Apple Launches Television Content on iTunes Canada

[MacRumors]

Apple announced today that they've launched television sales for the iTunes Store in Canada.

"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."

Shows are available for CAN$1.99 per episode. Show availability 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;"
- 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.



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[lazyrighteye]

Congrats, neighbors!

[rl.]

Finally. Though I don't know what I would actually watch other than Dragons Den or RMR. Well at least its a start.

[boxlight]

I sort of like Corner Gas, I'll pass on just about all the other shows.

But NHL games ... THIS IS GOLDEN!! BEAUTY!

- 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.

[twoodcc]

good for the northerners!

[newappleboy]

Pretty sure Avatar isn't MTV, it's Nickelodeon. Maybe I'm wrong. Does MTV own Nick somehow?

[Chef Medeski]

NHL games... sweet. I wonder how long it will be posted after the game. For $2, too even though its the length of a movie. Plus I love the price is the same as the US Store. Beautiful!

[Surely]

It's good that we finally have this option. I didn't think it would ever happen.

Unfortunately for me, none of the shows that are being offered are very interesting to me. How anti-climatic. Not a great selection yet, but I would guess that new shows will be added eventually.

The only show I would have bought is South Park, but I've already downloaded them all from southparkx.net.

Hopefully we'll see some classic SCTV, Kids in the Hall, Degrassi (Jr. High and High), and some cool Canadian documentaries.

Everybody wants something, they'll never give up.........

[dAlen]

Wouldn't it be nice if apple would make it to Europe...oh, wait - they did.
They just forgot that Hungary is part of it!

Well congratulations Canada...you were finally brought in from the cold! lol

Peace

dAlen

[TEG]

Originally Posted by newappleboy

Pretty sure Avatar isn't MTV, it's Nickelodeon. Maybe I'm wrong. Does MTV own Nick somehow?

Nickeloden is owned by MTV.
MTV is owned by Viacom.
Viacom is owned by National Amusements (which also owns CBS).
-------------------------------------------------------------

The only problem with this is that those of us in the US lucky enough to get the CBC on our local cable systems cannot get those CBC shows through iTunes. I for one really enjoy "Little Mosque on the Prairie" and RMR, but where is "Royal Canadian Air Farce", "This Hour has 22 Minutes", and "Just for Laughs" (not to be confused with the show with the same name on ABC, which is actually the show 'Just for Laughs: Gags'.)

I think these networks/studios are missing one great thing they could use iTunes for... distributing their content internationally, with out the pesky problems of syndication and dealing with other stations.

TEG

[Sean7512]

Why can't we (U.S.) get current NHL games?? We already have the classic series and the stanley cup series. But other games, we don't get......Maybe thats a good thing, I don't want to see that 8-2 loss last night EVER again!

[zombitronic]

It's aboot time!

[D3nZ]

Who of us in Canada watches hockey?? I mean I Don't. Kidding This is great stuff and hopefully this will bring other good news for Apple in Canada in the upcomming weeks or months. I think I'm gonna wear a hat like Joey today, just to celebrate.

[Yateball]

The NHL portion of this is amazingly sweet!!

SO smart to have NHL on there too, they know exactly what us Canadians are all about. Eh?

Little Mosque, Dragon's Den, etc. are all blah but I'm sure there's some fellow canucks out there that like it.

Can't wait to go home and see what NHL content is available.

[DaBrain]

Originally Posted by boxlight

I sort of like Corner Gas, I'll pass on just about all the other shows.

But NHL games ... THIS IS GOLDEN!! BEAUTY!

- 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.

That's Great News for our Northern Neighbors! Hockey is my interest also. Wonder if there is or will be a NHL Sports pkg for us just south of the border?

Congrats to our fellow canadians eh?--))))

PS Folks were born in Montreal and Ottawa

[Abstract]

I didn't even read the names of the shows being offered. When I glanced at the list, I saw NHL instantly and just skipped to that part of the announcement.

[Orng]

Originally Posted by D3nZ

Who of us in Canada watches hockey?? I mean I Don't. Kidding

I was actually just going to post that not everybody in Canada watches Hockey. Personally I couldn't care less. But I'm biased, I don't really watch any sports except maybe downhill skiing if I can find it. That happens about every four years. But I was supporting Jim Balsillie's bid for the Penguins, I would totally have bought a Waterloo Blackberries jersey.

Originally Posted by Surely

Everybody wants something, they'll never give up.........

Thanks, now I'm going to have THAT in my head for the rest of the day.

[iJawn108]

maybe ill get the 1994 stanley cup game since i was there.

but eh i dont want these shows.

[Phish311]

Is this only on Canadian iTunes or can we download these in the US as well? Thanks

[sikkinixx]

Nice! New South Park?! My iPod Touch just got alittle more full.

[Stella]

Price isn't too bad.. whoo hoo!!

[kamiboy]

2$ per episode... I don't know. I would rather pay less than the sum and get a whole season at a time, or at least get them in 720p and 5.1 for that price. I love iTunes for Podcasts because all you do is add your favourite podcast and the program takes care of everything else, like checking if a new episode is there and download it and mark it as new etc. etc.

I would love it if the future would be the same for TV content. Maybe the first episode of a season could be free to catch your interest and then you could either pay to get all future episodes in the current season or just buy them individually. Or maybe not pay for them at all, they could be free but with advertising included in them.

Then iTunes could just become an alternative to watching TV and AppleTV could take off because then it would finally make sense to own one. But first and foremost iTunes would need to be able to offer every show currently running on TV, but the studios don't seem to want that.

What would be better was if iTunes could offer movie rentals instead of purchases. Paying 10$ to get a sub dvd quality version of a movie with stereo sound is pretty unattractive. But paying 2$ to watch a movie that you don't want to see in the movies or don't want to own would be perfect.

At least 2$ movie rentals would keep me from just downloading them off of the net. If they were in HD and with DD or DTS surround sound wouldn't hurt either of course. And Finally if you could just rent them directly through TV without involving your computer then once again TV would make sense and I could see it becoming a success. But again it would require that a huge catalogue of titles would have to be available for rent.

Something like what one would see at a local blockbuster only in your home and operated by that beautiful slick device under your TV. I don't know why Apple does not yet offer movie rentals, or a very large movie catalogue yet, but I suspect that once again the studios could be to blame.
+
It only hurts themselves when they don't get behind a beautifully elegant and most importantly already existing and fully functioning system that millions of people are already very familiar with. I know that most of the studios have grown scared of the success of iTunes for music and have started to back off and everyone seem to be starting to offer their own personal alternative, but in the end I doubt that that will pan out. Collecting it all in one place is the answer, not everyone running away scared and start doing their own little version of the same thing.

[Surely]

Originally Posted by Orng

I was actually just going to post that not everybody in Canada watches Hockey. Personally I couldn't care less. But I'm biased, I don't really watch any sports except maybe downhill skiing if I can find it. That happens about every four years. But I was supporting Jim Balsillie's bid for the Penguins, I would totally have bought a Waterloo Blackberries jersey.



Thanks, now I'm going to have THAT in my head for the rest of the day.

That's what you get for not liking hockey!

[shonline]

I don't mind the initial selection really. It is a good start and I am sure we'll see plenty more as it gets going. Obviously, if we buy some, the networks will be encouraged to open up more. Nice to see the pieces falling in place for the iPhone's imminent announcement up here. Movies anyone??

[iSee]

Wait a sec, can I get NHL games in the US, too?
I'm dying to see more of the Red Wings...