Apple announces television content on iTunes Canada

[AppleInsider]

As expected, Apple on Wednesday announced that hit television programming from Canada’s top networks, US broadcasters and the National Hockey League (NHL) is now available for CAN$1.99 per episode from the iTunes Store in Canada.

iTunes customers can choose from Canadian-produced favorites such as the award-winning “Corner Gas” from CTV, smash hit comedy “Little Mosque on the Prairie” from CBC, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning “South Park” from Comedy Central and the NHL Games of the Year.

“We’re thrilled to bring television programming to the iTunes Store in Canada in time for the holiday season,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We’re off to a great start with hit shows from CBC, CTV, Comedy Central and MTV Networks, along with the best of classic and current NHL action.”

Television shows purchased and downloaded from the iTunes Store Canada can be viewed on a PC or Mac, iPod nano with video, fifth generation iPod, iPod classic or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV. Television programming on the iTunes Store in Canada includes:CBC’s comedy programs “Little Mosque on the Prairie” and “The Rick Mercer Report,” reality programming “No Opportunity Wasted” and “Dragon’s Den;”CTV’s smash hit comedy “Corner Gas,” dramas “Instant Star,” “Degrassi: The Next Generation” and “Robson Arms;”Comedy Central’s “Drawn Together,” “The Sarah Silverman Program” and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning “South Park;” MTV Networks programs “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “The Hills;” and NHL Games of the Year, including top NHL games in their entirety for the 2007-2008 season, as well as Stanley Cup Classics, a five-game bundle of great Stanley Cup Final games.
Reports that Apple was ready to launch TV programming on the iTunes Store Canada were first reported late Monday by ArsTechnica.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[iMat]

Seems the right kind of deal for Apple... Go alternative. Leave the big players and make small deals with big country wide operators in other countries. That will stengthen iTunes video enough to make NBC and the others think about coming back to the table.


I have the impression that, so far, we heard a lot of what NBC is doing after the stop of negotiations. Finally we start to see that Apple isn't sleeping either. They go to Canada, grab good contracts for interesting shows and there you have it.

Interesting strategy and intersting turn of events. I hope the companies will sit down together in the future and work out a deal so that the sales of video on iTunes can increase like they should.

Of course having HD programming and selling it in some other countries (Switzerland, where we make the "one hundred dollar bill iPod Touch stands" cough cough) would be BETTER, at least from my perspective.

[waytogobuddy]

FUUUUUUUU---inaly....

Edit: 1.99 for a classic 2 hours of NHL. Great deal. Go! Oilers! Go! Edit Edit: They have the Philly 57 feed rather than CBC? hmm....

[stuhowe]

A nice little selection to start with. I expect there is plenty more to come. Will be interesting to see in CTV adds shows they license from US Networks down the road and if Global joins up and offers same. I would hope to see more NHL classics eventually as well. Nice start and a welcome step for us up here. Movies will hopefully follow soon and one can see the little pieces being put in place ahead of the iPhone's imminent announcement.

Stu

[potterhead4]

Wow, three posts in and no complaint about the missing Canadian iPhone...a new world record!

[Restalot]

Originally Posted by potterhead4

Wow, three posts in and no complaint about the missing Canadian iPhone...a new world record!

I let my tag do the complaining...

Can anyone in the US confirm if the Canadian shows (e.g. Corner Gas) are available to US iTunes customers? I still think this is a way for iTunes to get new content in the US during a writers strike.

[techno]

What?! No iPhone announcement!!!?

ah just kidding. I have decided to just not think about the iPhone so I don't get upset.

Listen up All Canadian Store users!!! Support this! Buy some shows early on. Give them an indicator that this will succeed so that other content providers are encouraged and make NBC come crawling back. the iTunes Music Store is the best business model out there and it will only succeed if we support it.

[Rot'nApple]

Originally Posted by iMat

Seems the right kind of deal for Apple... Go alternative. Leave the big players and make small deals with big country wide operators in other countries. That will stengthen iTunes video enough to make NBC and the others think about coming back to the table.


I have the impression that, so far, we heard a lot of what NBC is doing after the stop of negotiations. Finally we start to see that Apple isn't sleeping either. They go to Canada, grab good contracts for interesting shows and there you have it.

Interesting strategy and intersting turn of events. I hope the companies will sit down together in the future and work out a deal so that the sales of video on iTunes can increase like they should.

Of course having HD programming and selling it in some other countries (Switzerland, where we make the "one hundred dollar bill iPod Touch stands" cough cough) would be BETTER, at least from my perspective.

I said it once before and I'll say it again, have one centralized iTunes, call it the iTunes International Store. Have programming from US - North America, Central and South America countries programming, Europe and Asia and Africa too. Apple wouldn't need every thing ever produced. But a few shows from a lot of different countries that may appeal to a lot of US buyers since USA is the "melting pot" would go along way regarding diversity and would show just how miniscule NBC really is in the grand scheme of things.

What no iPhone announcement in Canada?!

[stuhowe]

Originally Posted by Rot'nApple

What no iPhone announcement in Canada?!

Soon. Imminent. Announcement supposed to be coming before Christmas...

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by stuhowe

Soon. Imminent. Annoucement supposed to be coming before Christmas...

Then we can hear about how Rogers "suxors".

[lfmorrison]

Originally Posted by stuhowe

A nice little selection to start with. I expect there is plenty more to come. Will be interesting to see in CTV adds shows they license from US Networks down the road and if Global joins up and offers same.

It seems to me that it's the content producer, not the broadcaster, that's going to have the final say in those situations. For example, consider that House was pulled along with all the other programming produced in-house by NBC-Universal, despite the fact that it is exclusively broadcast by Fox.

[Wiggin]

Originally Posted by Restalot

Can anyone in the US confirm if the Canadian shows (e.g. Corner Gas) are available to US iTunes customers? I still think this is a way for iTunes to get new content in the US during a writers strike.

Just checked...no joy. I too wish Apple was able to secure international distribution rights for the iTunes content. There are a few BBC shows I'd like to watch, and they aren't on BBC America. It would be a great way to expand their offering without conflicting with the broadcast content in your home country. It might be a bit tricky as sometimes shows air on different schedules in different countries (a couple years ago when I was working a lot in London I noticed that "24" was broadcast on a three week delay from it's US showing, but surely they could work something out.

But Apple's not stupid, so I assume it's the production companies that are preventing this from happening?

[GQB]

Originally Posted by Rot'nApple

I said it once before and I'll say it again, have one centralized iTunes, call it the iTunes International Store. Have programming from US - North America, Central and South America countries programming, Europe and Asia and Africa too.

You know, along those lines, something that would get my subscription $$$ on iTunes Store would be quickly posted international newscasts. Give us a chance to get the information that the rest of the world has, and combat the entertaiNews that passes for news here.

Waaaayy back before even Tom Snyder had the NBC 1:00 am slot, Linda Ellerbee did a news show with such a small budget that all they had for content were clips from international news broadcasts. And it was the hands down the BEST newscast I've ever seen.

[Abster2core]

Originally Posted by Restalot

I let my tag do the complaining...

Can anyone in the US confirm if the Canadian shows (e.g. Corner Gas) are available to US iTunes customers? I still think this is a way for iTunes to get new content in the US during a writers strike.

You can see for yourself by going to the US store in iTunes. Just select the 'Country' store at the bottom of the iTunes Store window.

[Abster2core]

Originally Posted by Rot'nApple

I said it once before and I'll say it again, have one centralized iTunes, call it the iTunes International Store.

Not possible.

Think about it. Acme Products is a US company which develops, manufactures and sell widgets. To do so, they abide by the laws of the land, be they local, state or federal. Keep in mind that they just can't sell it in the next state without complying with interstate transportation laws if necessary. Yes there are such laws, particularly in the alcohol, tobacco and firearms for example that regulate such activity.

Now Acme Products wanst to sell their products in Canada. But they aren't quite familiar with the laws that not only govern inter-country distribution, e.g., tariff regs, transportation or the necessary Canadian provincial and federal corporate, sales tax codes, advertising laws, employee benefit and health insurance programmes, etc. And lest we forget, each country has their form of IRA to contend with. So they create an Acme Products Canada Ltd., or partner with a Canadian distributor. Either case, they may have ties, even extremely close ties, but there is a desire to be independent, successful and profitable.

In the case of products covering the airwaves, like the US, there are additional federal jurisdictions to comply with. Like it or not, countries are very particular with what, how and with whom anything that we see or hear. There are laws governing content, foreign ownership of the delivery system and vehicles used to deliver the content. And very seldom are their two countries with identical structures, if any at all.

[rspress]

What about those of us who are not in the great white north eh! We can have molson and back bacon but no corner gas or red green on iTunes! What's that all aboot. It is supposed to be an open border eh! This is unfair to those of us not living in Canadia.

[Denton]

Originally Posted by rspress

What about those of us who are not in the great white north eh! We can have molson and back bacon but no corner gas or red green on iTunes! What's that all aboot. It is supposed to be an open border eh! This is unfair to those of us not living in Canadia.

Just stop. You have no idea how to use "eh" and you're embarrassing yourself.

[rspress]

Originally Posted by Denton

Just stop. You have no idea how to use "eh" and you're embarrassing yourself.

Lighten up francis!

[Denton]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

As expected, Apple on Wednesday announced that hit television programming from Canada’s top networks, US broadcasters and the National Hockey League (NHL) is now available for CAN$1.99 per episode from the iTunes Store in Canada.

About time! If only this meant that the iPhone was coming to Canada. Now that'd be freakin' sweet, eh? But it's alright: I'd still be holding out for Ireland's iPhone Nano.

To rspress: now that's how you use "eh."

[bsenka]

Just bought the series for the NHL package. I hope they do more of these classic games.

Wouldn't it be cool if you could pick a playoff year, and buy all of the games? I'd kill to get the whole 1994 playoffs! Hasek, Richter, Brodeur, MacLean... the best collective goaltending performances in one year that the NHL has probably ever seen.

I hope TSN gets involved in this too and puts World Junior games up as well.

RMR though? Isn't that already available for free as a Podcast? Most other CBC shows are.

[ronster]

Originally Posted by bsenka

Just bought the series for the NHL package. I hope they do more of these classic games.

Wouldn't it be cool if you could pick a playoff year, and buy all of the games? I'd kill to get the whole 1994 playoffs! Hasek, Richter, Brodeur, MacLean... the best collective goaltending performances in one year that the NHL has probably ever seen.

I hope TSN gets involved in this too and puts World Junior games up as well.

RMR though? Isn't that already available for free as a Podcast? Most other CBC shows are.

Nice that the NHL is on board ...too bad it's only 5 games for now (nice inclusion of the 87 final with the 4th Oiler cup win). I hope the WJHC will be on here too, that would be sweet.

Another idea: the 4 Golf majors or the Super Bowl on iTunes...

But the rest of the content is undesirable for me. Apple, just give me access to the US shows Please??

[DaveyJJ]

Originally Posted by bsenka

Just bought the series for the NHL package. I hope they do more of these classic games.

Wouldn't it be cool if you could pick a playoff year, and buy all of the games? I'd kill to get the whole 1994 playoffs! Hasek, Richter, Brodeur, MacLean... the best collective goaltending performances in one year that the NHL has probably ever seen.

I hope TSN gets involved in this too and puts World Junior games up as well.

RMR though? Isn't that already available for free as a Podcast? Most other CBC shows are.

Forget the 94 playoffs, let see some real hockey. Us old guys would love to see the 67 Leafs win again and the battles in the 1980s. Plus I'd like to see much more CTV and CBC programs (none offered I watch) especially some of CBCs excellent documentaries.

And my ex-figure skating wife, who skated at same the same club that Martini and Underhill did in Woodbridge would KILL, KILL I tell you, for Skate Canada etc going back as far as TSN or CBC would like to offer.

[GRB]

Originally Posted by stuhowe

Soon. Imminent. Announcement supposed to be coming before Christmas...

They've been saying that since September