New CRTC $25 basic TV package spells end of cheaper Rogers cable deal
New rules have led to the demise of a $17 basic TV package from cable company
Brian Putman loves his basic Rogers cable TV deal. And he's lucky he still has it.
His Digital Lite package includes more than 80 TV channels and costs him just $19 a month with taxes.
"We're very happy," says Putman from his home in Owen Sound, Ont. He scored the basic package in December and advises others to jump on it too.
"I think everyone should get the same deal," he says.
Unfortunately, for anyone who's tempted, the plan is no longer available.
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The demise of Digital Lite
It appears the new CRTC rules, created to "maximize choice and affordability for Canadian TV viewers," have paved the way for a pricier basic TV deal at Rogers.
The cable company stopped offering Putman's Digital Lite package when the CRTC rules took effect on March 1.
"Removing it is Rogers sticking it to the CRTC," a Rogers employee who asked to remain anonymous told CBC News.
The new CRTC regulations forced cable companies to offer a basic TV package at a maximum cost of $25.
On the March 1 deadline, Rogers unveiled its $24.99 Starter pack which replaced the Digital Lite deal.
The channel lineups for the two basic TV plans are similar: both include mandatory Canadian channels plus major U.S. networks.
But there's one big difference — price. Before taxes, the new Starter package costs, at minimum, $30.48 a month once you factor in a standard definition TV box rental. A high definition box costs more.
The pre-tax price for the now retired Digital Lite deal was $16.99 a month. The SD box was included for free.
So far, Rogers is letting Putman keep his now-defunct deal. But if he signed up today for basic cable, he'd have to shell out $13.49 more a month for the Starter pack.
In other words, since the new CRTC rules took effect, Rogers customers have to pay more for basic TV.
'It's a shame'
According to the Rogers employee, the cable provider dumped its Digital Lite package the day before it unveiled its new mandated Starter plan.
"It's a shame," says the Rogers worker. "It really was a good deal."
He said nearly every employee groaned when they were informed they could no longer offer the cheaper Digital Lite package.
It should be noted that Digital Lite wasn't readily available to everyone. According to the employee, it wasn't advertised and was only offered to customers who asked for it specifically or to those who were unhappy and considering cancelling their subscriptions.
"I personally think the Digital Lite was a great starter package at a super price and hoped that was where Rogers would start with their skinny TV package," says ex-Rogers employee Ron Finnigan. He worked in customer service for the company from 2008 to 2015.
Finnigan, who lives in Ottawa, blames the new CRTC rules for the demise of the plan. "When you legislate minimum requirements, companies are going to use that to set the bar," he says.
All the major cable and satellite providers are pricing their CRTC-mandated basic TV package at the maximum limit of $25.
Starter does offer more flexibility
CBC News asked Rogers why it retired the Digital Lite deal.
"To eliminate confusion, we chose to offer one 'light' package that customers could build on," said spokeswoman Jennifer Kett in an email.
She contends the Starter pack actually offers more flexibility. The Digital Lite plan didn't allow customers to add additional popular channels like Sportsnet, she explained.
The CRTC also mandated that cable companies let customers top up the new basic TV packages with pick-and-pay channel options.
With Rogers' Starter deal, customers can add a large variety of extra channels and theme packs. But some people have complained the prices for the additions are high and once you add up the bill with a handful of extra theme packs, it skyrockets.
Even Rogers' own numbers back that up. On its website, it shows customers that the Starter plus six theme packs would total $82.99 a month for 165 channels.
The telecom then points out that its larger VIP TV package with 372 channels costs only $79.98 a month.
Former Rogers employee Finnigan agrees one drawback with the Digital Lite was that customers could not tack on multiple extra channels.
He claims, however, that periodically, subscribers could add the Movie Network and other premium channels. He also says, for a while, Digital Lite was offered with multicultural packages to address the complaints of new Canadian families who didn't watch English or French TV.
At least Putman is happy
Putman says he streams many of the shows he watches so he doesn't need added theme packs. He just wanted a basic cable package so he could watch local news and sports events.
For him, Digital Lite meets his needs for $19 a month including taxes.
Many TV customers who considered signing up for the $25 CRTC-mandated basic TV packages have complained that once they add up the extra costs, it's not such a great offering.
And that leaves Putman one of the lucky ones. "I feel pretty darn good," he says.
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