[4 eyes]

Hi everybody,

Does anybody know why the Eastern folks get The Movie Network and us in the West get Movie Central?

Also, why can't I choose to have The Movie Network INSTEAD of Movie Central. I ask because I was looking at the programming for channels 840 and 841 this evening and the content is so much better (IMO) for those in the east with TMN.

From 7pm on this evening here is the breakdown of east vs west in HD. I have included all shows that start before I reach the end of the guide, all times are PST.

EAST (TMN):
Huff 7:00pm
LOTR: ROTK 11:30pm
S.W.A.T 3:00am
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers 8:30am
Spy Kids 2 11:30am
Gangs of New York 1:15pm
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers 5:00pm
Dead Like Me 10:00pm
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers 11:00pm
Confidence 3:00am
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton 4:40am
The Statement 8:00am
Angels in America 2:30pm

WEST (MC):
Huff 7:00pm
Huff 9:30pm
(11.5 hour gap in programming)
Iron Jawed Angels 10:00am
Every Day People 2:00pm
The Statement 6:00pm
Deadwood 9:00pm
Carnivale 10:00pm
Deadwood 11:00pm
Every Day People 12:15am
(The next HD broadcast after this is Angels in America at 9pm!! More than 19 hours later!!!)

Now maybe I just chose a bad time to compare the two, but TMN looks alot more appealing to me. Obviously everyone is going to have their own preference as far as the actual content is concerned, but TMN seams to have a wider selection of content playing more often than MC. On MC there are often gaps of 12 or more hours between HD broadcasts.

I wonder why I can't choose one over the other? Anybody know?

s h a w n L.

 

[james99]

Once upon a time these 2 companies were available in all of Canada - perhaps 20 years ago (so it seems). In order to prevent competion and have one company go belly up, they decided not to compete against each other and divide the country. Actaully both channels offer pathetic HD programming compared to HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, etc. but that's another thread.

 

[dirtyjeffer]

Once upon a time these 2 companies were available in all of Canada - perhaps 20 years ago (so it seems). In order to prevent competion and have one company go belly up, they decided not to compete against each other and divide the country.

you aren't thinking back to the days of First Choice and SuperChannel are you?

 

[JesseJ]

So instead of fostering the ideals of Capitalism, and survival of the fittest between 2 companies, we are stuck, especially in the West, with bad, or mismanaged HD movie broadcast. (I think it also has a little to do with MC being owned by Shaw).
Could you imagine if HBO got the West Coast, Showtime on the East, and Cinemax got the middle? Hilarious! Why split, when we could have more programming with both MC and TMN? It seems to work in the US with their movie channels. Make each channel pay for movies, and they would control that movie outright...so only MC or TMN would have LOTR, or Daredevil, or Peter Sellers...

 

[james99]

you aren't thinking back to the days of First Choice and SuperChannel are you?

I can't remember that long ago but probably. I assume there was a name change along the way.

 

[Battscrew]

Hi everybody,

Does anybody know why the Eastern folks get The Movie Network and us in the West get Movie Central?

Ralph Klein

 

[faston]

I know this is the Expressvu Forum, but here in Shaw land this is what it looks like in HD:


EAST (TMN):
Huff 7:00pm
LOTR: ROTK 11:30pm
S.W.A.T 3:00am
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers 8:30am
Spy Kids 2 11:30am
Gangs of New York 1:15pm
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers 5:00pm
Dead Like Me 10:00pm
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers 11:00pm
Confidence 3:00am
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton 4:40am
The Statement 8:00am
Angels in America 2:30pm

WEST (MC):













Nothing. Nada. Ziltch.
Zero HD content.

 

[iknowbell]

First you cannot compare this to HBO and SHowtime since neither company buys a probgram with an exclusive clause on it, if one buys it the other can too. Next everyone must understand that it is MC and MN who dictate this rule to the country, not Bell or the CRTC, they have an agreement between them, one that MN will never give up. Think about it they have Ont east, 70% of the population, 85% of the wealth, and much more buying power than MC. Complain to MN, tell them you want an option, or at least the ability to buy them if you buy the other.

 

[iknowbell]

I wasn't speaking towards the HD content, I was speaking towards the regular content. As far as HD goes, why buy something that most people are not watching, (I know I would be too) it's a chiken egg thing, spend the money now or later, they have chosen later, and we should be mad since Bell does carry the channel at a cost to them!

 

[iknowbell]

Nor does MC or MN, but they must purchase the shows and spend the man hours to show them in the format, which costs them money. In the US HBO has more than a million potential HD watchers, the number here for MC is closer to 20,000, but the costs to broadcst are the same.

 

[Alan Bealby]

My recollection is that the CRTC was asked to license dedicated movie channels many years ago and decided on two regional licenses, The Movie Network in the East and Movie Central in the West and that is the way it has continued.

As far as no longer having HD movies from Movie Central on Shaw, blame Shaw and Cancom. The feed Shaw has been getting from Cancom with both TMN and MC content is now carrying just TMN and PBS HD fillers. Another Cancom channel has Movie Central HD movies but Shaw is not distributing it for reasons not being disclosed to its customers.

 

[spoonky]

when the movie channels first came on air they were all across canada and used to compete with each other.then about a year later they split canada in 2.with no competition they could charge what they wanted.when first they were $9.99 each then when they seperated they charged $15.99 each.the channels have changed there names a few times over the years.still with no competition we now pay $19.99 each.i wish i could only subscibe to the hd verion of the movie network for about $5.00 a month.why should i pay for all the other movie channels when they don't really look good on a hd tv.

 

[raNdOM]

Bottom line: send your complaints the the CRTC...

They're the ones preventing competition in the Canadian marketplace when it comes to all telecommunications - especially TV.

 

[4 eyes]

Thanks for everybody's comments. I'll forward my thoughts to Bell and the CRTC.

s h a w n L.

 

[classicsat]

Won't do good now, as Bell would have no say, and the decision to geographically split is said and done, for 15+ years.

BTW, the change to the MC and TMN names occured well after the split.

 

[Elvisator]

As usual the West gets the leftovers...What a joke...Tons of back to back movies in the East in HD on their MC, but in the West, scattered bunk. Im dropping my movie package, i was just offered over the phone last month.

 

[slash]

For fun, lets say I have a home in Ontario and one in Alberta. If I kept my address as Ontario when I am in Alberta (took the receiver with me) what would be the downfalls to this. I think the guide would show eastern time rather than mountain? Correct? Is anyone doing this?? I think the east movies seem to be the consensus as being superior. Anyone have any thoughts on this. Is there anything wrong with this if I do have 2 homes??

 

[kandkt]

Anyone have any thoughts on this. Is there anything wrong with this if I do have 2 homes??

FYI ... A couple of weekends ago, I received a call from Bell. They wanted to confirm all my receivers in my house since I do not have all of them hooked up to phone lines (I have one receiver unhooked as I usually use it when I go camping). When I told them that I used the spare receiver for camping, they told me that when I go camping, I am suppose to call them to de-activate the receivers in my house and active this one (and then the reverse when I get home). I told them that this was stupid and hooked up the other receiver and told them it was staying in the house.

They claim that it is against their broadcast licence to provide satellite service in more than one location at any given time (I don't know if this is a BEV or CRTC thing). As far as I am concerned, I will view my programming wherever and whenever I want.

 

[shepP]

I'm with you guys on this one. When I check through the guide I always would rather watch what is on MC vs TMN. I would love to just subscribe to the TMN channel and not the other non-hd ones. For my own viewing habits, their is very little I want to watch in Dec. I've had to go out and rent some DVD's. I suspect when Blue Ray arrives I won't bother with TMN anymore and just get my HD content by renting.

You would think TMN, with only one channel of HD, wouldn't repeat the same stuff so often!

 

[I_Want_My_HDTV]

They claim that it is against their broadcast licence to provide satellite service in more than one location at any given time (I don't know if this is a BEV or CRTC thing).

Actually it's a CAB thing. Broadcasters want this, not BDUs or the CRTC. Since EV and CTV are both subsiduaries of BCE, EV must tow corporate policy which is to kiss CAB's a$$. That is why we must put up with mangled programming due to national HD simsubs. Yet another thing that is not required by the CRTC but is wanted by CTV and CAB.