Never in our 60-plus years of television viewing have we seen the following message on the screen: "Due to a court order, this program cannot be viewed."
It was apparently a partial Canadian blackout for Friday night's 20/20, which involved the ongoing "Dexter" trial in Edmonton.(The Canoe story)
The brief message is all we saw on our Bell screen for an hour. YouTube posts indicate viewers in eastern Canada were able to watch the program, as did someone in Mississauga.
Normally, 20/20 segments are not geo-blocked online, but Canadians attempting to watch the ABC segments from Friday are geo-blocked. But you can watch the intro commercial.
Blocked:
'Dexter' Fans Turned Killers?
Part 1: Why would anyone identify with the fictional killer on "Dexter?"
Craving for Murder
Part 2: Teen killer compared urge for murder to wanting a hamburger.
'What Do You Know About Snuff Films?'
Part 3: Actor describes horror film job that got way too real.
Police get involved
Part 4: Teen killer turns himself in, police move in on filmmaker suspect.
Can Movie, TV Violence Inspire Murder?
Part 5: Filmmakers, experts disagree on the impact of violent shows, films.
Based out of Toronto, I watched 20/20 on a Canadian channel Friday night. I'm also able to stream it, via the link you provided on ABC's website.
ReplyDeleteThe reason the blackout likely occurred to western parts of the country, like Edmonton, is not due to some conspiracy, but rather because the trial is set to start tomorrow (Monday) in Edmonton. Showing the program there may taint some already-picked jurors (or taint the jury pool).