CraveTV
| Founded | December 2014 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Area served | Canada |
| Owner | Bell Canada |
| Parent | Bell Media |
| Website | cravetv.ca |
| Type of site | Video on demand |
| Launched | December 11, 2014 |
CraveTV is a Canadian pay television video on demand provider owned by Bell Media. The service is oriented towards television series, with a library of 10,000 hours of programming on-launch, and exclusive Canadian rights to HBO and Showtime's library of past programs. CraveTV content can be accessed through the video on demand libraries of the user's respective television provider, or as an over-the-top service through the service's website and apps.
CraveTV is viewed as a complement to an existing television subscription; as such, the service is not available as a standalone product and can only be purchased through participating cable and satellite providers, although Bell has promised that the service itself would be available to "every TV provider in Canada". It competes directly with other subscription-based over-the-top streaming services, such as Netflix, as well as the Rogers/Shaw joint venture Shomi.
Distribution
CraveTV is available via the video on demand library of subscribers' set-top boxes, and as an over-the-top service via its website, mobile apps, video game consoles, smart TVs, and other devices, for $4 per-month.[1] Bell has not indicated any plans to make CraveTV available on a standalone over-the-top basis, instead stating that CraveTV will "enhance the value of the subscription television ecosystem" and will be "available to every TV provider in Canada".[2]
Former Bell Media president Kevin Crull explained that television content on any streaming service "[would not] exist if you didn’t have the traditional TV system. So you really can’t sustainably have one without the other."[1] Further, he stated that the service would not "cannibalize" Bell's investment in traditional linear television services.[3] Tying the service to a television service also counters the trend of "cord cutting", in which one drops cable or satellite television in favor of exclusively obtaining television programming over-the-air and through SVOD services.[3]
On launch, the service was only available to subscribers of television service providers owned by Bell Canada (including Bell Satellite TV, Fibe TV, FibreOP, and Northwestel cable TV), along with Eastlink and Telus.[1] In February 2015, Access Communications, Cable Cable, and Nexicom were added, giving the service wider availability in Saskatchewan and Northern Canada.[4]
Content
The service is oriented primarily towards television series, carrying over 10,000 hours of programming on-launch; Bell expects the library to double within a year of the service's launch.[1] Among the programs that are exclusive to CraveTV are programs broadcast by other Bell properties, such as The Big Bang Theory, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Seinfeld and the Star Trek franchise. New episodes of Saving Hope will also premiere on CraveTV one day before their premiere on CTV.[2][3]
The service carries the full catalogue of HBO "off-air" programming (i.e. series no longer in production), such as The Sopranos, Sex and the City, The Wire, and various older HBO-produced television films, documentaries, and stand-up comedy specials.[2][5] Current HBO programming remains exclusive to HBO Canada, which Bell Media operates in eastern Canada. On January 29, 2015, Bell announced a licensing deal with Showtime Networks, which will see most of its library added to CraveTV as well.[6]
In March 2015, CraveTV announced the acquisition and production of Letterkenny, a comedy series which will be the service's first original production.[7] The series will also air terrestrially on The Comedy Network.
Reception
In February 2015, the Consumers’ Association of Canada and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre filed a complaint with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) against both CraveTV and the competing service Shomi, arguing that their exclusivity primarily to those who are subscribers of their respective owners' television services was a form of tied selling that "[discriminates] against customers who wish to only view programming through an Internet service provider of their choice".[8]
On March 12, 2015, the CRTC announced new proposed regulations for video on demand services, creating a new category for "hybrid online video-on-demand" services between unregulated digital services and licensed video on demand services offered by television providers. Licensed VOD services are not allowed to offer "exclusive" content and are also subject to genre protection and Canadian content rules. Hyvrid services would not be bound to the aforementioned rules, including the ability to offer "exclusive" content, and can be made accessible through a provider's set-top box, but they must be also offered over-the-top on a standalone basis without a television subscription.[9][10]
The CRTC did not explicitly state whether CraveTV or Shomi would be classified as a "hybrid" VOD service under its proposed regulations, thus requiring them to offer their service on a standalone basis; a Bell spokesperson argued that CraveTV would not be subject to the requirements because it is a licensed VOD provider, and its content was not "exclusive" because Bell has offered the service for carriage by other providers.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Bell Media’s Cravetv launches with low-cost subscription". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Bell Media to Launch New Streaming Service Devoted Exclusively to Exceptional TV". Bell Media. October 30, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "CraveTV ‘not cannibalizing’ resources away from traditional TV, says Bell Media president". Financial Post. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
- ↑ "Bell Media’s CraveTV announces four new distributors including in Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories". Financial Post. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
- ↑ "Bell launches Project Latte streaming service with entire HBO catalogue". CBCNews.ca. October 30, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Bell Media strikes deal with Showtime to take on Netflix". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ↑ '19-2' star Jared Keeso to helm original scripted comedy for CraveTV. CTV News, March 5, 2015.
- ↑ "Consumer groups challenge ‘tied selling’ of CraveTV, Shomi services" (The Globe and Mail). Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "CRTC proposes looser regulation if broadcasters offer CraveTV, Shomi to all Canadians". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ "Let's Talk TV: CRTC announces measures to support the creation of content made by Canadians for Canadian and global audiences". CRTC. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
External links
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