It’s been more than a month since ctv’s interest in SportsNet has been up for grabs and rumblings about Rogers Communications making a bid for the upstart specialty have been making the rounds.

As it stands, ctv owns 40% of SportsNet, Fox owns 20%, Molson has roughly 10% and Rogers has 29.9% – one point short of needing crtc approval.

While Rogers started off with a 20% interest, it made a strong play for Molson’s original 20% in 1998, which was soon after denied by the commission.

‘There remains insufficient channel capacity on cable networks and insufficient competition among distributors to overcome concerns related to potential for undue preference in the cable carriage of affiliated specialty or other such broadband services,’ reads the crtc decision on Rogers in October ’98.

So Rogers pursued the maximum percentage it could own without having to solicit crtc permission – 9.9% from Molson.

Today, however, with cable capacity expanding and the arrival of the digital domain, the crtc might look less suspiciously at a cabler taking majority interest in a specialty.

‘In digital, we would definitely allow more cable equity, although there is still some preoccupation with undue preference….We have not said whether there’s going to be a change in analog,’ says crtc spokesperson Denis Carmel.

In the ’98 decision, the commission said, ‘Until there is sufficient capacity on cable networks, and until transparent access rules are in place to prevent undue preference, affiliates of cable licensees should not generally be granted licence to operate, nor should they be permitted to acquire ownership or control of programming undertakings other than over-the-air radio and television.’