by Sahil Patel
Two of the biggest cable companies in Canada are joining forces to launch Shomi, a new subscription streaming service designed to take Netflix head on.
From Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications, Shomi will offer prior seasons of popular TV shows, as well as full seasons of classic series and films. This includes current hit shows such as “Modern Family,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “Sleepy Hollow,” “New Girl,” and “American Horror Story,” which Shomi has exclusive rights to in Canada. Overall, the Shomi library will offer more than 340 TV series (totaling 11,000 hours) and 1,200 movies — with 30 percent of that content being Canadian, because this is Canada.
The service will launch in beta first for Rogers and Shaw internet and/or TV customers, going live the first week of November for $8.99 per month. Subscribers will be able to access the service on multiple platforms, including online and mobile, as well as the Xbox 360 and various other connected set-top boxes.
Additional features on the service will include trailers, factoids about various titles, as well as the ability for subscribers to have up to six profiles per account.
More information about the service is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. While equally owned by Rogers and Shaw, Shomi will operate as a standalone unit with its own management team, the cable giants said.
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