Rogers and AMC in negotiations

Feb 25, 2013 | News

CC courtesy of aetre9 on Flickr

CC courtesy of aetre9 on Flickr

By Sarah Lennox

Fans of AMC took to the Internet when the network issued a disclaimer Sunday evening that Rogers is considering dropping the channel.

The network, home to popular shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, created an online petition and phone number for Rogers customers.

The Rogers Facebook page received hundreds of comments regarding the negotiations, but Patricia Law, manager of public affairs for Rogers, said there’s no need for customers to worry. She issued this statement in an email to Humber News:

“We have no intention of dropping AMC. We have been in negotiations with AMC and we expect to reach a positive outcome. These types of negotiations with our programming partners are a normal and important part of our efforts to keep costs down and to provide our customers with the best TV and entertainment programming at reasonable rates.”

A spokesperson for AMC said both companies are currently negotiating, but declined to comment on negotiation specifics.

“We’ve had a long, productive relationship with Rogers Cable and are proud of the value we’ve created for them with AMC’s high-quality, acclaimed programming, including The Walking Dead,” Georgia Juvelis, senior vice president of corporate communications at AMC, told Humber News in an email statement. “While we are hopeful we will reach an agreement with Rogers Cable that recognizes the popularity of our programming with their customers, we believe we owe it to our loyal viewers to inform them of the potential loss of AMC and its popular shows.”

Ian Wisniewski, a producer at Peace Point Entertainment and fan of AMC, said he would call Rogers to complain if the channel was ever dropped.

“I’d be pissed because that’s a channel I really like,” said Wisniewski. “I feel like my cable bill is going towards that [channel] because it’s something I want to see. If [Rogers] took it off, I’d want a cut in my rate, which they wouldn’t do. I wouldn’t be able to get out of my contract because it’s locked in for three years, so I’m screwed anyway. I’d be very unhappy. “

Though he watches Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, Wisniewski said AMC’s online petition is too one-sided.

“I don’t really want to be on the side of the network either,” he said. “I’d rather be on the side of a network, I guess, than a cable provider, but to me, they’re equally as bad.”

Wisniewski said he believes the Rogers statement about keeping AMC. He said his issue is that Rogers doesn’t currently offer AMC in HD.

[Rogers is] being cheap and they don’t want to provide it in HD,” he said. “They don’t want to pay for it because I’m sure AMC’s probably asking more than anybody else.”

Whether Rogers and AMC reach an agreement or not, Wisniewski said he won’t miss his favourite shows because he can always find them online.