TORONTO – Canadian video streaming service shomi says it is shutting down as of Nov. 30.
For $8.99 per month, shomi allowed Canadians to watch a huge selection of TV programming and movies on numerous platforms – tablet, mobile, online, Xbox 360, Apple TV, Chromecast — and via set-top boxes for Rogers and Shaw TV subscribers.
Acclaimed and buzzworthy shows available on shomi included Vikings, Empire, Fresh off the Boat, Transparent, Outlander, iZombie and Jane The Virgin.
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“We’re really grateful to Canadians who enthusiastically invited us into their living rooms and took us with them on their phones, tablets and laptops,” David Asch, Senior Vice President and General Manager of shomi said in a release.
Shomi was launched by Rogers and Shaw in November 2014 and opened to all Canadians in Aug. 2015.
It was seen as a competitor to Netflix and other similar video streaming services, such as Bell’s CraveTV.
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“The business climate and online video marketplace have changed markedly in the last few years. Combined with the fact that the business is more challenging to operate than we expected, we’ve decided to wind down our operations,” Asch said. “We’re proud of the great service we created and the role we played in the evolution of Canada’s video landscape.”
Rogers said it expects to incur a loss on investment of approximately $100 million to $140 million in its third quarter, which ends Friday.
“We tried something new, and customers who used shomi loved it,” Melani Griffith, senior vice-president of content at Rogers, said in another statement.
“It’s like a great cult favourite with a fantastic core audience that unfortunately just isn’t big enough to be renewed for another season.”
-with files from The Canadian Press
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