Bell & Warner Bros Discovery Expand HBO Deal & End Legal Spat

Canada’s Bell Media and Warner Bros Discovery have extended their pact for HBO and Max content, and at the same time ended their legal dispute related to Bell rival Rogers.

The multi-year extension comes just 17 months after the previous licensing pact between the Canadian network and the U.S. studio was struck. The new agreement will see subscribers to Bell streamer Crave “have continued access to a vast library of premium content for the foreseeable future,” according to the network.

At the same time, Bell and WBD also confirmed they have settled “all matters” in their recent dispute regarding Bell’s suite of Discovery-branded channels.

WBD had struck a deal with Bell rival Rogers for English-language lifestyle fare, which had previously run on Bell for 30 years. This led to legal action being taken in July, but that has now ended. Details regarding changes to Bell-owned Discovery channels will be made available in the coming weeks, the pair said. No word if the Rogers pact still remains in place. We’ve reached out to WBD for more.

The new Bell-WBD deal includes co-production commitment for original Canadian content with global appeal, licensing of Bell’s original content for use on WBD platforms outside of Canada, and extended access to French-language content for use on Bell platforms.

The co-pro element is not unlike the one WBD has with Sky in Europe, though their long-term has been turning sour as the current agreement nears its end and Max gets ready to launch in the UK. Comcast-owned Sky has accused WBD of cutting it out of upcoming shows such as the Harry Potter series that it believes qualified as potential co-productions.

The new Crave deal appears to end the notion Max will launch in Canada in the foreseeable future.

Also headed to Bell are HBO and Max Originals such as The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, The White Lotus, Just Like That and The Penguin and library shows such as The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Game of Thrones, Succession and The Wire.

Bell also gets films and shows from the DC Universe, and the Harry Potter franchise, including the Harry Potter series, and blockbusters such as Barbie, Dune and Dune: Part Two, Wonka and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

“We are strengthening and deepening our relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery, marking a significant milestone as we move forward together,” said Stewart Johnston, SVP Content and Sales at Bell Media. “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.” 

Bell is part of Canadian telecoms giant BCE. It operates major network CTV, streamer Crave and a suite of speciality channels.