Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums banner

Paramount+ in Canada (formerly CBS All Access)

Tags
cbs
117K views 542 replies 59 participants last post by  noah12 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
#3 ·
“Star Trek Discovery will forever remain on Space and Crave,” messages Bell Media Content and Programming President Mike Cosentino. “Live long and prosper.”
Really, Mike? Really?!? If I was CBS CEO Leslie Moonves I'd be grinning ear to ear reading that, thinking on time when next contract comes to signing. You'd be paying hand over fist tenfold or eat your words.
 
#4 ·
It's more likely that some Bell CEO will order CraveTV and Space to dump STD as soon as they find a way to make doing so show up in their bonus packages. They will always find ways ways to make themselves, and their investors, live long a prosper. Customers are just space garbage to them.
 
#7 ·
Sad part about Hulu is with Bell/Corus/Shaw/Rogers/whomever has distribution rights for prime time shows at this moment, there wouldn't be much I think.
 
#9 ·
Pay the bucks and it might show up.....do you think Bell/Rogers Media loves competition? As soon as the CRTC gives the go-ahead the blocking will begin on all internet sources not approved by the M.B.C (Monopoly of Canadian Broadcasters)
Which, as we all know, will include Netflix.

The Canadian ISP's tried to block it before. You know they'll try again.
 
#10 ·
"CBS ALL ACCESS" LAUNCHES IN CANADA

CBS All Access, CBS’ direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand service, launched today in Canada, marking its first expansion into an international market. For $5.99 CAD, CBS All Access will offer Canadian viewers more than 7,500 commercial-free episodes on demand, spanning full current seasons of select CBS series, entire previous seasons and classic shows, as well as the ability to live stream CBSN, CBS News’ 24/7 streaming news service.

CBS All Access is available beginning today in Canada at cbsallaccess.ca, on iOS and Android mobile and tablet devices, and on Apple TV and Chromecast. CBS All Access will be launching on other connected devices in Canada in the coming months.

CBS All Access brings thousands of episodes of CBS’ leading programming to digital platforms, making it simple for fans looking for more CBS content to get it in one easy-to-use, multiplatform service.

At launch, CBS All Access includes the following on-demand programming in an advertising-free environment, with more to be added in the coming months:
  • Current, building seasons of nearly 20 primetime shows including NCIS, BULL, SEAL TEAM, MACGYVER and INSTINCT, with new episodes available seven days after they are broadcast.
  • All past seasons of 15 primetime series including NCIS, SURVIVOR, ELEMENTARY, MADAM SECRETARY and more.
  • CBS All Access original series including season one of THE GOOD FIGHT and comedy series NO ACTIVITY, with more to be announced.
  • Ability to livestream CBSN, CBS News’ 24/7 streaming news service featuring live, anchored coverage and original reporting.
  • Current episodes of select daytime and late-night favorites including THE TALK, RACHAEL RAY and THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT.
  • More than 30 CBS Classic series including all episodes of hits like CHARMED, THE GOOD WIFE, HAWAII FIVE-0 and CSI.
Full Press Release
 
#11 ·
CBS is covering all bases - if the traditional Canadian distribution model dies, they have already a foothold. If traditional Canadian distribution continues, then they still make money off of it.

Every year, CBS and Canadian network buyers spend a lot of money on up-fronts, negotiations, travel, etc etc that if all the extra expenses were cut out, CBS could potentially make more money delivering their product directly to Canadians without the Canadian network middle men and their mark-ups to make their piece of the profit. CBC Doc Zone has a good documentary on how shows are bought for the Canadian market (and how Canadian shows are sold to other markets).

CBS could make more money, and the consumer could pay less for the same product without the Canadian networks involved. I think we are going to see this direct from the content producer to consumer model more in the coming years. Not only for TV/Movie content, but also many products we buy with various levels of middle men and distribution that just add costs for the end consumer and lower profits for the producer.
 
#14 ·
It won't happen in the US due to FCC rules. In Canada, it might force a review of whether CBS All Access is a broadcaster under CRTC guidelines and make it subject to government regulation. There is a reason CBS All Access delays all new programing one week. It's to deflect criticism from existing broadcasters that could subject it to classification as a broadcaster. Lawsuits from broadcasters that have purchased broadcasting rights is another factor. I suspect that we will see increasing amounts of exclusive CBS All Access programming, similar to Star Trek: Discovery, in coming years as CBS attempts to compete with Netflix.
 
#22 ·
I noticed that the "help" link is specific to Canada and includes some useful info for those considering subscribing.
https://cbsi.secure.force.com/CBSi/KnowledgeHome?referer=cbs.ca/aa

Are Big Brother and the Live Feeds available with my CBS All Access subscription?
Due to streaming rights, Big Brother and the Big Brother Live Feeds are not available on CBS All Access. However, Big Brother is broadcast on Global TV...
Rights for other shows can be quite tricky. Not everything that is shown on CBS is produced by CBS. For example Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon are produced by Warner Brothers, which licenses the rights for the current season in the U.S. to CBS and in Canada to Bell Media (CTV.) That is why you won't see Big Bang Theory on CBS All Access in Canada and you can only get the current season in the U.S.

@bigoranget CBS won't let non-subscribers see the available shows on the Canadian site, like they do on the U.S. site. I'm curious if they have the Star Trek back catalog or if that is exclusive to Space channel. Also the press release said "All past seasons of 15 primetime series including NCIS, SURVIVOR, ELEMENTARY, MADAM SECRETARY and more." Can you confirm that is true about ELEMENTARY, since the U.S. site has clips?
 
#16 ·
@ExDilbert CBS All Access delivers a live feed of the local CBS affiliate in most designated market areas in the U.S. CBS All Access has to negotiate with each local and compensate them. If they can't come to an agreement, CBS All Access isn't allowed to distribute any live programming that the affiliate broadcasts in that market. The same rules apply for U.S. cable, satellite and other OTT providers such as Sling TV or DirecTV Now.
 
#17 ·
That makes sense. I was responding to, "What about a live national feed of CBS NY or LA?" That won't happen under current US or Canadian regulations. The corresponding situation in Canada would be CraveTV adding a live Toronto CTV feed. I don't see that happening either. Under CRTC broadcasting regulations, CBS All Access would be prohibited from streaming a live CBS feed in Canada.
 
#18 ·
CBS can stream a live feed in Canada if they want to. It just wouldn't be an affiliate in the US, it would likely just be a live feed of programming that they have cleared for Canada but then it would beg the question, why have a live feed if all the programming can be played back on-demand? I'm sure in the future some live programming from CBS might end up on All Access rather than conventional TV. There is nothing stopping CBS from having a live feed if they want it, it just isn't practical given the way consumers want to watch TV these days. I'm going to give this a try for a few months, mostly for some of the classics.
 
#19 ·
I don't know if you have looked at the programming available on CBS All Access but not everything is available on demand. Far from it. There is a lot of programming that is not available, much more than is actually available for many popular series. What new programming is available is delayed by a week. Spoilers anyone?

If CBS All Access wanted to stream a live feed they would need to get approval from the CRTC. That would almost certainly mean being classified as a broadcaster and being subject to CRTC regulations like Cancon and ownership rules. It would also face a barrage of objections from Canadian broadcasters. It won't happen because CBS doesn't want the hassle and it wouldn't be approved under current guidelines.
 
#20 ·
No, not all programming is cleared, I was aware of that. I've used it for a few days. The iOS interface seems to work fairly well. The web browser interface definitely needs work. I'm curious if our interface is the same as the US. The main issue I have is when watching in full screen mode, the interface comes out of full screen mode when transitioning to the next episode. You have to manually go back into full screen mode again. I also have occasional issues where the stream gets interrupted and I have to hit refresh to get it going again. I've had the same issue with CraveTV in the past.

In terms of content. There isn't a lot there at the moment. The other issue is not all episodes of the classic series is available. For example, the Brady Bunch has select episodes from Seasons 1-4. Beverly Hills 90210 only has the first season. Happy Days only has season 2. I've provided a few more examples below.

Becker (Seasons 1 & 2 only)
King of Queens (Season 1 only)
Everybody Hates Chris (Season 1 partial, Complete Seasons 2-4)
Love Boat (Season 1-2 only, pilot missing)

IMO, I'd save the $6.00/month for now.
 
#21 ·
I noticed the same thing on the US site so that's not a Canada only issue. Most fairly recent series only had a season or two. Some older series were complete but many are not. In addition, there is a huge amount of back catalogue that is entirely missing. Anyone looking for a wide variety of vintage 60s, 70s or 80s shows will be disappointed. A very large proportion of the programs they claim to have are reality shows, news magazines or clips from daily news and talk shows. I've got to wonder if CBS still owns the rights to a lot of their older programming.
 
Top