Bell Media has inked an expanded content deal with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), settling its legal dispute with the U.S. mediaco.
The agreement will see Crave continue to be the home of HBO and Max content “for the foreseeable future,” in an extension to their 2023 content deal. Content included in the agreement are HBO hits such as The Last of Us and House of the Dragon, Warner Bros. theatrical releases like Barbie and Dune and library staples Friends and The Big Bang Theory.
New aspects the deal include a coproduction commitment to develop original Canadian content with global appeal, the licensing of Bell Media originals for WBD platforms outside of Canada, as well as extended access to WBD French-language content for Bell Media platforms.
In today’s announcement, Bell Media confirmed that it has settled all matters of their legal dispute with WBD, and resolved its matter with Rogers Communications. Bell Media had filed for an injunction to block Rogers from launching Discovery channels for two years, after WBD ended its longtime licensing agreement with Bell Media and sold the rights to Rogers. The company had also been seeking damages from WBD for an alleged breach of contract.
Rogers is now in the clear to move ahead with plans to launch a Discovery channel on Jan. 1, 2025. Bell Media said in the release that details on changes to its current Discovery channels will be available in the coming weeks.
“We’re already home to Canada’s No. 1 sports network, and this partnership helps solidify our leadership in entertainment with a diverse media portfolio of TV’s most iconic brands,” said Rogers Sports & Media president Colette Watson in a statement.
“We are strengthening and deepening our relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery, marking a significant milestone as we move forward together,” said Stewart Johnston, Bell Media’s SVP content and sales, in a statement. “With our commitment to develop co-productions, and the extended pipeline of extremely valuable content for subscribers, we’ve ensured Crave is well-positioned for continued growth and success.”
This story originally appeared on Playbackonline.