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CBC Gem is the CBC’s own streaming service, and it’s free if you’re in Canada. It’s home to Canadian dramas, comedies, documentaries, and live CBC News coverage, with a free ad-supported tier and no subscription required. The catch: it only works inside Canada. If you’re traveling or living abroad, you’ll need a VPN to get in. Here’s what CBC Gem actually is, how to unlock it from outside Canada, and how to get set up.

What Is CBC Gem?

CBC Gem is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s on-demand and live-streaming platform, carrying Canadian dramas, comedies, documentaries, and live CBC News coverage. There’s a free, ad-supported tier available to anyone with a Canadian account, plus an optional CBC Gem Premium plan that removes ads and unlocks extra content.

Is CBC Gem Free?

Yes. CBC Gem’s free tier doesn’t charge a subscription; you just need a free account to sign in. That’s also why access stops at Canada’s borders. CBC Gem checks your IP address, and if it doesn’t come from a Canadian provider, you’ll see a message saying the content isn’t available in your region.

How to Watch CBC Gem Outside Canada

If you try to open CBC Gem from outside Canada, it’ll block you based on your IP address. The fix is a VPN: connecting to a VPN server based in Canada makes CBC Gem see you as a local viewer, so the block never triggers. We recommend IPVanish for this specifically, since it consistently keeps Canadian servers unblocked for streaming sites like CBC Gem.

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  1. Step 1: Get IPVanish here and create your account.
  2. Step 2: Set your VPN location to Canada.
  3. Step 3: Open up CBC Gem and sign in. It will load like you are browsing from Canada.

How to Sign Up for CBC Gem

Once you’re connected through a Canadian server, head to CBC Gem’s website and create a free account with just an email address. From there, you can watch straight from the browser, or download the CBC Gem app on iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, and most smart TVs.

More Free Streaming Sites

CBC Gem is one of dozens of free, legal streaming sites we’ve rounded up from around the world. Check out our full list of free streaming sites for more.