I suspect this has more to do with the estimated 200% price increase that Fox is charging Shaw and all providers. If only 1/3 opt in, no increase in cost to Shaw.
I suspect that this is also a message to Canwest. Don't try this method in order to get out of your financial mess. Shaw will "optin" channels like Tropolis (which I wouldn't pay 2 cents for). Canwest would lose on both subscription payment and ad rates.
agreed...i posted something similar on another (Canadian) forum echoing these sentiments. I learned about it in an article in yesterday's Chicago Tribune.
I didn't even think about the ramifications on other channels such as TVTropolis, which I barely watch. Could this signal the beginning of a la carte?
One difference, FoxNews has the ratings and active viewer-base to back up their demands. If CanWest said, "We are raising the rates of Tropolis" to providers, and providers threatened to drop the channel, I don't think there would be much of an uproar.
Jeremy Clarkson insults the U.S. (among other countries) on Top Gear on BBC Canada all the time. I laugh. I don't demand that BBC Canada be deleted from my package. There is a lesson there somewhere.