Rogers’ Netflix Competitor Shomi Lands Deal with Warner Bros.

Shomi has inked deals with Warner Bros. International Distribution for both new and library series, as well as feature films.

Starting this November, shomi, a subscription video-on-demand service competing against Netflix, becomes the exclusive streaming home to television shows including 2 Broke Girls, Two and a Half Men, Shameless, and Falling Skies, as well as the exclusive Canadian premiere home of a new Rob Thomas series called iZombie.

Other TV titles landed as a result of the deal include One Tree Hill, The West Wing, and Scooby-Doo. Film titles include Blade Runner, Two Weeks Notice, and Ocean’s Eleven.

“When we announced shomi in August, we made a commitment to deliver the best selection of television series and movie to Canadians,” said Marni Shulman, Head of Content and Programming. “This deal with Warner Bros International Television delivers on that promise.”

Shomi will be available in November to Rogers and Shaw Internet or TV customers for $8.99 per month.

Shomi, launched by Rogers and Shaw, will launch with 14,000 episodes, 11,000 hours of television, 1,200 movie titles, and 340 television series. 30% of all content on shomi will be Canadian, the companies say.

Netflix is the leading application in Canada, and on select networks, can account for up to 40% of downstream traffic in the peak evening hours, according to Sandvine. Three years ago, Netflix accounted for just 13.5% of evening traffic in Canada. No other paid over-the-top video service accounts for more than 1% of traffic in the evening.