CBC Finds a Shiny, Chooses Gem

CBC formally announced watch.cbc.ca’s and the CBC TV app’s revamp December 11, 2018 in a media release. As part of the service’s rollout, upcoming drama Northern Rescue streams exclusively on the newly established CBC Gem starting March 1, 2019. CBC Gem currently works on Apple TV and Google Chromecast-enabled Android devices.

CBC Gem has free and premium membership. The premium membership, which costs $4.99 per month, drops ads and includes the CBC News Network livestream. Among the listed “just added” CBC Gem offerings are BBC One’s The Miniaturist and Wallander, plus ITV’s The Durrells. A Christmas Fury, the 2017 film-length Christmas special continuing Mary Walsh comedy Hatching, Matching and Dispatching, also appears on Gem.

An existing partnership with Telefilm Canada allows selected films to stream ad-free. There’s upcoming partnerships with Wattpad and the National Film Board of Canada. The rollout isn’t perfect, as the revamp needed at least one high-profile acquisition to truly sell it. For those who have Amazon Fire TV, CBC also isn’t yet on that platform.

Despite the drawbacks, CBC Gem codifies CBC’s video-on-demand presence. Hopefully CBC Gem improves within the next two years.

Netflix Kills the Marvel Universe, Abides Starfire

DC Universe series Titans debuts on Netflix Canada January 11, 2019. Netflix’s toplining premieres include the third season of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (January 1, 2019) and Gillian Anderson series Sex Education (January 11, 2019). The back half of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s fourth season (January 25, 2019) rounds out Netflix’s marquee offerings for the month. Also notable to Gloryosky is Grace and Frankie’s fifth season (January 18, 2019), and children’s animated series Pinky Malinky (January 1, 2019).

As for the second season of Marvel’s The Punisher, Netflix sells it as “coming soon”. Netflix buries a teaser after the monthly highlights in a “will this do?” fashion. That doesn’t mean Netflix won’t promote it, but Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist is gone. Given Disney’s announcement of Disney+, Netflix gives its last damns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.