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Television Options in Vancouver for Expats & Global Nomads

There are no free channels in Canada…if you don’t have cable, you can’t watch TV!

Aside from that, a television in Canada works pretty much the same as it does in the U.S. One can choose from digital cable or satellite (all TV goes digital this year, which means you must have a digital box to receive any programming at all, there is no free TV access). With digital cable, you will need a digital TV terminal, which can either be rented for around $3/month or purchased, starting around $78. Shaw and TELUS are the main providers of digital television in the Vancouver area. With satellite TV, you will need both a receiver and a dish, which must be professionally installed by a technician from the television provider of your choice. Typically, you can receive many more channels with satellite, but you have to ensure the dish can be mounted on the outside of your home, facing a southeast direction with a clear line of sight. If you are a renter this may or may not be a possibility, and your landlord may or may not allow the installation of a dish. You must get your landlord’s agreement before ordering a satellite television. TELUS and Bell Canada both provide satellite television, and TELUS also provides digital cable.

Luckily most expats will rely on streaming services such as NetFlix and Amazon Prime for additional entertainment options.

Shaw

Tel: 1-866-684-7487
Website: http://www.shaw.ca
TV Services:

  • Includes Basic programming, all major Canadian, US networks, digital
  • music, local community, educational channels and service to one outlet

TELUS

Tel: 604-310-6988
Website: http://www.telus.com
Digital TV Services:

  • Create your own TELUS TV package from $26/month (Essentials)

Satellite TV Services:

  • Call for availability in your area

Bell Canada

Tel: 1-888-SKY-DISH (759-3474)
Website: http://www.bell.ca
TV Services:
All Bell TV packages include:

  • Over 100 of the most popular channels
  • Free HD channels
  • Network time shifting to watch TV from different time zones

Top Tips

01 Learn the city’s streets and neighborhoods before arriving in Canada. It will help your confidence and prevent you from being mistaken for a tou
02 Research and possibly decide upon schools for your children before arriving.
03 Try to budget for the cost of living in Vancouver before arriving. Many people find living here more expensive than they expected.
04 Get to know Metro Vancouver’s transit system before you arrive. A thorough knowledge of how the system works before you arrive will be invaluabl
05 Because it is difficult to determine, ahead of time, which part of the city you will want to settle in, you should try to stay in a hotel at first.

Useful links

Interesting fact

Vancouver has close to 1 million automobiles, almost one for every 2 people.
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