Canadian SVOD shomi to Shutter

TORONTO: The Canadian streaming service shomi is closing down operations as of November 30.

A joint venture between Rogers Communications and Shaw Media, the service launched in beta in November 2014 for Roger and Shaw subscribers. It has been a stand-alone offering since August 2015. Current shomi subscribers can still watch via their Shaw or Rogers set-top box, on select tablets, mobile devices, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, Apple TV, Chromecast and PS4 until the end of November. 

“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,” said David Asch, the senior VP and general manager of shomi.

“The business climate and online video marketplace have changed markedly in the last few years,” Asch said. “Combined with the fact that the business is more challenging to operate than we expected, we’ve decided to wind down our operations. We’re proud of the great service we created and the role we played in the evolution of Canada’s video landscape.”