Rogers has made big bets in the past and in 2014 it looks like the trend will continue. According to a report by Cartt.ca, Rogers will spend upwards of $100 million to launch its own over-the-top video service (OTT) to take on rivals like Netflix.
Apparently Rogers has already signed several content deals with big name providers such as Disney/ABC, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, along with Canadian players like Bell Media and Shaw Media. Another interesting angle is that Rogers has reportedly worked out an agreement with Canadian entertainment giant Cineplex as a partner in the potential streaming service.
An unknown Rogers source stated, “They are buying up all the rights, all the windows, to everything in order to keep them out of the hands of Netflix in Canada. What they also say they want to do is target all the twentysomethings who don’t have cable with this – and then hopefully pull them into the system.”
The name of the rumoured Rogers video service is currently called ‘Showmi’ and is estimated to go live in April, possibly modelling itself after US-based Hulu with monthly subscription that would give unlimited access on TV’s, computers, tablets, gaming consoles and smartphones.
Quebec-based Videotron recently launched its $9.99/month illico Club Unlimited video-on-demand service back in February, 2013. The service is only available in Québec and Ontario and mainly offers French-language content that includes the latest movies, TV shows and documentaries.
Source: Cartt.ca
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