Canada’s Rogers Communications announced Monday that it has entered into multi-year carriage deals with NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Starting in September, Rogers will launch NBCU’s Bravo channel on its own cable systems and streaming service Citytv+, and will also hold the Canadian distribution rights to the channel’s English-language content, which includes popular reality TV series like The Real Housewives franchise, Vanderpump Rules and Top Chef.

And starting in January 2025, Rogers will be home to WBD's suite of English-language lifestyle brands, including HGTV, Food Network and other channels. 

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Rogers, Canada’s largest cable provider, ended the first quarter with 2.72 million pay TV subscribers — this platform alone represents a nice North American distribution bounty for WBD and Comcast-owned NBCU, both of which are dealing with vastly reduced reach in the U.S. because of cord-cutting. 

Also Read: Canada’s Rogers Licenses More Comcast Tech, Including a ‘New Device Powered by Entertainment OS’

Rogers said in a release that it “will work with Canadian distribution partners to make the content widely available,” with the ultimate goal to blend linear distribution with streaming options like its service, Citytv+.

“We’re evolving our business to reflect where consumers are going, bringing the best mix of U.S. and Canadian content to audiences in the way they want to watch it," said Colette Watson, president of Rogers Sports & Media, in a statement. “This investment also advances our position as a strong Canadian broadcaster that can compete with foreign streamers.”  

UniTek Global Services, a provider of installation, fulfillment and infrastructure services to telcos, cable operators and wireless service providers, has filed a voluntary, prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.

Blue Bell, Pa.-based  UniTek announced Monday that it had secured the support of all of its lenders, including Littlejohn & Co. and New Mountain Capital, among others, collectively representing 100% of its secured debt for its previously announced prepackaged restructuring Plan.

UniTek listed assets of $3.2 million and debut of $186 million in documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., according to Bloomberg. 

UniTek’s customers include DirecTV (via its DirectSat subsidiary), and to cable operators such as Comcast, Charter Communications and Time Warner Cable via its FTS USA LLC unit, which operates primarily in the eastern and southern U.S. Its Ontario, Canada-based Wirecomm Systems division provides installation and fulfillment services to Rogers Communications, with Pinnacle Wireless USA

UniTek said it expects to keep the company operating during the bankruptcy process.

Under terms of the restructuring plan, 40% of the company’s existing term debt will be exchanged for equity in the company, as well as a substantial reduction in cash interest rate. In addition, its lenders have agreed to advance up to $43 million of new capital to support the UniTek’s recapitalization.

In May, the company posted first quarter revenues of $63.2 million, a decrease of 15% versus the year-ago quarter. It blamed the reduction on declines in both cable and satellite home installations due mainly to “weather disruptions” in the markets UniTek serves as well as “exiting certain low or negative margin cable markets.”

With one in three English Canadians subscribing to Netflix Canada – according to a Media Technology Monitor telephone survey of 2,002 Canadians – Rogers and Shaw have banded together on their own video streaming platform. Called ‘shomi’ (pronounced ‘show-me’) and due to a beta rollout in November 2014, the video streaming service will sell for $8.99/month; the same price as Netflix Canada’s charge to its new Canadian signups.

shomi, which is nearing its debut even as Comcast shifts its strategy for Streampix and Verizon and Outerwall shut-down their own multiscreen SVOD joint venture, will feature 11,000 hours of TV shows from previous seasons, such as Modern Family, Sons of Anarchy, Sleepy Hollow, Shameless, 2 Broke Girls, Vikings,New Girl, 24: Live Another Day, Chicago Fire, The Strain, and American Horror Story. The service will also offer 1,200 movies, and some first-window premieres. Custom picks will be provided to individual subscribers by programming experts as well as by "algorithmic technology." shomi’s content will be viewable on tablet, mobile, online, Xbox 360 and set-top boxes.

The only catch: shomi will only be available to Rogers and Shaw subscribers; at least initially. As a result, the service will not target cord-cutters who have flocked to Netflix Canada; only hopefully stem the tide of cable subs considering making the move to Netflix.

“At beta launch in November, Rogers and Shaw customers will be able to subscribe to the service in the same way that they currently do to all of the services they receive from these companies – and use the same username and password to access shomi as they currently use to access their online services with Rogers and Shaw,” said Marc Dinsdale, shomi’s GM and senior director. “Subscribers will see the service added to their monthly statement in the same way they currently see their cable, Internet, wireless or other services.”

This gap in shomi’s marketing strategy is glossed over during the service’s public unveiling in Toronto and Calgary on August 26. "We've taken the time to talk with Canadians to find out what they want and to create an unbelievable user experience," said Keith Pelley, President of Rogers Media. "They told us loud and clear – they want all the past seasons of the most popular, current TV shows and they want it to be easy.”

"We keenly understand the media landscape is rapidly changing and that viewers are looking for greater flexibility when it comes to what they watch and how they watch it," added Barbara Williams, Shaw Media’s SVP of content. "shomi is our first step into the new world of content streaming and we're so pleased to be able to bring this made in Canada service to the market."

One of shomi’s biggest selling features is its extremely easy-to-operate user interface. It was created by Ottawa software company You.i Labs, maker of the Kobo Arc tablet interface. You.i’s interactive interface uses "tap-and-hold" submenus, which reduces the number of steps required to select movies. Users can also watch content in a "player window while searching through shomi’s library.

“A great amount of attention and effort was placed on creating a user experience that is more personal and human to our members,” said Dinsdale. “This is reflected in the brand, in the tone of voice throughout the experience, in the content that we have specifically selected for our members, in the user experience that we have created across all devices, and in the selection of technology platforms – all intended to make shomi a simple, understandable and, above all else, pleasurable experience for our members.”

It is impossible to predict just how well shomi will perform against Netflix Canada, and whether Canada two largest cable companies will eventually open up their video streaming service to all Canadians whether they subscribe to cable or not. Nevertheless, shomi’s Marc Dinsdale is optimistic that the new service will catch on. “While we are not in a position to share our membership goals at this time, we have planned for a steady growth in members, content and devices through which shomi will be available, and similarly a growth in the underlying technology platforms and infrastructure to support this growth,” he said.

--Multichannel News technology editor Jeff Baumgartner contributed to this report

Redbox Instant by Verizon, the Netflix-like subscription multiscreen video service, is shutting down on Tuesday, Oct. 7, the joint venture confirmed in this Web posting.

GigaOm first reported about the coming shut-down on Saturday, noting that subscribers were also informed via email earlier in the day. GigaOm reported earlier that Redbox Instant by Verizon had halted new sign-ups in recent months because the service’s monitoring systems had “detected that criminals were misusing our new customer registration process to validate credit card numbers illegally obtained from some other sources.”

The full posting about the coming shut-down reads as follows:

IMPORTANT SERVICE SHUTDOWN NOTICE

Thank you for being a part of Redbox Instant by Verizon. Please be aware that the service will be shut down on Tuesday, October 7, 2014, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.

Information on applicable refunds will be emailed to current customers and posted here on October 10. In the meantime, you may continue to stream movies and use your Redbox kiosk credits until Tuesday, October 7 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.

We apologize for any inconvenience and we thank you for the opportunity to entertain you.

Sincerely,
The Redbox Instant by Verizon Team

The Verizon-Outerwall J.V. launched the service in March 2013, offering a service that was viewed as a potential rival to Netflix, a service that now counts more than 50 million subscribers worldwide. The Redbox Instant by Verizon service provides subscribers with access to a streaming library, plus the option to obtain credits toward DVD/Blu-ray discs that are available at Redbox kiosks. Customers can also rent or buy titles electronically from a separate library, with rentals starting at $3 for 48 hours, and purchases starting at $9.

Redbox Instant by Verizon has not disclosed subscriber figures, but the totals clearly weren’t nearly enough.

“The service is shutting down because it was not as successful as we hoped it would be. We apologize for any inconvenience and we thank you for giving us the opportunity to entertain you,” reads the FAQ about the decision to shut down the service.

The FAQ adds that the service will be providing a full month’s subscription fee refund to customers who paid for, but only received a partial month of service, and that refunds will be automatically applied to payment card accounts no later than October 24. Customers must also use disc rental credits included with their subscriptions by Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Redbox Instant by Verizon said it is “exploring options” for customers who purchased electronic versions of movies that are currently being stored in digital lockers.

Redbox Instant by Verizon has developed apps for a range of platforms, including PC browsers, iOS and Android-powered smartphones and tablets, the Xbox One and Xbox 360, PS3 and PS4, Roku, Chromecast, Fan TV, Samsung smart TVs and Blu-ray players, LG smart TVs, Kindle Fire  tablets, and Windows Phone 8.

A statement from a Redbox Instant by Verizon spokesman about the decision issued Saturday largely echoed the public posting: “The joint management of Redbox Instant by Verizon has elected to cease operation of the service effective Tuesday, October 7, 2014.  The joint venture partners made this decision after careful consideration  The service had not been as successful as either partner hoped it would be.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our customers.”

It was not immediately known how many employees tied to the service would be affected by the decision. “While Human Resources matters are private, I can tell you that the Redbox Instant by Verizon team is made up of talented individuals who made great contributions to the service,” the spokesman added.

The coming shutdown of Redbox Instant by Verizon enters view as Comcast shifts the distribution and sales strategy for its own SVOD offering, Streampix. Comcast confirmed in late September that it had halted sales of Streampix to broadband-only customers and that is was decommissioning its Streampix apps and Web site. However, the Streampix service will continue to be sold as an a la carte option (for $4.99 per month), or given away as a perk, to customers who take certain bundled service packages.

Meanwhile, Canadian operators Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications, are set to launch their multiscreen streaming service, “shomi” in beta form later this month.

Viewers Choice Canada, the joint-venture, pay-per-view content distributor owned by Bell Media and Rogers, is closing down in September, which might create opportunities for other providers to step in and fill a gap in providing access to  PPV movies and events, especially for smaller pay-TV providers in Canada.

The shutdown, which has been reported earlier in Canadian media, including cartt.ca, comes as a result of changes in ownership at the 23-year-old PPV distributor. 

Bell Media became the majority owner last year after buying Astral Media, which had owned a minority stake, with Rogers owning the rest. A Bell representative confirmed the service is closing down operations on Sept. 30.

"The two co-owners of VCC, Bell and Rogers, both have their own pay-per-view services and thus feel there is no need to keep the service operating as a standalone entity," the Bell statement said. "VCC will be working with its affiliate partners to ensure that a smooth transition to another provider of pay-per-view (including Bell, Rogers, and Shaw) will occur."

Carrt.ca reported that providers other than Bell Media and Rogers, which have their own PPV distribution businesses, "may have to scramble to find something to replace the pay-per-view service, which offers both movies and event programming such as boxing, UFC and WWE matches." Viewers Choice Canada affiliates include Videotron, Cogeco, Eastlink, Bell Aliant, Source Cable and select other smaller providers, carrt.ca said. Videotron, which operates in Quebec, and was said by carrt.ca to be looking into asking for permission to expand its French-language PPV service, Canal Indigo, to also include English programming.

One U.S. content distributor, Vubiquity, said it was aware of the situation and exploring the potential of providing PPV content to small cable and telco providers north of the U.S. border. In fact, it is already doing business in Canada. “Vubiquity’s platform is integrated with most Canadian operators and has provided a range of managed services in Canada for years," the company told Multichannel News in a statement. "And since we work with every event supplier, we are actively exploring ways to assist our Canadian partners in accessing these important PPV events.”

Viewers Choice Canada began in 1981 as an alternative to video-store movie rentals in Eastern Canada, and then expanded to a nationwide service, The Canadian Press reported. "For years it was also the exclusive Canadian provider of major sporting events like Wrestlemania from the WWE and helped build the reputation of mixed martial arts company the Ultimate Fighting Championship," the story added.