HD TV shows come to Canada
The Canadian iTunes store is now offering TV shows in HD now (finally!). Not only that, some of the premier TV shows are now available for the first time, such as Heroes, House, Lost, etc. Previously, these shows were not even available in SD from Canada. The networks that are now available are: ABC, Fox, NBC, and Warner Brothers. The need for keeping a U.S. account for Canadians is disappearing over time. Once we have near-parity, no need for those US iTunes gifts cards!
Now the (somewhat) bad news. Each HD episode is $3.49 CDN and a typical season of HD will set you back $60-$70. SD shows are $2.49, seasons are $40-$50. These rates are in keeping with the US/CDN exchange rate but don’t follow the typical iTunes music policy of $0.99/1.29 in each country regardless of exchange rate. I suppose this another concession Apple had to make to the TV/movie studios. It also seems that only the latest/current seasons are available in HD.
Some hand picked highlights:
- Lost, Season 5
- Heroes, Season 3
- 24, Season 7
- 30 Rock, Season 3
- Battlestar Galactica, Season 4
- Fringe, Season 1
- Friday Night Lights, Season 3
- House, Season 5
- Prison Break, Season 4
- The Office, Season 5
Written by Bill G. on May 29, 2009
Filed Under: Canadian News, HD TV Shows, TV Shows
CommentsView Comments
View CommentsAlex Canas
May 29th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Would you know if any HBO was added?
Captain Canuck
May 29th, 2009 at 11:00 am
I really don’t mind the price so much. I’m just glad they’ve finally made the step forward to bring us HD TV content, and good content at that (Lost and 24 are amazing!). Only thing that’s left is HD movie purchases and we’re set.
BillG
May 29th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
@captain it is great news and the price point maybe fine, we’ll see. I still think that the right, lower, price point will make BitTorrent a less attractive option. For me, maybe I’m cheap, but $1 a show and $20 season would get me buying multiple series.
@alex no word yet. I will post when I find out.
Marc Paulin
May 29th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I am excited that the major networks are finally showing up, but I’m also a bit disenchanted by the price. A lower price will pull me away from bitTorrent and might finally get me to axe our cable TV service. $40 for a season would be quite acceptable for me. However, offering all episodes of the past season at the end of the season won’t work for me. Hopefully, for next Fall, Apple will offer the latest episodes as they air.
BillG
May 30th, 2009 at 6:46 am
@marc – I feel the same way. I think, because these episodes were added after the typical May sweeps where the season finales usually happen, they are all aired episodes. I assume, that in the fall, you can subscribe to the season and get automatic updates as the episodes air. Of course, at current price level, I wonder how popular they will be.
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