Rogers 2014 Annual Report Download - page 39

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
DELIVER COMPELLING CONTENT EVERYWHERE
• Deployed Rogers’ 2014-2015 NHL national broadcast schedule,
delivering double the number of games on free over-the-air TV and
twice as many Hockey Night in Canada Saturday night games than
ever before across 9 networks. We built and launched a $4.5 million
state-of-the-art NHL Studio, are bringing the NHL to 25 communities
across Canada with Rogers Hometown Hockey, and grew the NHL
on-air broadcast team to include the biggest TV names in the game.
• Reaching 22 million Canadians, Hockey Night in Canada
continues to be the most-watched sporting event in Canada in
a typical week with viewership between October and
December 2014 up 12% from last year since the national NHL
rights were acquired by Rogers, as reported by Numeris using
Cumulative Reach. Audiences on Scotiabank Wednesday Night
Hockey on Sportsnet are up 14% this year, while Rogers
Hometown Hockey on City has increased the network’s
audiences on Sunday nights by 50%, as reported by Numeris
for the period between October to December 2014 using
Average Minute Audience. Since the start of the NHL season,
audiences on Sportsnet ONE are up 33% and up 40% on
Sportsnet 360.
• Launched Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE with more than 1,000
regular season games streamed wirelessly and online, available on
smartphones, tablets and computers, and with significantly
enhanced features. Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE is available to all
Canadians and was offered free on an introductory basis to Rogers
wireless data and Internet customers. Within Rogers NHL
GameCentre LIVE is GamePlus, which streams unique camera
angles, on-demand replays and more interviews. Exclusively
available to Rogers customers, with GamePlus fans can watch
several different camera feeds and review big plays from up to
seven different angles. Sportsnet.ca’s weekly unique visitors have
increased 76%, page views are up 53% and video starts have
increased 94% as fans are consuming more digital hockey content.
• Launched shomi, an exciting new subscription video-on-demand
streaming service available on mobile, tablet, online, and through
our cable set-top boxes. shomi provides online and televised
entertainment with the most popular shows on TV today, iconic
series from the past, fan-favourite films and a library of kids
programming. Available to Rogers and Shaw Television or Internet
customers, shomi has an easy to use interface and more
personalized selections for customers. shomi is a joint venture
equally owned by Rogers and Shaw Communications Inc.
• Launched Sportsnet NOW, a 24/7, live HD-quality stream of all
seven of Sportsnet’s TV channels. Designed to keep sports fans
connected to their favourite teams, players, and Sportsnet
programming, Sportsnet NOW is available on mobile devices and
computers for free with a Sportsnet TV subscription.
• Partnered with VICE Media in a joint agreement to deliver Canadian-
made news and entertainment programming across mobile, web
and TV platforms in 2015. VICE Canada properties will include a
state-of-the-art multimedia production facility in Toronto that will
produce content for use globally, the VICE TV Network, mobile
content and VICE’s network of Canadian digital properties.
• Introduced Canada’s first 24-hour network dedicated to baseball,
MLB Network, on Rogers digital cable. In addition, Sportsnet signed
an 8-year multi-platform broadcast rights extension with MLB
Properties and MLB Advanced Media to show live and in-progress
games and highlights within Canada.
• Expanded Next Issue offerings by adding People Magazine,
National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, and Food & Wine to the
digital newsstand. Next Issue now delivers nearly 150 of North
America’s premium magazine titles.
• Reached a three-year regional broadcast rights agreement with the
NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. Combined with the national package,
Sportsnet will deliver all 82 English-language Canadiens games this
season, making more Canadiens games available nationally than
ever before.
FOCUS ON INNOVATION AND NETWORK LEADERSHIP
• Secured “beachfront” spectrum consisting of two 12 MHz blocks of
contiguous, paired lower 700 MHz band spectrum covering the vast
majority of the Canadian population. This prime spectrum was the
most sought after and is the spectrum Rogers went into the auction
intending to win for its customers. Our $3.3 billion investment was in
line with recent 700 MHz spectrum transactions in the US. We have
now deployed this spectrum in rural and urban communities in
Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova
Scotia and Prince Edward Island delivering the ultimate mobile
video experience to Rogers customers while carrying wireless
signals deep into basements, elevators and in buildings with thick
concrete walls.
• Continued our expansion of Canada’s first wireless LTE 4G
broadband network. Our network covered approximately 84% of
the Canadian population as at December 31, 2014. We continued
to offer a large selection of LTE devices and became the first carrier
in North America, and one of the first in the world, to offer
international LTE roaming to wireless customers.
• First Canadian carrier to launch LTE-Advanced, now available in
various communities across Canada. This next evolution of LTE
wireless technology combines Rogers’ 700 MHz and AWS spectrum,
so customers can download and live stream high quality video in
more places on mobiles and tablets. LTE-Advanced was launched in
Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Windsor, London, Hamilton, Toronto,
Kingston, Moncton, Fredericton, Halifax and Saint John.
• Signed a Partner Market agreement with Vodafone to become its
partner in Canada. The agreement extends Vodafone’s international
experience, innovation and scale to Rogers in the Canadian market
to generate a number of revenue, cost saving and product
opportunities.
• Recognized for the second straight year by PCMag.com, Rogers’ LTE
network was named in September 2014 as the fastest downstream
mobile network in Canada. PCMag.com also recognized Rogers as
Canada’s fastest broadband Internet service provider.
GO TO MARKET AS ONE ROGERS
• We streamlined the organization to allow us to be more agile and
ensure senior leadership is closer to customers and front-line
employees. We’ve aligned to go to market with our products and
services in more disciplined and coordinated ways. We are using
more cross-functional, multi-departmental teams from all parts of
thebusinessongo-to-marketprojectsaswe’vedemonstratedthis
year with our 12-year NHL Agreement.
2014 ANNUAL REPORT ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS INC. 35