Early in the year there was talk that Rogers would launch a streaming over-the-top video service (OTT) called “Showmi.” This Netflix-like competitor reportedly had a massive $100 million budget and would marry together high profile content players such as Disney/ABC, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, along with Canadian outlets like Bell Media and Shaw Media.
The rumour was that Rogers would have this in-market by April of this year. Clearly this date has passed, but according to Greg O’Brien, Cartt’s Editor-in-Chief and the outlet that first reported on the initiative, Rogers is now aiming for a possible launch date sometime in the fall. In addition, O’Brien also noted that Shaw is still on board, but Bell is out. No word on the reason why – perhaps Bell will come out with their own streaming media offering. In Quebec, Videotron is already live with illico Club Unlimited, which costs $9.99 per month.
Rogers recently announced plans to merge all its businesses under one brand called Rogers One. The goal is to improve customer service and also improve the customer experience. One of the ways that Guy Laurence, CEO of Rogers, stated this will happen is by “utilizing things we already have… We will double down on innovation…. will focus on fewer, more impactful initiatives and execute with more precision to deliver on our game plan.”
A streaming video service will certainly assist Rogers in bringing its media offerings to the forefront and allowing customers to access their content — especially hockey — on any display (TV, mobile phone, tablet, computer).
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