Warner Bros. Discovery will end some of its programming and trademark agreements with Corus Entertainment at the end of the year.

Corus disclosed the news last Friday (June 7) in a press release, stating that the end of the deal will affect content on certain Corus-operated specialty channels in 2025.

A spokesperson for Corus told Playback Daily that the programming and brands impacted by the pending termination of the arrangement are HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, Cooking Channel, Magnolia Network and OWN. Notably, Adult Swim and the Cartoon Network are not affected.

President and CEO Doug Murphy said the company “intends to explore all potential remedies” in a statement on the matter, adding that Corus will be “adapting and advancing our strategies while we pursue new opportunities through our other content suppliers.”

Troy Reeb, EVP, networks and content at Corus, emphasized the company’s intent to operate its lifestyle channels with “top-rated Canadian programs and alternate foreign content supply.”

“This is an unfortunate example of inequitable structural relationships in the Canadian media and telecom industries, particularly affecting independent broadcasters like Corus,” added Murphy. “It highlights the urgent need for regulatory reform, including rules affecting how market-dominant players interact with suppliers and competitors.”

The brands HGTV and Food Network have been on Canadian airwaves since 1997, and were taken over by Corus when it acquired Shaw Media. Corus licensed the OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network) in 2011 and the Cooking Channel brand arrived in late 2016. The most recent arrival is the Magnolia Network, which launched in Canada in 2022.

On June 10, it was revealed that Rogers Communications inked a deal with NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery. Starting January 2025, Rogers will become the home of Warner Bros. Discovery’s suite of English-language U.S. lifestyle and factual brands, including HGTV, the Food Network, among others.