Bell Media and CBS Corporation Announce Agreement for SHOWTIME® in Canada

[PokerFace]

Happyish - episode 7 was a dud, and episode 8 only had a Kathryn Hahn singing bit at the end that was passable.

Oh, and the swearing is never ending. No wonder I've developed a potty mouth myself.

And yet I still can't stop watching. Apparently, misery loves company.

Happyish: If you're happy and you know it, watch something else.

[PokerFace]

Happyish - Episode 9 was back on track, but it still seemed like something was missing.

Happyish tries to present thoughts and ideas in an often shocking way. If you're also offended by the presentation, that might make you think twice about your fixed perceptions of life. It doesn't always work, and there are times when Happyish fails to connect with my own perceptions of life, but I do get a sense that somebody is at least trying to shake things up, so that people can come together and figure it all out.

One more episode left. Will it be the last one of the first season, or the final one of the series?

CraveTV ... If you've got the time, we've got the shows ... it's Showtime, Canada!

[PokerFace]

Happyish: I just finished watching the last episode (#10) of the season or series. I'd give it a 6.8/10 (C+).

In fact, the entire series run, rates about a 6.8/10, simply because although it tried desperately to deliver something special, I believe it failed to do so, at least on a consistent basis.

Regardless of the quality of the series, since CraveTV is not yet available to all Canadians, it does seem that Bell has indeed gone too far in trying to establish CraveTV as a must-have add-on.

Showtime's new streaming service will require the use of a VPN (or DNS trickery) in order for Canadians to gain access, and Canada's sort of equivalent, CraveTV, is not available without a TV subscription, nor is it available to all Canadians, even if they wanted to pay for it. That's a sad situation.

Showtime and CraveTV ... working together to make piracy the simplest and most obvious way to remain happy.

And now a few words from Elton John:

It's sad, so sad
It's a sad, sad situation
And it's getting more and more absurd
It's sad, so sad
Why can't we talk it over
Oh it seems to me
That sorry seems to be the hardest word

[InMontreal]

Showtime's 'Happyish' Canceled After One Season
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/liv...-season-811003

[PokerFace]

Still waiting for the spinoff series ... Saddish. :cold:

At least CraveTV will soon be available without requiring a cable/satellite contract ... but at what cost? Less than $14.99/month I would assume.

[mtlguy]

Well another one for Crave only.

Bell announced that Showtime's Billions will be only on Crave. I hate that. I like watching TV on TV, isn't it possible to let people watch their shows the way they want?

http://www.bellmedia.ca/pr/press/cra...dded-billions/

[Donovan's Monkey]

... I hate that. I like watching TV on TV, isn't it possible to let people watch their shows the way they want?..

How does it stop you or anyone else from watching (other than having to subscribe to Crave)? I assume you must use the internet if you are posting here?

[PokerFace]

Using the Internet to stream content is often considered to be a pain in the ass ... and quite expensive if you don't have access to an affordable unlimited plan ($40/month or less). You could download the Internet content (though unlike Amazon, many services like CraveTV don't permit downloading) and then also watch on a TV set (using a variety of devices as the content holder) to avoid any possible buffering, but you'd need to have around 300GB/month to feel safe (especially if you always want 720p or greater quality).

Based on the trailer, Billions looks like it would appeal to a larger audience than Happyish did, so to dump it to CraveTV does seem a bit cruel. Hey Canada, you thought you could see most of the premium Showtime content without needing Internet access, but now you know better.

CraveTV ... You can't just ignore us!

EDIT: Hmm, it looks like you can ignore CraveTV ... Billions will also be on TMN at the same time it's shown on CraveTV. The first three episodes are currently listed on the TMN schedule (and I assume the remaining episodes will also air on TMN). Turns out that the Bell press release was just worded in a way to make it look like Billions might be a CraveTV exclusive, even though it never actually mentioned such a thing.

[mtlguy]

I know how to get it, download it and watch it on my TV, but it's annoying, a pain in the ass like PokerFace said. The way I watch TV is simple. I program all my shows on my DVR and watch them whenever I feel like it. Sometimes right away, most of the time days, weeks, if not months later. It's there when I want it and I don't need to do all the crap to get it elsewhere.

I get that they want to get more subscriber to Crave, they run a business and that is a way to make more money, which is the ultimate goal of any business and that is fine with me. BUT, people, younger ones mostly and going towards cutting the cord and streaming away all their shows. That is great too that you can do that. But still a big majority of people are getting their shows on TV and that is not going away for a few years still.

I pay good money to subscribe to TMN/HBO and it says it has Showtime shows. Now on top of that they want me to do another monthly payment for Crave. Showtime, HBO and more and more TV network now have an online service to watch their shows, but all their shows are on TV AND online. HBO is not having most of their shows on TV, but then decide to put their new show on HBO Go only. They don't want to piss of their subscribers. Here to get the same shows they want me to pay for 2 services. One of which is available in a completely different way. It's not even about the money as much as not having the simple way of getting it like all my other shows.

If they don't make enough money with TMN and want to get revenues elsewhere to pay for all those shows, add more channel, split TMN and HBO, I don't care to pay more, I just want to get the shows on TV. I subscribe to TMN/HBO, Superchannel non stop and even Super Écran right now as they started to do original content. People who want will pay for it, people who don`t won`t. But your goal should be to have your content available in as many places as possible so that people can buy it wherever and however they prefer. That way you get more people to buy it no?

[PokerFace]

Is it possible that the majority of Canadians "crave" American content more than any other country ... including the Americans living in the good ole USA?

And since producing Canadian content can be more trouble than it's literally worth, what better way to "create" original content, than by buying it from the Americans and then scattering it as they desire. Pay for the (cheaper?) online-only Canadian rights, and then you can give more value to your online service.

During this transition from traditional TV to the online world, the Americans are locking up more of their content, so that now more than ever, cord cutters are getting left out in the cold. NBC is still quite friendly towards online cord cutters, but ABC and others are not as nice. Hulu is a nice option that Canadians are supposed to be blocked from, but piracy is open to all.

Showtime promotes its online content by occasionally allowing subscribers to get advance screenings of its content (as it did for the first two episodes of The Affair -- Season 2) ahead of the traditional TV broadcasts (usually a week early).

The USA Network has most of its full episodes locked away from cord cutters, and for Playing House, it would air only one episode a week on traditional TV, but two new episodes online. For the second season of Satisfaction, all 10 episodes of it are now available on its website for free (to its subscribers ... and then to the Internet pirates getting them elsewhere), but I assume Canadians will have to wait for one episode a week (when it airs later here -- November 1rst).

TMN, CraveTV and other Canadian websites also have advanced viewing opportunities for various content, but I have to assume that it's the American content that would gain the most eyeballs (there might be some exceptions). So, since TMN/CraveTV and Showtime are partners in crime, Showtime doesn't really care how its content is distributed to us (other than stealing it of course).

So, get ready for more online experimentation as traditional TV gets more competition from its evil sibling, the Internet.

[PokerFace]

Of course Netflix throws a monkey wrench into the locking-up of content idea, as much of the US content is purchased by Netflix and then devoured by cord cutters. Piracy helps Canadians gain access to the US version of Netflix, and then once you see what can be done with some online trickery, it becomes a gateway service into even more exploration.

Traditional TV has a lot to offer. It's just that as a Canadian, it's not as advantageous as perhaps it would be if I were living in the USA.

[PokerFace]

Although CraveTV, Shomi and new American online opportunities like Sling TV, as well as the ability to now subscribe to HBO, Showtime, CBS, etc., without the need of cable/satellite subscriptions, make it appear that the Internet is the way to go, they all come with various restrictions. If they get too popular, the status quo gets knocked around and then the reigns need to be tightened.

Traditional TV vs an Internet-only delivery system becomes a much less obvious win for the Internet when you remove all forms of piracy. And for many, even with the piracy option, traditional TV is still the best way to go.

I don't have a single streaming device, other than my PC of course (oops, I forgot I recently added some sort of ancient tablet that lets me stream from the Internet - although I basically use it as a portable travel screen), and yet I probably know how to navigate the Internet for content, much better than if I only relied on a box to guide me. So for me, until piracy opened my eyes to what's truly out there for the taking, I chose traditional television. I let Canada restrict the content I watched, and I used the lousy cable equipment to watch it all. But now I'm the cable company. I use the Internet to take me places I could never have imagined. Unfortunately, all good things eventually come to an end, and that end is getting closer, as a walled garden seems to be the preference of those in charge. Netflix may have other ideas, but it's tough to win every battle when the competition is happiest when its subscribers just accept what they are told.

We are only limited by our imagination ... but no matter how hard I try, I still can't fly like Superman can.

The Internet is a terrible thing to waste ... so I use it to let me soar above the clouds. Higher and higher I fly, until I crash into those bloody walled gardens that keep popping out of thin air.

[InMontreal]

I pay good money to subscribe to TMN/HBO and it says it has Showtime shows. Now on top of that they want me to do another monthly payment for Crave. Showtime, HBO and more and more TV network now have an online service to watch their shows, but all their shows are on TV AND online.

That's how Bell Canada operates, and also a reason why I strongly opposed the Astral Media acquisition, where they said they needed content and they promised they'd launch a Bellflix.

Well, here we are, Bell Media's channels, except TMN/HBO/Pix, are exclusive to Bell customers, CTV shows are available to all for 1 week then they get locked except to participating BDUs behind auth wall. Shaw/Rogers's Shomi grabbed the rights to The CW's Messengers and iZombie, Bell wanted to do the same but opted for Showtime series, scrapping the "PAY-TV" concept, in hopes to glorify and promote their own CraveTV service, but it's exclusive to their own Bell customers, so they'll want to get you to switch provider by hammering you with on-screen promotions on their own channels. How wrong is that strategy ?

Bell used to carry shows like Pretty Little Liars on Much, then it's been moved to M3 (rerunning on FashionTV), Reign also premiered on M3 but now moved to E! but also airs on MTV, Degrassi has also been bumped from CTV to Much then MTV...

Bait and switch. That's how Bell works.

[PokerFace]

The CTV shows are still open to non-Bell subscribers after a week. I assume some areas will be left out, and Quebec is often seen as a separate entity altogether, but I think the majority of Canadian TV subscribers can watch their shows on CTV.ca .

I'm still surprised that there's so much free content for cord cutters available on many of the Canadian websites.

And once CraveTV is opened up to all Canadians, the Internet can once again be used to bypass a lot of this exclusivity nonsense that goes on.

[mtlguy]

Looks like they changed their minds...they probably listened to my complaint (not!). Anyway I am happy about it.

And something weird, they added Dark Matter and Killjoy on the TMN web site and TMN GO. Those are Space series. Dark Matter is pretty good actually.

http://www.themovienetwork.ca/billions

[PokerFace]

Bell never really said Billions was an exclusive to CraveTV ... we just assumed it was because Bell is evil.

That press release was apparently just trying to make CraveTV seem more relevant than it actually is.

CraveTV ... Attention, cord cutters! Uh, just letting you know that we still exist. We're soon going to be available to all of Canada on a thing called the Internet. Yes, we know that change is a scary thing, but once you try this Internet thing out, you'll soon realize that we charge too much for everything and you'll soon be tempted to cut that Internet thingy too.

CraveTV ... We'll lose Billions before we let the cord cutters get what they truly crave ... fair pricing.

[InMontreal]

And something weird, they added Dark Matter and Killjoy on the TMN web site and TMN GO. Those are Space series. Dark Matter is pretty good actually.

Advantage : there are no forced commercial breaks on TMN Go.

CraveTV is apparently available to all canadians starting January 2016 ... BUT ... because it's Bell (Bell is evil), there's always a BUT...

CraveTV will be increasing its price from 4$ to 6$, starting Feb 1st. That is the price for Bell's own customers. The price for CraveTV to Telus, Eastlink and SaskTel customers may be different. And the standalone price for the service has not been revealed yet. Since it's Bell, expect it to be higher, as a way to punish you for not being a Bell customer. Unlike shomi, CraveTV doesn't offer movies, which explains the lower subscription fee. But hey, they have HBO.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repor...ticle27638020/

[PokerFace]

Although CraveTV has pushed back its online launch party (from January 1 to January ?), at least you can stream the pilot episode of Billions without signing in:

http://www.cravetv.ca/watch/769581
[Stream me up some Billions Ep 1]

OR

http://www.themovienetwork.ca/billio...illions-s1-ep1
[Billions Ep 1 via TMN]

OR

Billions Episode 1:

[PokerFace]

Sky Atlantic has joined the Showtime party in a much bigger way, as CBS moves towards global domination regardless of how much extra it might cost the consumer of the content.

http://deadline.com/2016/01/cbs-sky-...al-1201687341/
[CBS, Sky Enter Major Pan-European Deal For Showtime Programming]

Sky Atlantic is to become the exclusive home to Showtime programming in major European markets under Sky’s new long-term licensing agreement with CBS Corp.

The deal covers all countries where Sky is present, including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy, and has a reach of 21M subscribers. Previously, Sky has licensed select Showtime content from CBS on a program-by-program basis and the companies have been involved together as partners on gothic horror series Penny Dreadful. Sky Atlantic is already home to HBO programming through 2020, and this deal will increase its offer considerably while marking another step in Showtime’s global expansion.

This is the largest international deal to date for Showtime and the first time its content portfolio has been licensed to a single media company across multiple European territories. Last year, CBS and Bell Media set a similar exclusive agreement for Showtime in Canada and executives have expressed a desire to continue to grow Showtime’s reach globally.

...

Alongside scripted content, Sky will have an exclusive option to take all new Showtime distributed unscripted shows. The partners say that premiere dates for the programming may vary by country, and current rights agreements with other platforms will remain unchanged.

[PokerFace]

The Showtime global expansion continues on into the land down under ... Australia.

Mission one for the CBS global effort seems to be focused on limiting Netflix's streaming domination, as the war vs Netflix intensifies across the globe. By partnering with Stan, CBS gets the money and also limits the power of its now rival, the mighty Netflix.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/busi...e552d0ea5b9c1c
[Stan's the man in Koala country]

Excerpts from the article:

Streaming service Stan has secured the biggest content deal signed so far in the nascent Australian subscription video-on-demand sector, committing to a $100 million-plus output agreement with US media giant CBS Corporation.

The deal gives Stan, owned by Nine Entertainment Co and Fairfax Media, the exclusive rights to all future series produced by cable TV network Showtime, which is wholly owned by CBS, and hundreds of hours worth of back catalogues, as foreshadowed by The Australian’s Media Diary column.

The agreement runs for at least five years, although its exact length will be determined by the lifetime of the TV series included.

The crown jewel for Stan is new drama Billions, involving a New York lawyer who deals with high-flying hedge fund managers. The program attracted record ratings for Showtime in its US premiere this month.

“Showtime has basically chosen to back Stan in this marketplace to the exclusion of other opportunities,” Stan chief executive Mike Sneesby told The Australian.

“That’s a huge statement from a company like CBS Corporation. You don’t go and do that just on dollars alone.”

The deal is part of a global strategy for Showtime, which has signed similar deals with Sky in the United Kingdom and Europe, and with Bell Media in Canada, as the US networks move to develop alternative distribution outlets to streaming behemoth Netflix.

Stan has 700,000 gross subscribers and its conversion rate of free sign-ups to paying users is moving towards 75 per cent. Mr Sneesby said Stan remained on track to break even within a three to five-year timeline.

Fairfax and Nine agreed to commit $50 million each to Stan when the joint venture was signed in 2014.

The Showtime deal comes as free-to-air TV networks move to unwind their output deals with US studios with Nine scrapping its $160m a year agreement with Warner Bros.

But industry sources said SVOD services were suited to network deals, characterized by episodic dramas that generally drive subscription growth.

Subscription TV group Foxtel, owned by News Corp and Telstra, has a content acquisition deal with Showtime, which is largely run on series-by-series basis.

----

http://deadline.com/2016/01/showtime...al-1201691221/
[Stan and CBS Corp deal]

In 2017, Stan will also exclusively premiere Twin Peaks.

The deal further includes exclusive SVOD rights to CBS and The CW series such as Madam Secretary, Limitless, ELementary, Beauty And The Beast and Reign.

All episodes of every Star Trek television series will also be available on Stan [Extra note: The Star Trek episodes now become exclusives to Stan].

----

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2016/01/...time-deal.html
[Stan signs exclusive showtime deal]

Foxtel retains life of series rights on: The Affair, Ray Donovan and Penny Dreadful. [But once those series end, Stan gets them.]

These titles also have an 18 months hold-back on SVOD before Presto [Foxtel's streaming service]. Foxtel also has library rights to many series which will remain with them.

-----

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/01...flix-the-boot/
[Stan's Exclusive Showtime Deal: Enough To Give Netflix The Boot?]

This announcement couldn’t come at a better time for Stan. Last week, Netflix made a lot of Australian customers angry when it moved to block VPN users from accessing its larger US catalogue. In place of the US version of Netflix, affected users have been receiving a message instructing them to turn off their unblockers and proxies. Boo.

However, we suspect this announcement probably won’t be enough to entice regular Netflix users away from the service. Stan currently has 700,000 existing subscribers while Netflix’s Australian user base exceeds one million. This is despite Stan having a two-month head start Down Under.

Then there’s Netflix’s decision to double down on original content — this year, the company has announced it will release 31 series, including new shows such as Baz Luhrmann’s The Getdown and Queen Elisabeth biopic The Crown. There will also be 24 original feature films and documentaries, 30 original kids series and new stand-up comedy specials.

Compared to all this, Stan’s Showtime triumph looks a lot less impressive. Doubtlessly, it will score some disgruntled geo-dodgers looking to make a vengeful switch, but for the most part the deal is unlikely to change Australia’s streaming landscape much. Nevertheless, it’s nice to see the local challenger stirring things up. Could a monthly price drop also be on the cards? Exciting times are ahead.