Why do USA broadcasters block internet viewing of tv shows to Canadians?

[gll99]

ABC, NBC, (CW) etc.. offer viewing of some recent full episodes of their TV shows online to USA residents but block the content if your IP is outside the USA. I have full cable service and receive all major US network shows and have time shifted channels also but even with that I've occasionally missed a show and for continuity would like the opportunity to view a missed episode a day or 2 after it airs. Unfortunately the USA networks block Canadian IP's. There are other sources than the network sites that offer some episodes for online viewing even if you are outside the USA but they are probably not sanctioned by the originating networks. I don't know how they are able to operate with some even charging a membership fee. There is even one now claiming to be P2P tv which is very similar to file sharing schemes. They have disclaimers about copyright infringement blah blah but they are probably designed on the same mould as other P2P protocols so have the same legality issues.

Why would the networks do this knowing full well that someone else will fill the void get the advertising dollars? I emailed ABC using their feedback addresses about the policy and they didn't even acknowledge the question with a response.

This raises another important issue as to how much the internet is controlled and shaped by large companies and advertisers. (Think your ISP for one and Google's search engine for another)

[SquirrelDip]

I'm sure BJ_M will have a good answer but I'm betting it's the CRTC and Canadian content rules/regulations. Probably similar reason you can't, legally, have Dish in Canada (nor Express Vu in the US)

[BJ_M]

it is just because the rebroadcast rights are sold separately for different countries - with different ad insertion ///

[gll99]

I don't know the CRTC's responsibility vis-a-vis the Internet but I didn't see this as a CRTC issue because I thought they left the Internet alone.

I can believe the advertisement angle but you would think that someone at the Networks would take up the slack.

The problem is that the average person can't possibly know if a site is legally releasing the video for viewing. When you go to the ABC, NBS or CBS sites you know they have the authority to allow Internet viewing. Visiting the Canadian distributors like Global, CTV, CBC or perhaps Chum, A-Channel etc... depending on who licensed the Canadian broadcast rights would be just as good if they showed the videos also but that doesn't seem to be the case. I checked the CTV site and in answer to a faq about buying a missed episode CTV said they did not own the rights to sell an American produced show but only to "air" the show for broadcast. They may not have the rights to show episodes on their Internet site without the consent of the originating network like ABC USA and that is why they only show a few isolated images about any particular show.