Business

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Federal broadcast regulator expected to decide soon on Bell-Astral takeover

By: The Canadian Press

Posted: 03/3/2013 2:01 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 03/3/2013 3:31 PM

Canada's broadcast regulator is expected to announce a decision on new public hearings this week on a revamped proposal by Bell Canada to buy Astral Media Inc. after blocking an earlier takeover bid.

Last October, the CRTC rejected a blockbuster $3.4-billion deal by Bell's parent firm to grab the specialty TV and radio company over concerns it would have led to unprecedented dominance in the marketplace.

Bell returned the next month to the CRTC with a revised takeover proposal the company says addresses the regulator's worries about ownership concentration.

The CRTC plans to release a decision on whether to launch a new round of public hearings on the proposal sometime by Friday.

The two companies say the new $3.38-billion deal puts the interests of consumers first and would boost Canadian TV and radio content.

They say the deadline for the deal — which needs CRTC and Competition Bureau approval — is June 1 but can be pushed back until July 31.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version wrongly indicated a decision would be made this week

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Business

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.