cbc-video-downloader

Parses a list of given CBC video URLs and downloads the video files as MP4. Downloads run in parallel but are throttled to three videos at a time to respect CBC's bandwidth.

A separate script takes a single CBC media ID as input and downloads a single file.

Tested to work on (most) video content from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the Beijing 2022 Olympics, the Paris 2024 Olympics, and the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics.

Prerequisites

• Microsoft Windows
• PowerShell 7.0 or higher; install from the Microsoft Store, WinGet (winget install Microsoft.PowerShell), or PowerShell on GitHub.
• The Windows binary of FFmpeg.
• The Windows binary of yt-dlp.

How to use this

Preparation

You can install FFmpeg and yt-dlp using the script provided or do it yourself.

Automatic

Use Install-ytdlp-Prerequisites.ps1:

• Clone this repo into a local directory of your choice.
• Open pwsh.exe and navigate to the repo directory.
• Run ./Install-ytdlp-Prerequisites.ps1. The script will retrieve FFmpeg and yt-dlp binaries for you and place them in the working directory.
  • Note: This script downloads the nightly build of yt-dlp, which is required for Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics support.

Manual

• Download FFmpeg and yt-dlp (see Prerequisites for links).
  • Note: You must use the nightly build of yt-dlp for Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics support.
• Extract these three FFmpeg binaries into the same directory as the repo:
  • ffmpeg.exe
  • ffplay.exe
  • ffprobe.exe
• Copy yt-dlp.exe into the same directory as the repo.

Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics

For Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics videos, use the URL from your browser's address bar. The structure should look like this: https://gem.cbc.ca/curling-norway-vs-canada-mixed-doubles-round-robin-30045

Downloading a single video

Use Invoke-ytdlp-CBC-Single.ps1:

• Open pwsh.exe and navigate to the repo directory.
• Run ./Invoke-ytdlp-CBC-Single.ps1. The script will prompt for a link. Provide it and continue.
  • Example: video link https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1234567891011 or https://gem.cbc.ca/curling-norway-vs-canada-mixed-doubles-round-robin-30045.

Downloading multiple videos

Use Invoke-ytdlp-CBC.ps1:

• Populate URLList.txt with a list of CBC Video links you want to retrieve, one per line.
  • Example: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1234567891011
  • Example: https://gem.cbc.ca/curling-norway-vs-canada-mixed-doubles-round-robin-30045
• Open pwsh.exe and navigate to the repo directory.
• Run ./Invoke-ytdlp-CBC.ps1 and watch it go.

Considerations

• PowerShell 7 or higher is required to support parallel threads in the ForEach-Object loop.
• These scripts are only designed to work when their working directory contains the scripts, text file, and binaries.
• Some CBC video content - typically longer recordings - are presented only as HLS in m3u8 format. Links in this format may fail to download.

Credits

• The makers of yt-dlp
• The makers of FFmpeg
• The CBC for their excellent coverage of sporting events