pik tv and crave

[namjam]

Hi I have pik tv and crave.  I would like access to the crave app as they have  "the full library of content currently available, use crave.ca on your computer, or watch on the Crave app"  

"My TELUS credentials are not supported at this time. To set up your Optik TV account credentials, visit Account set up for Optik TV"

Now when i clink account setup for Optik tv it says you need an optik box.  I subscribed to pik tv so i do not have a box.  So the question is... how can I get an optik account?

There surely must be a way since the cost is the same as signing up with crave directly from their website.  Any help is appreciated. Thanks

[WestCoasterBC · Accepted solution]

PikTV Credential’s are not supported by crave tv (or any other apps) at this time. It’s considered the skinny version of “tv”.

Optik tv is the premium viewing experience, where the “login into Telus account” is supported. With many of the popular apps.

Example TSN, Global, Sportsnet, Crave TV etc.

[namjam]

That should be a little bit clearer on the website.  Its $10 a month for crave if you order directly from them.  The same for the skinny version of crave with telus...

[Nighthawk]

@namjam - If you look closer, the website you linked (https://www.telus.com/en/bc/support/article/order-watch-cravetv) is for Optik TV and not Pik TV.

The two Crave options for Pik TV can be found on the channel guide: https://www.telus.com/en/bc/tv/pik/channels

These are the differences between Pik TV and Optik: https://www.telus.com/en/bc/support/article/pik-tv-and-optik-differences

[namjam]

@namjam - If you look closer, the website you linked (https://www.telus.com/en/bc/support/article/order-watch-cravetv) is for Optik TV and not Pik TV.

I see that now.  You would think that it would be more clearly marked if there was a difference between the two.  Also trying to find instructions on how to watch crave on pik tv is not easy, in fact i still have not found it on the telus site.  I had to look up other forums to find the instructions. 

The two Crave options for Pik TV can be found on the channel guide: https://www.telus.com/en/bc/tv/pik/channels

Those are not the two options for crave being talked about here. It only shows crave and crave+movies+HBO. 

These are the differences between Pik TV and Optik: https://www.telus.com/en/bc/support/article/pik-tv-and-optik-differences

Again, not relevant to this discussion as there is no mention of crave on there. 

Interesting how people are defending telus here.  I'm stating clear fact as if you google this issue there are plenty of other forums with this discussion. All I am saying are these two facts:

1. Telus is charging the same amount as crave for a watered down version of the service. 

2. The difference between optik crave and piktv crave is not stated anywhere on the telus site. And if it is, then it is near impossible to find. 

Please don't respond with irrelevant links to shift the focus of this thread.  If you have a legitimate rebuttal to either of the points above that is helpful, I would love to hear it. 

Thanks

[zulu53]

This is not a rebuttal; just a statement of the reality within Telus (the organization).   There are 2 fundamental groups within Telus.  The infrastructure providers (the communications link to the world via wire or wireless.  These folks descended from the B.C.Tel of old and added new people as required to keep us (their customers) up with the best technology available - gigabit+ optical fiber wired and 5G wireless with zero lag (latency) to the local "point of presence" to the world.  I know some of the infrastructure engineers that they have and they are up in their capabilities with the best of other countries.  The "other" group is the "content provision" group which was added (cobbled on) after the sale and rebranding of Telus.    They had to create themselves as a group and try and hire people with knowledge (from the US primarily), but with insufficient funding to "buy" the correct skills.   They have struggled over the years to find people with the same level of technical qualifications and experience (especially when compared to the infrastructure group).  They are doing as well as any organization using locally bred only talent.   Telus TV is bundled with Telus Internet for a reason - it would not compete otherwise.  Same as Shaw and Bell and Rogers bundle (they all have weaknesses that they hide). Telus TV Media Box cannot compete with any other streaming Box.  The Crave issue is just one of its shortcomings.  Also a fact: Crave is owned by the (as the CRTC believe) "competing" company - Bell.  Now why would Bell want to make the Crave app available to the Telus version of Android TV?  Unless you are really intent on buying Canadian I would move on to Roku and Netflix and AmazonPrimeVideo (where you can get StarZ  Canada for Canadian content - Starz is owned by Lionsgate, an American company, which has actual studios in Canada supporting real Canadians).

[zulu53]

No really helpful.   Bell have made sure that Crave will not really work with Telus devices since they want you to use Bell devices: so it never will.   One does not need to get into the technical details of how they achieve this, since they can, and will, change these but with the same result.  Optik TV is a "premium" TV experience only in the eyes of its creators.  All of the "popular" apps are supported on Roku, as an example, better than on Optik.  For cord-cutters Roku is better than PikTv or OptikTV.   If you are wedded to the superb "Telus PureFire" you will need to become a cordcutter or accept PikTV or Optik for what it is in reality, not in advertising.  If your only choice is PikTV or OptikTV then you get what you pay for - OptikTV is "better" for control of what you are watching but it has a "better for Telus" price to go with it.

So the solution if you must have the Crave service: If you are a cordcutter go with Roku and the Crave app, if you are wedded to Telus go with Optik and the Crave app.

The other solution: Don't use the Crave app, there are much better ones out there.

[KHR]

Hi @namjam 

Another point of clarification - your subscription to Crave through Pik gets you the exact same content that's on Crave.ca - just accessed through the On Demand menu of your Pik TV app.

[namjam]

That's not what it says on the website. 

https://www.telus.com/en/bc/support/article/order-watch-cravetv

Notes:

• For the full library of content currently available, use crave.ca on your computer, or watch on the Crave app
• My TELUS credentials are not supported at this time. To set up your Optik TV account credentials, visit Account set up for Optik TV