What to know
- Love Island USA season 8 has returned, but Canadian viewers are no longer able to watch it for free on CTV platforms.
- As of May 1, CTV discontinued its app and website, moving all content to Crave, Bell Media’s subscription streaming service.
- The change means Canadians must now pay for a Crave subscription to stream Love Island USA, sparking frustration online.
- Social media users have criticized the shift, saying it adds yet another paid subscription to access popular shows.
Love Island USA is back for a new season of “hot new bombshells” entering the villa, but some Canadian viewers are expressing frustration online after discovering they can no longer watch the show on CTV platforms.
Season eight of Love Island USA premiered on Tuesday, and, like last year, Canadian fans were ready to tune in weekly for drama, romance, and plenty of reality TV entertainment.
However, there’s one key change this season: Canadians will no longer be able to stream the series for free on CTV.
Why isn’t Love Island USA on CTV anymore?
Previously, Canadian viewers could watch the series at no cost through the CTV app and website. But as of May 1, CTV discontinued its standalone streaming platforms.
As a result, all CTV and Noovo content has now been consolidated under Crave, Bell Media’s subscription-based streaming platform. That means Love Island USA is still available in Canada, but fans must now subscribe to Crave to watch it.
In an April news release, Bell Media said the shift is intended to make Crave the central destination for premium streaming across its content portfolio.
Canadian viewers react to the streaming change
Although the show remains accessible in Canada, many viewers have taken to social media to vent frustration about the added cost of another subscription service.
“I feel like Canadians always have to get so many different subscriptions just to watch all of their shows,” one TikTok user said.
“So this is why I couldn’t find it, I was so mad about this,” another user wrote.
“I loved watching it for free on CTV last year, and it was such great quality too. So annoying that it’s gone,” another commenter added.
Some users have even said they would rather skip the show entirely than pay for yet another streaming service.
How much does Crave cost?
A standard Crave subscription with ads starts at $11.99 per month and includes two simultaneous streams. A premium ad-free subscription costs $22.00 per month and allows up to four simultaneous streams.
