Skip to content

Canadian network TV apps are a bag of hurt

The Sochi Winter Olympic Games saw remarkable online availability of event coverage in Canada by the CBC.

The Sochi Winter Olympic Games saw remarkable online availability of event coverage in Canada by the CBC. The Mother Corp provided not only its live broadcasts online but also raw feeds of multiple events and on demand coverage of taped competitions, all through apps available on just about every computing platform available: Windows and Mac PCs, Android phones and tablets, iPhones and iPads, and even Windows Phone and Blackberry devices.

The apps had flaws, but the CBC's effort was unprecedented and generated record online viewership. It was a great example of what unfettered online access to network broadcast content can be like.

Too bad it lasted only a few weeks. Post-Sochi, Canadian online viewers have been booted off the content podium and are back to the inconsistent, and aggravating, approach by our TV networks to distribute their shows online.

All the major Canadian networks have apps on some or most of the device platforms out there. And most of these apps work for some people some of the time if they have patience and a dash of sadomasochism. Don't expect a Netflixlike experience with any of them. Let's look at Canada's four major English-language broadcasters and the apps they provide.

CBC: Apps available on: Windows 8, iOS,

Android. Video available on the CBC website.

Good: You can watch Heartland on your Surface at Starbucks. The Windows 8 and iOS apps seems to include all CBC TV shows, including The National, with back catalogues of previous seasons and cancelled shows. Video quality is good.

Bad: The apps are buggy. User reviews on all the platform app stores complain about stoppages in play and ads interrupting shows at the wrong time. The ads are mind-numbingly repetitive and loud and can't be skipped. Users on the iOS App Store are hammering the app for recently breaking Airplay, which allows users to stream video to an Apple TV. The similar Play To feature streaming video from Windows 8 to Xbox has never worked. (I've tried.) Offerings across platforms are inconsistent. The CBC's TV presence on Android is limited to its Hockey Night in Canada app, which is also found on iOS and with fewer features on Windows.

iOS is the only platform with a dedicated CBC kids TV app. Only Apple users love their children, according to the CBC.

Local news shows are absent.

Global: Apps available on: Windows 8, iOS and Android. Videos also available through the Global website.

Good: You can watch Elementary on your iPad in the bathroom. Local news broadcasts available, albeit in truncated form and hours after they've aired. Live broadcast stream available (but see below).

Bad: Episodes are available for only seven days after they appear on TV. Only cable subscribers who log in to the app with customer credentials have access to archived episodes. Live streams are similarly restricted to cable customers. Users on app stores complain of crashes and login problems. Features like Airplay on iOS and Play To on Windows 8 are disabled by the app. The ads are loud and ludicrously tone deaf to the content they punctuate and can't be skipped.

CTV: Apps available on: iOS, Android. Videos available through the CTV website.

Good: You can watch The Big Bang Theory in bed. Live broadcast stream available (but see below).

Bad: Episodes are available for only seven days after they air on TV. Only cable subscribers who log in to the app with customer credentials have access to previous episodes. Live streams are similarly restricted to cable customers. Users on app stores complain of crashes and login problems, including apparently locking out non-Bell customers (Bell owns CTV). Features like Airplay on iOS may or may not work, according to user reviews. The ads are loud, repetitive and dumb and can't be skipped.

CityTV: Apps available on: iOS, Android. Videos available through the CityTV website.

Good: You can watch The Mindy Project curled up in bed. Live broadcast stream available of morning and evening news shows, such as they are.

Bad: Episodes are available for only a limited period of time. Airplay on iOS disabled by app. Users complain about the app on app stores. My test on the Android app with the How I Met Your Mother finale gave me smooth video but the same dumb, loud ads played repeatedly and could not be skipped. It then crashed half way through the episode. Did Ted finally marry Robin? I'll never know.

Barry Link is the editor of the Vancouver Courier