Missing from cyber-schedule are major U.S. shows
Province
Brent Butt now can be seen manning his Corner Gas pump on your iPod
TORONTO — Canadians can finally get their Internet TV fixes by paying $1.99 to download missed episodes of shows such as Corner Gas and South Park from Apple Inc.’s iTunes Canada store.
But what appears to be missing from yesterday’s announcement from Apple is a list of hit U.S. television shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and House.
The pay-per-download phenomenon first hit in the U.S. more than a year ago, but Canadians were not able to access hit shows such as Desperate Housewives on the Internet because of “geoblocking” technology — put in place to protect Canadian broadcasters that had paid for the rights to air the shows in Canada.
It appears shows from the major U.S. production houses are still unavailable in this country.
“We’re off to a great start [in Canada] with hit shows from CBC, CTV, Comedy Central and MTV Networks, along with the best of classic and current NHL action,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice-president of iTunes, said.
The programs to be offered by iTunes include: Corner Gas, The Hills, The Sarah Silverman Program, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Degrassi: The Next Generation and The Rick Mercer Report.
© The Vancouver Province 2007
