Competition in Canada: Shaw challenges Netflix with similar service, Movie Club

Posted by Knowlton Thomas on 2011-07-15 11:12:00 AM

Alberta-based Shaw plans to launch a new movie service that will be pitted against U.S. giant Netflix's Canadian offerings.

A monthly fee will grant users access to the Movie Club. Its differentiator? While it will have less titles overall than Netflix, Movie Club will stand out for Shaw because it intends to provide a greater choice of newer movies. Movie Club will also boast a superior selection of HD movies and will have its library updated more frequently. 

One of the major drawbacks to these streaming movie services in Canada are the low data caps set by our home internet providers. Shaw claims it has devised new data plans that will carry higher limits of data usage, as well as faster upload and download speeds. Impressive if it all comes true.

Definitely a smart move, and entirely feasible. After all, while Netflix's Canadian plan is cheap at just $8 per month, its library is stocked with mostly lame, old movies and offers little in terms of fresh content. Of course, Netflix has vast resources, and if it determines that Shaw is a serious threat, the company may get more serious about competing in the space on Canadian soil.

Movie Club will be more costly than Netflix at $12 so it must focus on delivering that added value.

Company:
Shaw Communications
Website:
http://www.shaw.ca
Location:
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Shaw has experienced rapid and successful growth within the cable, satellite and telecommunications industries over the last several decades. With this growth, Shaw has created and acquired a number of companies focused on delivering high-quality products and services to approximately 3.0 million customers in Canada. more

Company:
Netflix
Website:
http://www.netflix.ca
Location:
Los Gatos, California, United States

With more than 15 million members, Netflix, Inc. [Nasdaq: NFLX] is the world’s largest subscription service streaming movies and TV episodes over the Internet and sending DVDs by mail. For $8.99 a month, Netflix members can instantly watch unlimited TV episodes and movies streamed to their TVs and computers and can receive unlimited DVDs delivered quickly to their homes. With Netflix, there are never any due dates... more

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Knowlton Thomas

Knowlton Thomas

Knowlton is the Associate Editor of Techvibes. A Vancouver-based writer and author, Knowlton has been published in national publications and has also appeared on television and radio. He has written two ebooks and more are in the works. Previously, he was an editor for New Westminster weekly The Other Press and served on its board of directors. When not working, Knowlton enjoys playing... more

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