The first American TV broadcast network to make its programming available over the net to Canadians launched here this week. But after looking it over, it’s not hard to wonder if it’s doomed to failure – at least in the early going.
 
CBS All Access became a lightning rod for some in the United States when the network announced it would be showing “The Good Fight” - a sequel to its long running and since cancelled “The Good Wife” - exclusively over the streaming service. Then there were more howls of outrage down south when its pricey and Toronto-shot “Star Trek Discovery” began running on the service –and not over conventional television.
 
A subscription also gives users “all access” to commercial free streams of many current shows like “Mom,” as well as the CBS library of classics, including “The Twilight Zone.” All for $5.99 a month.
 
So what’s not to like? Well, as usual, there are strings attached in Canada.

CBS sold the new “Star Trek” to Space here, so it’s not on the service we’ll get. “The Good Fight” runs on the W Network north of the border and I’m not entirely sure that’s there, either. Certainly its biggest hit, “The Big Bang Theory,” isn’t, with Bell having gobbled up the streaming rights a long time ago.
 
Worse yet, if you go to the Canadian site, there’s no list at all about what you can see here and what you can’t. Which also won’t help them sell it.
 
So do you want to fork over $6 a month for the same shows you can watch on regular TV, plus a few classics, albeit commercial free, without getting everything the Americans can see for the exact same price? It’s doubtful but it will be fascinating to see how this CBS-lite service does here. Success could mean more U.S. networks will leak across the border. A disaster would likely put an end to anyone trying to beat CraveTV or Netflix at their own games.
 
But once again, Canadians get punished simply for living on this side of the border.
 
For CBS and its suppliers, which already rake in a small fortune selling rights to Canuck broadcast and cable outlets, it’s a case of trying to have their cake and eat it, too. I just wonder if this time, it will wind up giving them a case of financial indigestion.

Canadians get limited version of new CBS streaming app