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Canadian version of HBO launches October 30th

52K views 225 replies 74 participants last post by  james99 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Astral and Corus today announced the launch of HBO Canada which will launching on Thursday, October 30, 2008.

The channel will only be offered to customers that subscribe to The Movie Network or Movie Central. Canadians will not be able to subscribe to HBO Canada on its own.

With its launch in October, HBO Canada will be home series such as True Blood, Entourage, Big Love, Flight of the Conchords and In Treatment, airing day-and-date with HBO in the U.S. Astral and Corus say the service will also offer some other library titles and first-run HBO original films, comedy specials, documentaries, live concerts and sporting events which were previously unavailable in Canada, including Real Time with Bill Maher, Def Comedy Jam and Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger.

Library titles available on HBO Canada include such series as OZ and Da Ali G Show; original movies Gia, The Late Shift and If These Walls Could Talk; acclaimed miniseries From the Earth to the Moon and Angels in America; and comedy specials from the likes of Dane Cook, Tracey Ullman and Ellen Degeneres. HBO Canada will round out its offering with Canadian films and series including The Movie Network and Movie Central's award-winning original series such as Durham County and Terminal City.

HBO Canada will include a standard definition and high definition offering.
 
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#33 ·
Here is a summary of what the new channel numbers will be come October 30.

  • 601 (TMN M) - becomes HBO East
  • 602 (TMN More) - becomes TMN M (TMN More is removed)
  • 606 - New channel for Movies East customers - a time shift of ch. 601 named HBO West
  • 621 (MC 1) - becomes HBO West
  • 622 (MC 2) - becomes MC 1
  • 623 (MC 3) - becomes MC 2
  • 624 (MC 4) - becomes MC 3 (MC 4 is removed)
  • 625 - New channel for Movies West customers - a time shift of ch. 621 named HBO East
  • 296 (MMORE HD) - becomes HBO HD East
  • 297 (MC HD 2) - becomes HBO HD West
 
#34 ·
Here is a summary of what the new channel numbers will be come October 30.

* 601 (TMN M) - becomes HBO East
* 602 (TMN More) - becomes TMN M (TMN More is removed)
* 606 - New channel for Movies East customers - a time shift of ch. 601 named HBO West
* 621 (MC 1) - becomes HBO West
* 622 (MC 2) - becomes MC 1
* 623 (MC 3) - becomes MC 2
* 624 (MC 4) - becomes MC 3 (MC 4 is removed)
* 625 - New channel for Movies West customers - a time shift of ch. 621 named HBO East
* 296 (MMORE HD) - becomes HBO HD East
* 297 (MC HD 2) - becomes HBO HD West
If this summary is correct then I guess that this new service is partially nation wide since we will be getting a time shifted version of HBO west to east. too bad they can't do that for all the channels but then our channel capacity issue probably would come up. I can live with that channel line-up.

Here is what that should look like on Shaw:

55 (MC 1) - Becomes HBO West
56 (MC 2) - Becomes MC 1
57 (MC 3) - Becomes MC 2
58 (MC 4) - Becomes MC 3
64 (Digital Version of EA2) - Becomes HBO East
211 (MCHD) - Becomes HBO HD
212 (MCHD2) - Becomes MCHD
 
#40 · (Edited)
mmmmm
is it just me or what ?

i'm thinking Corus/Astral and the CRTC is screwing us on that one
bring the real feed or to me it just ain't HBO it's just some channels rebranded as HBO
I say bring the real feed it will fix the majority of u.s. satellite pirates in canada and CORUS and ASTRAL doesn't loose nothing on this
 
#41 ·
The real HBO will never legally come here unless Time Warner happens to buy out TMN which won't happen.

If this new channel brings addition HBO content to Canada, all in one place, then it's an improvement.

As a HBO subscriber for 10+ years I can tell you that we currently only see the "greatest hits" version of HBO now.

Hopefully when all existing contracts expire then more content will come to this new channel.
 
#42 ·
People are never satisfied. We've had lots of threads about people wanting to see Bill Maher, etc. We get the CRTC and Astral/Corus/HBO working together to give us this programming, yet people just complain more. There is no satisfying some people.

TMN already gives us most of the programming that HBO has and now we get more. Just be aware that there are lots of programmes that air on TMN that are NOT available on HBO - we actually get a wider selection, so I'd never trade TMN for HBO, but that's a different discussion for another thread. For example:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=405898#post405898
 
#66 ·
I'm glad you see this. I've been saying this for years.
TMN is great. Yes, we don't get every singe HBO show (which is fine, we get "greatest hits") + we get the best of Showtime too.
HBO doesn't carry Dexter or Californication. TMN does.
In the US of A to get what we get you'd have to pay double.
I'm all for socialism in TV programming. :)

EDIT: Note, I have no idea how MC differs from TMN, so I'm only speaking as a TMN customer.
 
#43 ·
I concur 57, it is never good enough for some.... yes, more HBO like what James99 pointed out direct from the US would be great, but that is not the state of affairs right now. Let us be happy with what we are getting, prey that it doesn't lead to any higher prices from the service providers and just ENJOY THE SHOWS TO COME!!

Paul
 
#44 ·
Why should we be satisfied with what looks like a watered down channel or HBO Lite, piled up on top of MC, which is as bad as movie channels get?

I dumped MC because their lineup was 95% junk. Now, I have to give Shaw/Corus my money again so I'm allowed to watch a handful of shows we did not get before?

Easy to say that when you have TMN. If you were stuck with MC like we are in the west, your perspective would probably be different.

When trying to imagine what would happen when the CRTC finally allowed HBO on this side of the border, that's NOT what I had in mind. There's always a catch and in the end, we pay more and get less...
 
#45 ·
I can't believe that they made a canadian version of hbo for canada because the crtc wants us to support canadian cable networks by making directv illegal so that they can force us to watch hbo canada. that stupid.

I don't think we get a choice for us network programming in canada and i moved to nova scotia in apr in 2008 where us network programming is limited to 4+1 and some CRTC appovied US Networks. but making a Canadian version of HBO. it gone too far.
 
#47 ·
A smart move by Astral and Corus to team up and have a channel that will primarly show HBO offerings. In reality nothing more than a name change and programing change for an existing channel(s). With the odd exception not sure that we have missed anything really worthwhile that has appeared on the American movie channels. It all shows up here, one way or another. Posters continually complain about pricing......for less than twenty dollars a month you get a lot more value than paying fourty to sixty dollars a month for all the US premium movie channels. Quantity is not a subsitute for Quality.
 
#48 ·
It all shows up here, one way or another
If it did, we wouldn't be complaining. Often comedy specials, a favourite of mine, never make it. Fights typically don't make it either. I'm not a fight fan but many people are.
 
#49 ·
"Under federal rules, The Movie Network and Movie Central are required to devote about 25 per cent of overall air time, and 35 per cent of prime time, to Canadian content, which will also apply to the HBO Canada schedule. In the case of The Movie Network, the service is also required to spend a minimum of 32 per cent of its previous year's revenue on Canadian productions."

Maybe they will reshoot the last scene of the Sopranos in Tim Horton's and re-air it.

Seriously though, I wonder if HBO will produce an all original Canadian series that will be edgier than what the networks have been able to air. That would be cool.
 
#61 ·
Yes...it actually would have been nice to have seen Flashpoint airing without censors (yes I know they don't swear...but they could if they put something like that on MC or TMN)

I really hope they show ALL the Comedy Specials, Concert Events and Live Boxing Cards in "real time".
 
#51 ·
Good or Bad?

Perhaps this will mean that all the HBO shows that TMN has not been airing in HD will now be in HD.

However, what about Showtime programs that currently air on TMN, like Dexter? Will they disappear from Canada?

Or do we have to wait and watch the re-hashed, watered down version of Dexter sim-subbed on CBS three months after it aired on Showtime?
 
#53 ·
"Wanna watch the real HBO sometime in the future plus all the other good channels we all miss? Vote Conservative!!! and give them a majority government. Enough said."

This has to be the most stupid reason to vote for somebody. There are more important issues than being able to watch the "real" HBO.
 
#54 ·
Finally we get Bill Maher's show!!!

I have been bugging TMN to add Bill Maher's show, that is now done so I am a happy customer. In comparing HBO to TMN, TMN is actually better as it will have all HBO's programming plus the best of Showtime. In addition we get the late nite movies on TMNExcess :)!!!
 
#57 ·
"Wanna watch the real HBO sometime in the future plus all the other good channels we all miss? Vote Conservative!!! and give them a majority government. Enough said.

They are going to aloow US channels(ESPN, HBO, MTV, FX, ect...) on Canadian soil? I highly doubt that because wouldn't so many Canadians would lose jobs?

Or do you mean they will allow us to buy Direct Tv or Dish Network legally?
 
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