The site offered streaming Internet broadcasts of the conventional television stations, both Canadian and American, that were available as over-the-air signals in Toronto.
[1] The site, launched by William Craig through his TVRadioNow Corporation in December 1999, was intensely controversial during its short lifespan, raising significant questions around the interpretation of copyright law.
[7] However, the Canadian courts did not have the opportunity to consider the matter because, in late February, the company succumbed to legal pressure and agreed to discontinue its streaming operations in return for the withdrawal of all actions against it.
In June 2000, Craig announced plans to relaunch iCraveTV, this time rebroadcasting the programming of Canadian specialty channels such as YTV and MuchMusic.
[4] In a piece for the National Post, journalist and academic Matthew Fraser essentially agreed with William Craig's position, noting that even cable television itself had started out as "pirate" retransmission of broadcast signals before evolving into an essential part of the television broadcasting ecosystem as the legal issues were debated and ironed out.