Animal Planet on News and Learning 1

**Fordman** · 08-02-2010, 01:49 PM

Will we not be able to make the change to the new News and Learning and Sport 1 in the near future? Right now I cannot select the new theme pack online. I dread calling to make the change as some csr's are mis-informed and its hard to argue with someone I can't understand.

**Soulmate** · 08-02-2010, 06:42 PM

Korak- thats terrible that they were still charging you for the channel!

08-02-2010, 07:33 PM

Hey Everyone,

I just finished chatting with a Bell TV rep about the changes and he confirmed that RDS/HD has been added to Sports 1 and that Animal Planet is now in News & Learning 1. He said new brochures are being made to show these changes... being a Habs fan, I think its fantastic that I get RDS without having to subscribe to a French theme pack just for 1 channel!

08-02-2010, 08:01 PM

Korak, how did you ask about being credited?

Every frontline agent in a call centre has a toolkit of credits. Their job is to negotiate if you ask for a credit. Their limit is usually very small, but you could have easily gotten a credit if you expressed your dissatisfaction in the right way. You still can.

08-02-2010, 10:08 PM

Since subscribers would lose sportsnet, I can understand why bell doesn't automatically update existing people on Sports 1.

But since everyone would get Animal Planet without any loss, I don't understand why Bell doesn't automatically give AP to all existing News&Learning 1 subscribers.

08-04-2010, 07:19 PM

I must have missed this thread back in May/June, as I don't need Animal Planet. However, last night when checking the Bell website, I saw that Sportsnet and OLN had been moved to Sports 2. That was the first I knew of any package changes, and so led me here

While I'm happy for those who posted above who had Sports 1, Sports 2, and the French pack for RDS, who can now drop the French pack; there has been no discussion about those of us who only have Sports 1. (Are there so few of me that this irrelevant??)

Over 8 years of Bell subscription, I've seen my cost for Digital Basic, News 1 and Sports 1 almost double. At least when the cost of News 1 rose 50% and became News and Learning 1, I got the new channels added to the theme pack. However, if I signed up today, I'd have to have 3 themes to get the same channels. While I can't explain the movement of Animal Planet, they are obviously trying to bolster Sports 2 and get more subs to pay for that.

How long will they grandfather the old theme packs? This will eventually get even more confusing than it is now! (Try explaining to a CSR in two years time that "I have the old Sports 1 theme pack and don't want to lose Sportsnet") Will other changes to your account cause your themes to be updated to the new versions? If I add Setanta, cancel my international channel, cancel my P+P Fox SportsWorld, add another P+P channel or some other theme pack, will my Sports 1 theme be updated to the new version?

I've always tried to avoid calling Bell, esp being in the southern provinces. Here's another good reason to not call - until the day I wake up and find Sportsnet gone!