shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use CBC?

CBC is Always Here for Canada. Home for News, Entertainment, Sports, Music and much more. - cbc.ca

Depends. This is Canada's publicly funded broadcaster, not software you buy — the news site and CBC Gem streaming are free to try, with an optional Gem premium tier. Skip it if you need vendor support, security guarantees, or active comment sections.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~12 usable public sources; most reviewed items covered unrelated CBC namesakes (blood tests, AES-CBC cipher, air rifles, colleges) and were excluded.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo usable evidence in sources reviewed
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo evidence; telecom complaints are CBC reporting, not CBC support
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
CBC Gem PremiumSee gem.cbc.ca

Best for

  • Canadians wanting free national news
  • Cord-cutters after Canadian shows on Gem
  • Offices streaming news on digital signage
  • Podcast and true-crime fans

Not for

  • Buyers evaluating software — it is a broadcaster, not a tool
  • Readers who want comment sections and discussion
  • Non-Canadian or international content needs
  • Teams needing security pages, SLAs, or vendor support

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Many stories have comments disabled — no community discussion, per multiple Reddit threads

low

Only ~220 Trustpilot reviews; small, polarized sample

low

Premium price not shown in reviewed sources — confirm at.ca/premium first

low

Security CVEs in sources match unrelated 'CBC' namesakes, not this broadcaster

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free access to news, entertainment, sports, and music
  • Optional CBC Gem premium tier exists for streaming
  • CBC News available as a business digital-signage feed

Cons

  • Comment sections frequently disabled, frustrating readers
  • Public trust actively debated in dedicated threads
  • Planned $192M federal funding cut for 2026-27

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 9 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x3review x3security x1news x2

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 9

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Mostly free, taxpayer-funded; premium optional
  • Ease of use. No usable evidence in sources reviewed
  • Feature depth: 3/5. News, sports, music, Gem streaming in one
  • Support quality. No evidence; telecom complaints are CBC reporting, not CBC support
  • Security posture: 2/5. No public security page found at cbc.ca
  • 220 Trustpilot reviewers reviews of cbc.ca
  • Yes Free tier News + Gem with ads (public knowledge)
  • $192M 2026-27 federal cut planned, per Hill Times

Pricing

Free

$0

  • News site
  • CBC Gem streaming with ads (public knowledge)

CBC Gem Premium

See gem.cbc.ca

  • Ad-free streaming (public knowledge)
  • Details on official page

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Users are split: some recommend CBC programming while others complain about disabled comments and debate its trustworthiness.

“Is anybody else tired of CBC disabling comments?”
Reddit, r/canadian
“Why does CBC News have their comments disabled?”
Reddit, r/AskCanada
“Recommending: Sea of Lies from CBC”
Reddit, r/TrueCrimePodcasts
Full analysis

Based on ~12 usable public sources; most reviewed items covered unrelated CBC namesakes (blood tests, AES-CBC cipher, air rifles, colleges) and were excluded.

Not software: Canada's free public broadcaster. News + Gem streaming; fine to use, nothing to buy. Comments often disabled.

Methodology

Based on ~12 usable public sources; most reviewed items covered unrelated CBC namesakes (blood tests, AES-CBC cipher, air rifles, colleges) and were excluded.

Sources

  1. CBC.ca official sitecbc.ca
    official
  2. Try Premium | CBC Gemgem.cbc.ca
    official
  3. Read Customer Service Reviews of www.cbc.caca.trustpilot.com
    review
  4. Is anybody else tired of CBC disabling comments?reddit.com
    review
  5. Do you trust CBC?reddit.com
    review
  6. Liberals to cut CBC by $192-million in 2026-27hilltimes.com
    news
  7. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation — Wikipedia (funding)en.wikipedia.org
    news
  8. CBC News — Digital Signage Appoptisigns.com
    official
  9. cbc.ca/security scancbc.ca
    security

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