I know the reason why you ended up on this article is that you really want to download CBC Gem shows like North of North or Schitt's Creek, but you do not know how to do it. Hop on below to read a comprehensive guide on what CBC Gem is and all the ways you can download videos from it.
Important Update (January 2026): As of January 15, 2026, CBC Gem has significantly reduced device support. The CBC Gem app is now only available on Amazon Fire TV Stick and Fire TV-enabled Smart TVs. If you're using other devices, downloading videos for offline viewing becomes even more relevant.
What is CBC Gem?
CBC Gem is the official streaming platform of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). It is a free, online streaming service that allows users to watch live and on-demand CBC television shows, movies, news, and exclusive original programming. CBC Gem is available via web browsers, mobile apps (iOS and Android), smart TVs, and streaming devices.
Viewers can find hundreds of episodes from Canadian and international television series in all genres on this streaming service application, including cooking, dramas, comedies, sports, movies, and even children’s shows. While all these programs can be viewed at no cost, the service still requires a monthly fee from subscribers if they want to watch all the video content ad-free.
Can You Download Shows on CBC Gem?
Generally, no. CBC Gem doesn’t allow direct downloads. But there are some alternative ways for users to carry on with the action.
But before you can use these third-party technologies, you need to know the rules on safety and the law.
- Legality
Before you hit that download button on CBC Gem, take a second to think about the legal side of things. Their videos are all protected by copyright, so grabbing or sharing them without permission isn’t really allowed. If you’re saving something just for personal use and staying within CBC Gem’s terms, that’s generally fine. Still, check their policies and local laws to be sure. I genuinely believe creators deserve respect for their work—so if you’re using a downloader, do it responsibly.
- Safety
Now, about safety—this one’s big. Only download tools from official sites or developers you genuinely trust. Otherwise, you might end up with malware, pop-ups, or worse. Personally, I always run new software through antivirus first and keep my system updated—it’s saved me more than once. Oh, and never, ever hand over personal info to sketchy sites. Just… don’t.
How to Download From CBC Gem?
Sometimes, even with certain restrictions, I still want an easy way to download CBC Gem videos for offline viewing. I’ve tried using StreamFab DRM M3U8 Downloader. As an HLS M3U8 video download solution, which can download M3U8 videos from multiple websites, feels safe to use, and allows downloading videos in 1080p quality without major regional or download limits. If you have similar needs, this kind of tool might be worth considering.
- Download DRM-protected streaming videos in M3U8 format for offline viewing
- Save M3U8 videos in high resolution up to 1080p
- Store downloaded videos in MP4 or MKV formats, allowing playback on smartphones
- Easy-to-use interface, not a brain-damaging CLI tool
- Download multiple videos simultaneously in batch mode
- Automatically remove ads from the video
- Save metadata with the videos for management in Plex, Kodi, etc.
How to Use StreamFab DRM M3U8 Downloader to Download CBC Videos?
It's easy to learn how to use StreamFab to download M3U8 videos to the MP4 format. All you have to do is follow these simple steps:
Choose the streaming service
Now, in the search option, paste the link of the CBC Gem video you want to download.
Customize the file
When you play the video, a new pop-up window will open and will ask you for your video options.
Click the download button
Once you have selected your video preferences, choose between "Download Now" or "Add to Queue."
Extra Options:
- CBC Gem Downloader on Github: An open-source CBC Gem video downloader, available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. *Last update on Aug 14, 2022; please verify its availability first.
- yt-dlp: A classic CLI video downloader, with a steep learning curve. I saw the users in r/youtubedl say that they indeed can download CBC Gem videos with yt-dlp.
You can check the feature comparison below to see which CBC Gem video downloader tool suits you more:
| Feature | StreamFab DRM M3U8 Downloader | yt-dlp | CBC Gem Downloader (Github) |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Resolution | 🟢 (1080p) | 🟢 (1080p) | 🟡 (720p) |
| Batch Download | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Easy-to-Use Interface | 🟢 | 🔴 | 🟡 |
| Ads-Removal | 🟢 | 🔴 | 🔴 |
| Cross-Platform Support | 🟢 (Windows/macOS) | 🟢 (Windows/macOS/Linux) | 🟡 (Windows/Linux) |
FAQ
If you don’t like advertisements popping up during your binge-watch, then we’d say that the CBC Gem Premium is worth your use.
No, you can't watch CBC Gem out of Canada, unless you are using a VPN. Since CBC Gem is a Canadian-only streaming service, it doesn’t provide its service beyond the borders. Hence, the service is not available in the United States. However, users can use a VPN if they want to view CBC Gem outside Canada.
As of January 15, 2026, CBC Gem significantly reduced its supported devices. The app is now only available on the Amazon Fire TV Stick and Fire TV-enabled Smart TVs. Previous support for Roku, Apple TV, Android TV (non-Fire TV), Samsung/LG Smart TVs, and PlayStation/Xbox has been discontinued. You can still watch via web browser at gem.cbc.ca on any device.
CBC Gem changed their authentication system in early 2025, which broke yt-dlp's login support. The yt-dlp team fixed this in version 2025.03.21 (released March 2025). If you're still having issues, make sure you've updated yt-dlp to the latest version by running yt-dlp -U in your terminal.
Yes, once you've downloaded the video file to your device, you can watch it anywhere—geographic restrictions only apply to streaming. This is one of the main reasons people download CBC Gem content: to watch while travelling internationally without needing a VPN.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever sat there wondering, “Can I actually download stuff from CBC Gem?”—well, now you know. I’ve tested a few methods myself, and honestly, StreamFab DRM M3U8 Downloader turned out to be the most convenient. The whole thing felt smooth and oddly satisfying, like ticking something off your to-do list. Of course, everyone’s setup’s a little different, so try out a few tools and stick with the one that just works for you.
