Bell Media confirms nationwide layoffs

The mass media company couldn’t confirm how many jobs would go but did point to multiple causes behind the cuts.

Bell Media confirms nationwide layoffs
Bell Media says it's laying some people off as it restructures operations amid a challenging industry landscape.

Spokesman Scott Henderson said in an email Tuesday that the company is not disclosing the number of workers who will lose their jobs.

But he said the layoffs, which began Monday and are ongoing, will come from more than two dozen Bell Media locations across the country.

Henderson said the restructuring comes as it and other media companies in the country face increasing international competition, the evolution of broadcast technology, and advertising and regulatory pressure.

He said regulatory decisions, like the CRTC banning Bell Media from substituting Canadian ads with American ones during the Super Bowl this year, have had a significant effect on revenue.

Bell Media owns dozens of local TV stations and specialty channels, 105 licensed radio stations, more than 200 websites and over 30 apps. The media division employed 6,568 people as of Dec. 31, 2015, down from 7,342 a year prior.

BCE Inc. (TSX:BCE) will report its fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday. Last quarter, Bell Media's revenues rose by 3.5 per cent to $716 million thanks to subscriber growth from The Movie Network, its Crave TV streaming service and TV Everywhere.
  • The Canadian Press

Recent articles & video

Manitoba government reinstates 1:1 apprenticeship ratio

Two-thirds of Canadian organizations expecting cybersecurity incident

Training leaders to address chronic pain issues

Employee relocation to another province

Most Read Articles

Province introducing paid sick leave as of Oct. 1

Lecturer fired for misogynistic paper published in his name

Ottawa limiting employers’ access to Temporary Foreign Worker Program