Shomi
Toronto, Ontario , Canada | |
Area served | Canada |
---|---|
Owner | Rogers Communications Shaw Communications |
Key people | David Asch (President/General Manager) Marni Shulman (Vice President, Head of Content and Programming) Ann Tebo (Senior Director, Head of Customer Experience and Insights) Rita Ferarri (Senior Director, Head Of Marketing and Communications) Dennis Kuzmar (Senior Director, Head of Technology) Keltie Neville (Senior Manager, Head of People and Culture) Mark Jarvie (Director, Head of Finance) Augusto Rosa (Director, Head of Video and Network Infrastructure) |
Registration | Required |
Launched | November 4, 2014 |
Current status | Inactive as of November 30, 2016 |
Shomi (pronounced "show me") was a Canadian subscription
As of its beta launch on November 4, 2014, the service was not available as a standalone product and could only be purchased by internet and television subscribers of Rogers and Shaw. After August 20, 2015, that restriction was removed, and the service was available standalone. It competed directly with other subscription-based over-the-top streaming services, such as
On September 26, 2016, Shomi announced the service would shut down on November 30, 2016.
Distribution
Shomi was available via the
Content
At its initial launch, the service offered 340 television series (11,000 hours) and 1,200 movies.[3] Rather than using computer algorithms for suggesting content that a viewer may be interested in based on past viewing habits, Shomi content was divided into manually curated categories.[2][3]
In October 2014, the service announced a content deal with the American premium cable service
In 2015, the service announced its addition of
Criticism
In February 2015, the
On March 12, 2015, the CRTC announced new proposed regulations for video on demand services, creating a new category for "hybrid online video-on-demand" services between unregulated digital services and licensed video on demand services offered by providers, which are not allowed to offer "exclusive" content, and are also subject to genre protection and Canadian content rules. These services would not be bound to the aforementioned rules, including the ability to offer "exclusive" content, and can be made accessible within a television provider's video on demand system, but they must be also offered over-the-top on a standalone basis without a television subscription.[12][13] The CRTC did not explicitly state whether CraveTV or Shomi would be classified as a "hybrid" VOD service under its proposed regulations, which would have required them to offer their service on a standalone basis.[12] Shomi announced in May 2015 that it would begin offering its service as a standalone product later in the year.[5]
In June 2015, Eastlink and Telus also filed a complaint with the CRTC against Shomi, arguing that the exclusivity period to Rogers and Shaw subscribers gave the two companies an unfair advantage, as they do not operate in all areas of the country, and no other third-party provider had offered it. The complaint alleged that the partnership had purposely frustrated attempts by third-party providers to negotiate deals to offer Shomi through various means, including providing limited notice of its launch (in contrast to CraveTV, which provided more advance notice, giving time for providers to reach deals), and stalling attempts to negotiate carriage deals by refusing to send a full contract to Eastlink. The complaint concluded that the actions demonstrated Rogers and Shaw "had no intention of making Shomi available to independent [providers], and their customers, in a timely manner."[14]
Discontinuation
On September 26, 2016, Shomi announced it would shut down on November 30, 2016.[15] David Asch, senior vice-president and general manager for Shomi, cited the changing climate of the online video marketplace in Canada and greater than anticipated challenges in operating as the reasons for the shut down.[15] Melani Griffith, senior vice-president of content at Rogers, said that the number of subscriptions was not "big enough to be renewed for another season".[15] This announcement came amid reports that Rogers and Shaw expect to incur a "loss on investment of approximately $100 million to $140 million in its third quarter".[15]
Solutions Research Group conducted a study in June 2016 that indicated that 5.2 million Canadian households subscribe to Netflix.[16] In the same study, Crave and Shomi together had fewer than 700,000 subscribers.[16]
The discontinuation was criticized by CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais, who remarked in an address that he "can't help but be surprised when major players throw in the towel on a platform that is the future of content—just two years after it launched. I have to wonder if they are too used to receiving rents from subscribers every month in a protected ecosystem, rather than rolling up their sleeves in order to build a business without regulatory intervention and protection."[17]
No general announcement was made regarding programming rights Shomi had at the time of shutdown.
Following the shutdown of Shomi, Rogers moved its streaming efforts to
In 2021, Rogers and Shaw announced plans to merge under the Rogers banner, pending regulatory approvals; the merger was completed in April 2023.[21][22] There is no indication that Shomi Partnership was ever dissolved, implying that the merger consolidated ownership of the remaining Shomi intellectual property under Rogers.[23]
References
- ^ "Rogers, Shaw launch rival Netflix-like service Shomi". CBC News. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
- ^ a b c "shomi Available to Rogers & Shaw Internet and Cable Subscribers". Broadcaster Magazine. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
- ^ a b c Nicole Bogart (26 August 2014). "What is 'shomi' and how does it work?". Global News. Shaw Media. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Consumer groups challenge 'tied selling' of CraveTV, Shomi services". No. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Shomi expands to anyone in Canada with internet connection, not just TV subscribers". Canadian Press. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ "Shomi set to go to wider audience". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ http://www.shawdirect.ca/english/shomi/?intcid=ib-2015-10-15-shomi-Hero1-eng-shawdirect/
- ^ "shomi Partners with Starz Digital Media". Broadcaster, October 3, 2014.
- ^ "Netflix, Rogers’ Shomi to partner on dramatic series". The Globe and Mail, October 20, 2014.
- ^ "Canadian drama series to debut on ‘shomi’ streaming service". Global News, October 20, 2014.
- ^ "TV series Transparent coming to Shomi". Toronto Star, January 12, 2015.
- ^ a b "CRTC proposes looser regulation if broadcasters offer CraveTV, Shomi to all Canadians". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ "Let's Talk TV: CRTC announces measures to support the creation of content made by Canadians for Canadian and global audiences". CRTC. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ "Shomi gave Rogers, Shaw an unfair head start, Telus and Eastlink argue". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Web streaming service Shomi to shut down as of Nov. 30". CBC News. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
- ^ a b De Vynck, Gerrit (26 September 2016). "Netflix Dominating in Canada as Rogers, Shaw Shut Down Shomi". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
- ^ "CRTC's Blais raps Rogers, Shaw over Shomi". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ "Amazon set to stream new Jeremy Clarkson show in Canada". CBC News. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ Friend, David (April 12, 2022). "Citytv launches new streaming options on Amazon's Prime Video". The Canadian Press. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ Dobby, Christine (January 13, 2016). "Five things to know about the Corus-Shaw Media deal". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
Calgary-based Shaw [...] is also maintaining its 50-per-cent interest in Shomi, the video streaming service it launched as a joint venture with Rogers Communications Inc. in 2014.
- ^ "Rogers signs deal to buy Shaw in transaction valued at $26B". CBC News. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
- ^ "Rogers closes its historic $20B acquisition of Shaw". BNNBloomberg.ca. April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ "SHOMI — 1638670". Canadian Trademarks Database. Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Retrieved June 5, 2021.