If you have registered as a premium subscriber, you have access to CBC News Network and can stream any of our on-demand content ad-free. Note that live streams will still contain ads.
If you have a premium subscription but cannot access these features, please follow these steps to confirm your premium subscription:
If you've signed up via the CBC Gem website
If you've signed up via the CBC Gem app on iPhone or iPad.
If you've signed up via the CBC Gem app on an Apple TV
If you've signed up via the CBC Gem app on an Android device
If you've signed up via the CBC Gem website
Assuming you are already signed in to the CBC Gem website (gem.cbc.ca), select My Gem from the top right corner of the screen and select Account
If you are not yet logged in, select Sign In, which will be located in the same spot, and sign in with your Gem credentials.
You will be taken to the Account screen.
From here, ensure that your Subscription Status is:
Premium - Monthly if you subscribed on the Gem website directly using a credit card
Premium - Monthly (Google Play Store) if your subscription is being handled by Google or
Premium - Monthly (App Store) if your subscription is being handled by Apple
If you haven't cancelled your subscription and you have paid by credit card, you should also see the Cancel my Subscription button.
If you have confirmed that your Subscription Status is showing up as Premium, you should not be able to see any ads when viewing video-on-demand content and you should have access to CBC News Network. Please note that you will still see ads on our live streams.
If your Subscription Status appears as Free, you may want to ensure that you are signed in under the correct account. Try logging in again using another email address to see if this helps.
Tip
To confirm which email address you used when you signed up for your Premium subscription, check your email inboxes. You would have received a welcome email from CBC with the subject "Now you're a real VIP!". The address that this message was sent to will be the one associated with your Premium subscription, and the message itself contains a reminder of your login as well.
If you're still experiencing issues accessing your Premium features after following these steps, please contact our CBC Gem Helpdesk by completing the Contact Us form here.
If you've signed up via the CBC Gem app on iPhone or iPad
While in the CBC Gem app, select My Gem on the bottom right corner of the home screen.
If you are not yet logged in, sign in using your preferred method
TIP: If you ever selected the Continue with Apple option to access Gem
Please be aware of the method you use to sign in with. If you have ever chosen to sign in using the Continue with Apple option and opted in to hiding your email address, a new CBC Gem account would have been created for you. This new account would not be linked to any existing accounts you might have. If you're having trouble accessing your Premium subscription please try signing in with your email address first, and then trying the Continue with Apple option.
Once you are signed in, make sure the Account tab is active.
From here, ensure that your Subscription Status is:
Premium - Monthly (App Store) if your subscription is being handled by Apple
Premium - Monthly (Google Play Store) if your subscription is being handled by Google or
Premium - Monthly if you subscribed on the Gem website directly using a credit card.
If you have confirmed that your Subscription Status is showing up as Premium, you should not be able to see any ads when viewing video-on-demand content, and you should have access to CBC News Network. Please note that you will still see ads on our live streams.
If your Subscription Status appears as Free, you may want to ensure that you are signed in under the correct account. Try logging in again using another email address to see if this helps.
Tip
To confirm which email address you used when you signed up for your Premium subscription, check your email inboxes. You would have received a welcome email from CBC with the subject "Now you're a real VIP!". The address that this message was sent to will be the one associated with your Premium subscription, and the message itself contains a reminder of your login as well.
If you're still experiencing issues accessing your Premium features after following these steps, please contact our CBC Gem Helpdesk by completing the Contact Us form here.
Restoring your Purchase through Apple
If your Account Type appears as Free and you are certain you are logged in to the correct Premium account, you may need to restore your purchase through Apple.
This process will only work if:
1. Your subscription is handled by Apple.
2. There is an active Gem subscription associated with the Apple ID your iPhone or iPad is logged in to.
To check this follow these steps:
Go to the home screen on your iPhone or iPad.
Select Settings > Your Name > Subscriptions.
Your CBC Gem subscription will appear under the Active section.
If you do not see a Gem subscription under the Active section then there is no subscription associated with the Apple ID your iPhone or iPad is currently logged in to.
Once you have confirmed you have an Active Premium subscription on your iPhone or iPad, head back to the My Gem screen and make sure the Account tab is active.
You will see a Restore my subscription option beneath the Try Premium button.
Select Restore my subscription and follow the instructions provided. This should restore your Premium subscription purchase with Apple.
If your premium subscription is linked to a different Gem account than the one you are currently logged in to, you will receive an error message containing a 15 digit Receipt ID.
Please take note of this number. This will aid us in locating the Gem account your premium subscription is linked to.
If you have another existing Gem account please try logging in to Gem again to see if your premium subscription is linked to that account.
If you've signed up via the CBC Gem app on an Apple TV
While in the CBC Gem app, select My Gem from the top right corner of the home screen.
If you are not yet logged in, sign in using your preferred method.
TIP: If you ever selected the Continue with Apple option to access Gem
Please be aware of the method you use to sign in with. If you have ever chosen to sign in using the Continue with Apple option and opted in to hiding your email address, a new CBC Gem account would have been created for you. This new account would not be linked to any existing accounts you might have. If you're having trouble accessing your Premium subscription please try signing in with your email address first, and then trying the Continue with Apple option.
Once you are signed in, ensure that your Type of Subscription is:
Premium - Monthly (App Store) if your subscription is being handled by Apple
Premium - Monthly (Google Play Store) if your subscription is being handled by Google or
Premium - Monthly if you subscribed on the Gem website directly using a credit card.
If you have confirmed that your Subscription Status is showing up as Premium, you should not be able to see any ads when viewing video-on-demand content, and you should have access to CBC News Network. Please note that you will still see ads on our live streams.
If your Subscription Status appears as Free, you may want to ensure that you are signed in under the correct account. Try logging in again using another email address to see if this helps.
Tip
To confirm which email address you used when you signed up for your Premium subscription, check your email inboxes. You would have received a welcome email from CBC with the subject "Now you're a real VIP!". The address that this message was sent to will be the one associated with your Premium subscription, and the message itself contains a reminder of your login as well.
Restoring your Purchase through Apple
If your Subscription Type appears as Free and you are certain you are logged in to the correct Premium account, you may need to restore your purchase through Apple.
This process will only work if:
1. Your subscription is handled by Apple
2. There is an active Gem subscription associated with the Apple ID your Apple TV is logged in to
To check this follow these steps:
On your Apple TV go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Default User (Your account) > Subscriptions.
Your CBC Gem subscription will appear under the Active section.
If you do not see a Gem subscription under the Active section then there is no subscription associated with the Apple ID your Apple TV is currently logged in to.
Once you have confirmed you have an Active Premium subscription on your Apple TV, head back to the My Gem section on the Gem app.
You will see a Restore my subscription button.
Select it and follow the instructions provided. This should restore your Premium subscription purchase with Apple.
If your premium subscription is linked to a different Gem account than the one you are currently logged in to, you will receive an error message containing a 15 digit Receipt ID.
Please take note of this number. This will aid us in locating the Gem account your premium subscription is linked to.
If you have another existing Gem account please try logging in to Gem again to see if your premium subscription is linked to that account.
If you've signed up via the CBC Gem app on an Android device
While in the CBC Gem app, select My Gem on the bottom right corner of the home screen to access your account details.
If you are not yet logged in, sign in using your preferred method.
Once you are signed in, make sure the Account tab is active.
From here, ensure that your Subscription Status is:
Premium - Monthly (App Store) if your subscription is being handled by Apple
Premium - Monthly (Google Play Store) if your subscription is being handled by Google or
Premium - Monthly if you subscribed on the Gem website directly using a credit card.
If you have confirmed that your Subscription Status is showing up as Premium, you should not be able to see any ads when viewing video-on-demand content, and you should have access to CBC News Network. Please note that you will still see ads on our live streams.
If your Subscription Status appears as Free, you may want to ensure that you are signed in under the correct account. Try logging in again using another email address to see if this helps.
If you're still experiencing issues accessing your premium features after following these steps, please contact our CBC Gem Helpdesk by tapping on the help link at the bottom of the menu, or by completing the contact us form here.
If you can provide the order number provided in the Google Play receipt pertaining to your premium purchase, it would be greatly appreciated as this will help us in our troubleshooting efforts.