Shaw's Yule Log: Is it worth your money?
Shaw Cable announced that their popular Yule Log broadcast, which has been a free service every December since 1986, will now cost you 99 cents for every two hours of enjoyment.
The video, which was made in 1985, showed a crackling fire on a looping broadcast. Occasionally an arm would reach towards the fireplace and add another log to the fire.
Each year, many families who don't have their own fireplace would enjoy the video as part of their holiday celebrations. It used to air on basic cable for all Shaw Cable subscribers.
Shaw has decided to move the video to their Video On Demand Service (which also means basic cable subscribers who don't have a digital cable box will not be able to purchase the service) and charge 99 cents for a 1 hour and 55 minute broadcast. Shaw claims revenue raised by the video will be donated to charity.
Their are a few problems with this in my opinion. Firstly, Shaw Cable has so far not responded to calls from the media for interviews regarding their decision, and as of yet, there has been no clarification on how much of the revenue will be donated to charity.
Also, lower income families who do not have expansive cable packages will no longer have the opportunity to get the service at all.
The biggest issue in my opinion is Shaw's decision to charge 99 cents for each play of the video. The free service on TV showed the video as a continuous loop for the entire month of December. Even when you purchase a regular movie or show on Video on Demand, you are allowed to play the film as much as you want for a 24 hour period. So why charge for every play of the Yule Log, rather than a single charge for a 24 hour period?
If you really want to get down to the nitty gritty, lets remember that Shaw Cable is a billion dollar company, who gets to write off charity donations. I think Shaw can afford to reach into their own pockets for a holiday donation, rather than siphon it off from their consumers.
Bah Humbug to Shaw Cable.
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