It’s a strange thing living in Canada. While our neighbor to the south can access a number of sites like Turntable, access plenty of streaming stuff, and purchase television shows through boxes like the Apple TV, this isn’t the case in Canada. Some chalk it up to government restrictions or language issues. Others place the blame on those companies that don’t want to pay Canadian fees for bringing such content into the great north.

Whatever the case may be, prior to today Canadian Apple TV2 owners couldn’t purchase television shows using iCloud. Now, Apple has finally made the ability to purchase shows in this manner available in Canada. The only problem is that the fees for purchasing shows are high, and not all shows are available. This brings me to the question that many have asked before: is it worth having an Apple TV when living in Canada?

The Cost of Buying a Show Through the iCloud

Alright, now that Canadians can purchase individual shows through Apple TV, the question is: will the cost of these shows be worth it? It will cost Canadian Apple TV viewers $2.49 to purchase a television show. If you want to watch that show in high definition, the cost will rise to $3.49 per show.

Let’s say, for example, that you are addicted to three television shows that you want to watch three times per week. If you were to purchase these shows through the iCloud, your total weekly cost would be $7.47 per week. Now, let’s total up that monthly cost: $29.88.

This cost will work fine if you do not already subscribe to a cable or satellite package. Otherwise, an extra $30 per month to watch shows that you can probably get through your current provider at a lower cost isn’t worth it. You’ll also have to take into consideration whether or not the shows you watch will be available through the iCloud.

Apple hasn’t made any announcements yet as to which shows will be available or how many shows Canadians will have access to. However, as things seem to go in Canada, you can bet that the selection will be limited – just look at what Netflix is allowed to offer in Canada (a very small selection of content at best).

Availability

If you are curious about the new iCloud offerings, you will have to wait for Apple to make an availability announcement. Right now, the company hasn’t said anything about the new service other than listing pricing. There’s no doubt that Canadians are looking forward to having more streaming options to choose from, though whether or not Apple TV is worth a purchase if you live in Canada remains to be seen.

With a very limited selection of Netflix options, expensive and limited television shows, and not many other streaming options, Canadians don’t have much incentive to purchase boxes like the Apple TV. Sure, this technology is very cool and interesting, but Canadians won’t get much value out of these boxes for the time being.