CBS to launch streaming service in Canada next year

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBC) is a broadcast television network that is a flagship property of CBS Corporation.

It businesses include CBS Television Network, The CW (a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), CBS Television Studios, CBS Studios International, CBS Television Distribution, CBS Consumer Products, CBS Home Entertainment, CBS Interactive, CBS Films, Showtime Networks, CBS Sports Network, Pop (a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Lionsgate), Smithsonian Networks, Simon & Schuster, CBS Television Stations, CBS Radio and CBS EcoMedia.

Launched in the US in October 2014, CBS All Access -- an over-the-top subscription streaming video on demand service owned and operated by CBS -- allowed subscribers to watch the network's entire catalogue of more than 9,000 episodes and expected four million subscribers by the end of the year.

"CBS All Access is growing faster than we anticipated domestically, and now represents a whole new opportunity internationally as well," CBS chair Leslie Moonves said.

"By going direct to consumer around the world, we will facilitate new connections between the global audience and our industry-leading premium content," CBCNews reports said.

CBS All Access is expected to allow subscribers to watch more than 9,000 episodes, and would be able to access CBSN, a 24/7 news service -- without the need for a cable television subscription -- from the network's daytime, prime time and late-night content and selected specialty channels owned by CBS, such as Showtime.

But similar to Netflix, said the reports, availability of different shows at different times in different regions would be subject to the type of license-sharing deals signed by the subscribers.

Canadian broadcasters own the digital rights to many CBS shows in Canada as some CBS shows are already available on Netflix in Canada.

For example, it was reported that last year Bell Media had acquired the exclusive rights to the forthcoming CBS Show Star Trek: Discovery in Canada and it was also announced that later the show would be available to stream on Bell's streaming service, CraveTV.

But there is uncertainty regarding the quantity of availability of CBS's current, future or past offerings at launch as well as the outcome of content that's already available on other services, according to reports.

The service costs $5.99 US a month in the US but there was no mention of pricing details for Canada in CBS's release on Monday.

Canada apparently been identified as the first foreign market but more details are awaited.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

Image: Leslie Moonves/Facebook