agreement to maintain ''Hockey Night in Canada'') and handle distribution for the NHL's out-of-market packages.

On April 1, 2014, a Canadian version of FX's younger-skewing sibling network, FXX, and the "FXNOW Canada" app were launched.Toronto Star