Telus will distribute Bell satellite TV in Alberta and BC

**dr.dave** · 07-30-2010, 12:53 PM

Bell also announced today a new agreement with TELUS Communications Company under which TELUS will distribute satellite TV service in Alberta and British Columbia under the TELUS brand. This agreement supports Bell's imperative to Leverage Wireline Momentum by expanding distribution channels for Bell's digital TV service in Western Canada

07-30-2010, 06:09 PM

I don't understand how this will work? Will Telus take over distribution and sales for Bell TV in Western Canada? This will still remain a satellite service correct or will it be migrated over to IPTV?

**Hugh** · 07-30-2010, 06:12 PM

It's really confusing. Since it says under the Telus brand, they clearly aren't selling BellTV. Why go over IPTV when they have Telus TV.

Very weird. Hopefully, we will hear more today.

07-30-2010, 06:21 PM

I wonder if the will brand the boxes and guides with their logo?

I suppose they could make a custom channel lineup that matches their Telus TV or maybe just follow the standard BTV one.

I can't get Telus TV in my neighborhood and the audio dropouts from the cableco are miserable.

So would BTV via Telus be any better?

I know Telus TV gets most of the signals from BTV, so this is a good synergy.

Doesn't it al come done to where the errors are, the source broadcast network or affiliate, the distributor and the equipment used in the home?

With Starchoice having rebranded twice, Starchoice, a Shaw Company and now to Shaw direct, the old rumours of a few years ago about Telus buying Starcgoice seem pretty remote now.

With the failed BCE privatization bombed, could BTV be a takeover target for Telus.

Lets face it, they are both wireline telcos at their core and it's the Rogers and Shaws that are the common enemy that have taken market share away with their bundles.

M.

**SuperGenius** · 07-30-2010, 11:26 PM

Interesting. Is this maybe a way for Bell to capitalize on the Telus brand recognition out here in the west? Then again, isn't Bell a competitor for Telus TV? Maybe its a way to battle a common enemy (Shaw??)

Very weird indeed.

07-31-2010, 01:50 AM

Bell stated today they'd continue to compete directly in western Canada selling Bell satellite TV but Telus would also sell the service -- under the Telus TV brand. Telus would not be a mere "reseller" as such: customers will receive a bill (and, presumably, technical support?) directly from Telus. I'd expect the boxes would be branded Telus as well.

It sounds like a logistical nightmare to me and very confusing for the customer. But I do see the advantage to Telus from a bundling perspective.

It might make a whole lot more sense if Bell TV was spun off as a separate company and 50% jointly owned by Telus and Bell. There would likely be no regulatory issues as long as Shaw Direct (aka Star Choice) continued to thrive. Plus, both Bell and Telus could share "head ends" -- one in the east, one in the west and connect them with fibre for redundancy.

It may shed some light on what they plan to do with Nimiq 5 and its 72

07-31-2010, 02:47 AM

With 2 of the 3 provinces they will play in, Alberta is probably OK for the current orbital slots, but I think much of B.C. enjoys better coverage with Shaw Direct due to orbital slots, tress, mountains and moisture.

I certainly hope they do very well with it.
Competition is often a very good things for consumers.

The Telus Headend in Edmonton WOULD be a nice backup uplink for the Toronto storms and associated nation outages.

I think Shaw direct uplinks in multiple locations across the continent and so about all you loose is a dozen channels at a time.

I think they best option would be to share capacity or model something like Dish's Eastern and Western Arc plans.
Use 1/2 of each sats capacity on a 3 bird arc and have the US boys use the other half.

Maybe with the overlap in a few areas, there could be added capacity.

M.

07-31-2010, 07:12 AM

I suspect Bell and Telus are slowly merging into one company.

-Mike

07-31-2010, 10:21 AM

I have inside information, so I have to really be careful how I post.
Telus has branded receivers. They are labeled telus, as is the remote and the guide shows telus. not bell. Telus and Bell have entered into an infrastructure sharing arangement. Why reinvent the wheel. It goes both ways. Bell mobility customers already use some of Telus's wireless infrastructure, and the new HSPA network also known as 4G Bell will use all TELUS infrastructure in the west,and TELUS will use Bells in the east. Telus will sell satellite service under their own name. Bell will also sell service under their own name. At present, Telus only intends to offer satellite service in BC and Alberta, as that is where the wireline is based, and the techs work.
IPTV will be marketed to those that qualify. For people outside the IPTV footprint, they will be offered Satellite TV. From what I understand, if a customer wants say 3 HD boxes, they they will be offered satellite TV directly. I do not know anythjing at this point about channel packages or prices. This was just announced, but I did read something about up to 500 channels, and over 70HD, so it sounds like the full load of channels will be available. Pricing has not been announced, but it will probably be a totally free install just like the current IPTV, and customers will likely not have to buy any equipment. It will likely be free rental with a term commitment. As I said I don't have any more details, but I have known of this project for several months.
This type of arrangment already exists in teh US. Verizon has been selling (bundeling) dishnet programming under their name for several years. This just gives Telus a way to bundle TV and Phone and Internet, and offer discounts. The shaw boys are probably changing their underware about now.