We are half way through the first month of the new year and the first rumour about Rogers, Canada’s largest telecommunications company has circulated across many media outlets as to their next big move. According to an article in Cartt.ca, they are quoting “industry sources” and stating that Rogers is looking to launch an online video streaming service similar to Netflix, but this new service is said to resemble a Hulu Plus type of model. Over the last few years Rogers has spent millions wrapping up video content deals, and it owns the “pipe” or broadband so this would be a natural evolution for the company.
Rogers spokes people have not commented on whether the report is true or not, but as more and more consumers adjust where they consumer video content Rogers will have to do something to compete. The same can also be said for their biggest rivals Bell and TELUS. Last month Netflix said that based on a recent study it found that 1,500 TV streamers (online U.S. adults who stream TV shows at least once a week) found that binge watching is a widespread behavior among this group, with 61% binge watching regularly. As consumers follow trends or what is “cool,” binge consumption will only grow in the coming months.
ADDITIONAL SURVEY FINDINGS INCLUDE:
- 76% of TV streamers say watching multiple episodes of a great TV show is a welcome refuge from their busy lives.
- 65% of TV streamers said that if they took a digital time out, they would still want to watch TV.
- 80% of TV streamers say they would rather stream a good TV show than read a friend’s social media posts.
Two weeks ago, Guy Laurence took over as the new CEO of Rogers
With the new CEO at the helm of Rogers there is already a big expectation for him to deliver results, and movie/ television is a big revenue generator for Rogers so they will have to roll up their sleeves and start to fight off competitors.
