[opendtv] Re: Channel approval process
- From: "John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2004 10:56:55 -0700
How do you know that HBO doesn't own those rights?
I can watch the Sopranos and any other programs on HBO/US simultaneously on
CableMas in Tijuana (English with Spanish subtitles). I suspect that HBO
has, without any real exertion, worldwide rights for their own product, and
that of Warner Brothers/Morgan Creek, etc.
There is little point in acquiring Canadian rights, is there not, if the
channel is "not authorized for distribution in Canada" (which would be an
unconstitutional matter were it to happen in the U.S.).
Do you know from whom the "authorized (and sub-par) Canadian distributors
buy Canadian rights? I suspect in more than a few cases, they get those
rights from HBO or Showtime. Both also have (fewer now in the past) output
deals where they get first grab at some or all of the content put out by
particular studios.
Here's a quirk that you may not be familiar with: Universal and Paramount
compete fiercely in the U.S. Outside of the U.S., they have a combined
distribution operation that would be illegal in the U.S. Not production:
distribution. I think that WB has a similar operation, or is a partner in
the U-P system.
Canada CANNOT control these rights. The movies are not produced by Canadian
companies. They have a choice: acquire the rights on the open market, or
don't show them.
The point here is that -- by government action -- Canadians are denied
access to content that Americans consider their birthright. And, the
average Canadian pirates the content anyway, using hacked DirecTV cards.
Canadians appear to be happy with this disconnection of the government from
their desires. Kinda like the renewed movement to permit private healthcare
for those who Canadians who think that waiting three years for elective
surgery is something that a homeless uninsured person in the U.S. does not
need to endure, if they want to apply some elbow grease to "the system."
The point is victimhood. Were U.S. citizens denied access to hot Canadian
content (assuming such a thing existed, outside of PrideVision) they would
be up in arms. "What about our rights?"
John Willkie
-----Original Message-----
From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of John Golitsis
Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2004 9:46 AM
To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [opendtv] Re: Channel approval process
What do you mean by "illegal", exactly? It is not an authorised channel and
therefore not available for distribution within Canada. Regardless, HBO
doesn't
own Canadian distribution rights for the movies they show anyway, so they
can't
sell their service up here anyway. Our TMN (The Movie Network) tends to buy
Canadian rights for most of HBO's own productions, so we're really not
missing
any programming that HBO would offer.
The cable companies recently banded together and asked to have HBO added to
the
list of eligible foreign services, but the request was denied by our CRTC.
So
much of their programming would have to be blacked out (rights issues)
anyway so
I'm not sure what the value would be. TMN and HBO would be trying to outbid
each other for Canadian rights, driving prices higher, so again, I don't see
the
point.
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxx>
> And, isn't HBO illegal in Canada?
>
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