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Report: SCTV Finally Coming To Streaming - But Only In Canada
From a previous thread on the death of Catherine O'Hara:
Binson Echorec wrote:
Wonderful if true:
This report indicates it's not Netflix but Amazon Prime that has acquired the rights to the original SCTV.
But here's a twist. If the story is right, the show will only stream in Canada.
“Here's the deal on the TV shows. Andrew Alexander and the other financial partners would've released the tapes on home video years ago but for a little item they overlooked back in the eighties called ‘clearing music rights,’” SCTV star Dave Thomas explained to fans in the FAQ section of the show's Web 1.0 site.
“We were true guerrilla TV in that when we wanted background music we just lifted it from wherever we wanted. Consequently, today, to release the shows on home video, it would cost millions to clear the music.”
It's unclear how, exactly, Prime Video managed to make the SCTV catalog copyright compliant for Canadian streaming."
'SCTV' Is Finally Coming To Streaming, But Only in Canada
- Binson Echorec
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Re: Report: SCTV Finally Coming To Streaming - But Only In Canada
Amazon has deep pockets for royalty payouts and might already happen to own a fair bit of the incidental music used in SCTV.
Or, they'll be chopped up like the DVD sets were, similarly to WKRP.
I'm hoping for the former.
Last edited by Binson Echorec (February 23, 2026 8:15 pm)
- RadioAaron
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Re: Report: SCTV Finally Coming To Streaming - But Only In Canada
Gotta think it's significantly less expensive to pay the royalties for what would be limited viewership vs. paying to chop it all up.
- Binson Echorec
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Re: Report: SCTV Finally Coming To Streaming - But Only In Canada
Gotta think it's significantly less expensive to pay the royalties for what would be limited viewership vs. paying to chop it all up.
Significantly less work involved for sure.
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Re: Report: SCTV Finally Coming To Streaming - But Only In Canada
Troy Soren would like this
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Re: Report: SCTV Finally Coming To Streaming - But Only In Canada
This may be enough to get me to actually subscribe to Amazon Prime, although I want to wait to see how this is presented. If it's bits and pieces of shows, I can already get that on YouTube.
My all time favourite sketches: any of the numerous take-offs on Reach For The Top, often called "Night School High-Q." No matter how many times I see them, they always make me laugh.
I remember hearing from someone at City TV back in the day that Gord Martineau's favourite was "The 5 Neat Guys," especially the song "She Does It." Not sure why but I'm told he often referenced it in the newsroom.
5 memorable musical performances from SCTV's golden age
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Thread Starter- Binson Echorec
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Re: Report: SCTV Finally Coming To Streaming - But Only In Canada
SCTV is on the air!
And it appears *some* editing has occurred:
Last edited by Binson Echorec (March 2, 2026 5:03 pm)
- paterson1
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Re: Report: SCTV Finally Coming To Streaming - But Only In Canada
My favourite SCTV episode was the "Janitor's Strike" at the network. SCTV couldn't produce any programming because of the strike and decided to import CBC programming. Curling, Front Page Challenge, Reach for the Top, Magnum PEI, Canadian movies and commercials, even a Hinterland Who's Who, Gil Fisher, and of course Bob and Doug MacKenzie were in this episode. Also it was interesting that NBC had the 90 minute version of this classic and CBC's was only 60 minutes but in prime time.
I remember at the time thinking that a lot of NBC's viewers won't get many of the jokes and references. The Janitor Strike episode was the kick off of SCTV's second season on NBC.
- Binson Echorec
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Re: Report: SCTV Finally Coming To Streaming - But Only In Canada
I've only watched the first four episodes but it's looking to be a WKRP-type situation. Here's a further breakdown on what has been excised:
- Chrisphen
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Re: Report: SCTV Finally Coming To Streaming - But Only In Canada
I've only watched the first four episodes but it's looking to be a WKRP-type situation. Here's a further breakdown on what has been excised:
Parasitic legal arcanery strikes again. As a result they win, and we all lose.