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RogersHarry
I'm starting this thread to give us a place where changes to the Ignite TV channel lineups can be announced and discussed.
Rogers already has pages that show Free Previews and New Channels but I have not been able to find any pages that list planned/upcoming changes to the default channel lineups for Ignite TV Packages, Theme Packs or the Flex Channels that we can choose from.
For example, my latest bill contains a note informing me that Fox Sports Racing will no longer be part of my package effective June 14, 2020 but will still be available to subscribers as part of the Adventure Theme Pack. However, it still shows as an included Flex Channel in Premier and an optional Flex Channel in Popular.
@CommunityHelps Are you aware of any other upcoming changes that you can share here so that we can also plan accordingly? Thanks!
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@aboyaci wrote:
Looks like Peachtree TV is being removed from TV packages. Anyone have any details if this is due to the channel shutting down, or Rogers is no longer going to carry it, or if its just going to be charged as an extra channel. Im thinking its one of the first two... elimination.
"Peachtree TV
Starting October 1, 2021, Peachtree TV will no longer be included in your TV or theme package. If you’ve been paying a separate fee for this channel, you will no longer be charged as of this date."
Yes, that change has also been posted on https://www.rogers.com/customer/support/article/channel-updates
I don't know for sure why Rogers is dropping WPCH / Peachtree TV. However, that channel will be acquired by Gray Television later this year. I haven't seen or heard any other news.
Rogers is not the first TV service provider in Canada to drop the channel. I don't think that Peachtree carries any exclusive programming anymore either so, whatever the rationale is for this change, I don't think that this will be a huge loss.
@ReneHache wrote:
I have a question about the recent change to the american national channels (ABC, NBC, CBS,...), if I exchange a channel with flex, does those american national channels will stay on my account? I don't want to loose them, there are shows i watch that are not available on a Canadian channel.
When you log into MyRogers, go to the TV section and click on "View my channel lineup", you will see the following:
⚠️ Our TV packages are changing as of April 7, 2021.
The following channels will only be available as part of a Theme Pack for new Ignite TV customers, but will remain available to you as an existing Ignite TV customer. They will not appear on your rogers.com channel dashboard, but you will still be able to view them as part of your subscription.
CBS**
ABC
NBC
FOX
PBS
CW†
City Toronto*
Global Maritimes**
†Impacts London, St. Thomas, Strathroy, Tillsonburg in Ontario only.
*Impacts all regions in New Brunswick and Newfoundland.
**Impacts Acadian Peninsula, Bathurst, Campbellton/Dalhousie, Miramichi, St. Andrews, St. Stephen, Edmundston, Woodstock in New Brunswick only.
❗ Note that Rogers "back-dated" this notice; it used to say "Our TV Packages are changing as of July 7, 2021."
However, the rest of the wording is quite clear: The following channels will only be available as part of a Theme Pack for new Ignite TV customers, but will remain available to you as an existing Ignite TV customer.
To me, according to that statement, we should even be able to change our Ignite TV bundle (e.g. from Premier to a lower-tier) and we should still be able to keep those US channels, and exchanging Flex Channels should be totally safe as well.
@CommunityHelps If I am wrong about any of these details, please correct me and clarify. Thanks!
@PatrickJB @ReneHache Whenever you see something not looking right on your TV account in MyRogers, you need to report it. It might be due to a coding error on Rogers' web site or it could be due to your account getting into an unexpected state. (You might also run into a situation, either now or later, where you cannot exchange Flex Channels. If you call into Support and get them to make changes on your behalf, agents might be able to force those changes through but this could also cause even more problems later. Trust me, I know.)
@PatrickJB wrote:
I also looked at the list of all channels and noticed even weirder things, such as CNN being available in Flex 5, Flex 20+ and Premier, but not Flex 10. That makes absolutely no sense. I spoke to someone with Rogers and they claim it's all correct and intentional. It looks more like someone sat on t he keyboard just to see what would happen and then clicked 'save'.
Yeah, that can't be right. I think somebody messed up.
@CommunityHelps : FYI
We may never know the real reason why, but this might be a clue, this was quoted from their WikiPedia page:
Since the "Peachtree TV" rebrand, WPCH has been dropped by select providers due to carriage disputes with Turner, including Vidéotron (which removed the station in 2009 but reinstated it in 2011), Cogeco (which dropped it in 2011), and NorthernTel (which dropped it in 2018 in favor of adding cable-originated specialty service MAVTV).
It could very well be a carriage dispute.
@aboyaci wrote:
We still dont know the reason for why Peachtree is being removed. Im assuming Rogers just wants to drop it.
FYI, I saw the following message in my latest bill:
ROGERS IGNITE TV CHANNEL UPDATE: PEACHTREE TV
Starting October 1, 2021, Peachtree TV will no longer be available as part of your TV or theme package. If you pay a separate fee for this channel, we will stop charging you as of this date. For more TV channel updates, please visit www.rogers.com/channel-updates. If you currently have Peachtree TV selected as a Flex channel, please remember to visit www.rogers.com/igniteflex and replace it with another available channel of your choice. You can easily swap Flex channels every 30 days. The rest of your Rogers TV package will remain the same. This change is made in accordance with the CRTC Television Service Provider Code. If you have any questions or no longer wish to subscribe to your TV service, please reach out to us in any of the ways listed in the Contact Us section of this bill.
@Pauly wrote:
It could very well be a carriage dispute.
Soon, Peachtree will also be under new ownership, which may have also complicated matters.
FYI, prices just jumped again for Ignite TV bundles. I don't think that the package contents have changed but in Ontario, Flex 20 + Sports and Premier, with 500u Internet, are now $169.99 and $204.99/month respectively. That's a $10/month increase.
Two years ago, Ignite Premier/500u was $175/month, and that also included Home Phone with unlimited Canada-wide calling, the US TV networks, and more Flex Channels to choose from.
@toolcubed wrote:
Wow. I wonder if existing customers will also see this increase? I’m guessing yes. That’s terrible.
Actually, Rogers is pretty good in this regard. When they removed Home Phone and the US channels, customers that had those features got to keep them. You see rate increases but they tend to be contained. In past years, you got a notification that your monthly bill will be going up by $5; you are still paying less than the current in-market rates. The problem is that as soon as you need to make a change, e.g. increase your Internet speed, you need to switch to a current in-market bundle, and that's when you will see a huge price spike.
By comparison, I just priced out a Bell Fibe bundle. [details deleted]
I’m not understanding Rogers’ strategy with all the anti-consumer moves lately…
How you structure and price channel packages and theme packs is a very complex process. A dizzying number of factors come into play that must all be considered and balanced. You have CRTC requirements as to what channels you can, cannot and must carry. You also have the agreements that you sign with channel providers, e.g. channels that must be included with others, minimum penetration requirements, and pricing scales that reward or penalize you as to whether or not you hit those targets, etc. Rogers also needs to consider the interests of its own businesses.
I actually like to look at the channel packages that Rogers and their competitors put together and try to deduce the design decisions that went into how their packages are structured and priced. I still can't understand Rogers' logic. I liked what they included in their old VIP, VIP Plus, and VIP Ultimate packages. (I think, at one time, they also had Basic, Plus and Extra Plus.) There was a radical shift in thinking when they replaced those with Select, Popular and Premier.
I still cannot explain the decisions that Rogers has made lately. However, the quality of their service remains excellent.
@toolcubed wrote:
No doubt that the quality of service remains excellent. However, if they continue down this road of substantial price increases while continuing to remove channels/features, their competition will eat their lunch, especially with their competitor’s aggressive FTTH push, which is arguably of equal or better quality (for internet service). At the end of the day, money talks. I really hope Rogers announces some positive news soon.
I have also said the same in another thread. I heard that Bell was also planning to restructure their TV packages. If they do, perhaps Rogers will follow suit.
The other challenge with structuring TV packages is that customers only have so much time in the day to watch TV. People still watch news, sports and live events, so linear TV will not be going away. However, there is a huge shift toward streaming services, with high-value content and no commercials. I can't see people continuing to subscribe to traditional mega-packages that are filled with unwatchable content and zombie "specialty" channels that air nothing but tired old reruns that are no longer even remotely-related to that channel's original purpose.
Rogers still has a captive market in areas where Bell cannot compete and with long-time customers that need to keep their rogers.com email addresses. However, that supply of potential new customers will eventually run dry.
We will have to wait and see where things go... but I don't think that Rogers' current trajectory is sustainable.
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