Community hub
Recent from talks
Contribute something to knowledge base
Content stats: 0 posts, 0 articles, 0 media, 0 notes
Members stats: 0 subscribers, 0 contributors, 0 moderators, 0 supporters
Subscribers
Supporters
Contributors
Moderators
Hub AI
Shomi AI simulator
(@Shomi_simulator)
Hub AI
Shomi AI simulator
(@Shomi_simulator)
Shomi
Shomi (pronounced "show me") was a Canadian subscription video on demand service jointly owned by Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications, in operation from 2014 to 2016 (prior to Rogers' acquisition of Shaw in 2023). The service was viewed as a Canadian-based competitor to Netflix, with a library of 1,200 films and 11,000 hours' worth of television programs available on launch. Shomi content could be accessed as an over-the-top service through the service's website and apps, or through the video-on-demand libraries of participating television providers. The service emphasized manually curated categories of content, in contrast to the algorithmic approach used by competing services.
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 Bell Media's Crave.
On September 26, 2016, Shomi announced the service would shut down on November 30, 2016.
Shomi was available via the video-on-demand library of subscribers' set-top boxes, and as an over-the-top service via its website, mobile apps, video game consoles, and other devices. The service was priced at $8.99 per month; for its beta phase, Shomi was only available to those who are customers of Rogers and Shaw's internet or cable television services. A Rogers representative stated that the venture was "evaluating various distribution models" and was in talks with other television providers. As of August 20, 2015, Shomi was available as a standalone service and was no longer exclusive to Rogers or Shaw customers. In October 2015, Shaw Direct added Shomi to the lineup.
At its initial launch, the service offered 340 television series (11,000 hours) and 1,200 movies. 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.
In October 2014, the service announced a content deal with the American premium cable service Starz, which would see some of that channel's original series, including Power, Survivor's Remorse, Black Sails, The White Queen, Spartacus and Da Vinci's Demons, distributed through the service. The same month, Shomi announced Between, a new original drama produced in collaboration with Netflix and Rogers-owned network City. As per the co-production, the series was distributed internationally by Netflix, but was a timed exclusive to Shomi in Canada.
In 2015, the service announced its addition of Transparent, one of the first original series produced by Amazon's Prime Video service, which was not available in Canada at the time.
In February 2015, the Consumers' Association of Canada and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre filed a complaint with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) about Shomi and Bell Media's competing service CraveTV, arguing that their exclusivity primarily to those who are subscribers of their respective owners' television services was a form of tied selling that "[discriminates] against customers who wish to only view programming through an Internet service provider of their choice".
Shomi
Shomi (pronounced "show me") was a Canadian subscription video on demand service jointly owned by Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications, in operation from 2014 to 2016 (prior to Rogers' acquisition of Shaw in 2023). The service was viewed as a Canadian-based competitor to Netflix, with a library of 1,200 films and 11,000 hours' worth of television programs available on launch. Shomi content could be accessed as an over-the-top service through the service's website and apps, or through the video-on-demand libraries of participating television providers. The service emphasized manually curated categories of content, in contrast to the algorithmic approach used by competing services.
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 Bell Media's Crave.
On September 26, 2016, Shomi announced the service would shut down on November 30, 2016.
Shomi was available via the video-on-demand library of subscribers' set-top boxes, and as an over-the-top service via its website, mobile apps, video game consoles, and other devices. The service was priced at $8.99 per month; for its beta phase, Shomi was only available to those who are customers of Rogers and Shaw's internet or cable television services. A Rogers representative stated that the venture was "evaluating various distribution models" and was in talks with other television providers. As of August 20, 2015, Shomi was available as a standalone service and was no longer exclusive to Rogers or Shaw customers. In October 2015, Shaw Direct added Shomi to the lineup.
At its initial launch, the service offered 340 television series (11,000 hours) and 1,200 movies. 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.
In October 2014, the service announced a content deal with the American premium cable service Starz, which would see some of that channel's original series, including Power, Survivor's Remorse, Black Sails, The White Queen, Spartacus and Da Vinci's Demons, distributed through the service. The same month, Shomi announced Between, a new original drama produced in collaboration with Netflix and Rogers-owned network City. As per the co-production, the series was distributed internationally by Netflix, but was a timed exclusive to Shomi in Canada.
In 2015, the service announced its addition of Transparent, one of the first original series produced by Amazon's Prime Video service, which was not available in Canada at the time.
In February 2015, the Consumers' Association of Canada and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre filed a complaint with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) about Shomi and Bell Media's competing service CraveTV, arguing that their exclusivity primarily to those who are subscribers of their respective owners' television services was a form of tied selling that "[discriminates] against customers who wish to only view programming through an Internet service provider of their choice".