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If content rules, Netflix is King

At this point, Shomi had been operational for two years and was the first English-language streaming service to launch in Canada after Neftlix. The two services were extremely similar in almost every way, from functionality to price. Some would even say that with Shomi’s cable box availability and $0 price tag with Rogers as of 2015, Shomi was the better choice for millions of Canadians, though it still lacked the extensive library of Netflix.

When Winston came into work on September 26th, she had no way of knowing it would mark her company’s final month in existence, however, she and her colleagues had plenty of clues. Funding to several departments at Shomi were cut this past August. Not slashed — cut. The 100-person team lost several large content agreements, and slowly but surely, Rogers stopped promoting Shomi to its customers.

How do you build products that people gravitate to? It’s hard when you don’t have the same funding [as Netflix].

As Winston and her colleagues received the news, two HR representatives from Rogers were standing next to Asch, at the front of the room. The faces of her coworkers changed from worried to shocked as they realized that not only would Shomi shut down at the end of November, but that everyone working on the platform would also be let go. After recently leaving another career, she was nervous she’d have to switch careers for the second time in just a few years.

It was at this moment that Winston turned to her direct supervisor for comfort, but stopped short. It was the first time she’d ever seen her boss cry.