Netflix’s new rival

» Shomi good content, free media, and a fun interface

| Cazzy Lewchuk
Staff Writer

 

[? the age of the Internet,
instant streaming has
consumed a large portion of

the media market, particularly
with movies and TV shows.
Traditional cable and DVDs
have been overshadowed by
Internet streaming services. The
market has been dominated by
Netflix, especially in Canada,
where services such as Hulu and
Amazon Video are unavailable.

In the past year, competitors
to Netflix have been emerging
into the Canadian public’s
view. One of these subscription
services, Shomi, is owned by
media companies Rogers and
Shaw. Shomi follows a very
similar model to Netflix: after
a free trial month, subscribers
pay $8.99 a month (the same
cost as Netflix) in exchange for
unlimited, commercial-free
streaming of over 1,200 movies
and TV shows.

Originally, and
controversially, Shomi was only
available to subscribers who
already had an Internet or cable
subscription to Rogers or Shaw.
As of August, this restriction
was lifted, making Shomi
accessible to every Canadian and
seriously increasing its potential
market presence. Shomi has the

: potential to become a large rival
: to Netflix, particularly with its
: content selection.

Shomi has a wide variety of

: shows and movies not available

: on Netflix, including original

: content not otherwise available

: in Canada such as the shows

: Transparent and Catastrophe.

: Shomi has a much more current
: content library of recent TV

: shows in comparison to Netflix,
: particularly in the drama and

: comedy categories. Big shows

: like American Horror Story, Sons
: of Anarchy, New Girl, Outlander,
: Modern Family, and 2 Broke Girls
: are all exclusive to Shomi for
streaming.

The movie selection on

: Shomi is more extensive when

: it comes to older titles. While

: Netflix often has popular films

: from the last year available,

: Shomi’s selection is focused on

: movies from all eras. Collections
: of movies by legendary directors
: The Coen Brothers, Tim Burton,
: Woody Allen, Alfred Hitchcock,
: and even Stanley Kubrick are

: available. However, many of

: the films—particularly recent

: ones—are also found on Netflix,
: so it’s the TV show category

: where Shomi has the clear

: advantage.

The user features and

: interface of Shomi are personable :
: and more specific compared

: to Netflix. Instead of strictly

: genres, Shomi also features

: playlists based on a particular

: director, season, or theme, with

playlist names like “Comic-Con
Hangover,” “Conspiracies, Cults,
and Cover-Ups,” and “Donuts
and Disorder.” The playlist
descriptions and site guidance
are often quite funny in their
writing style, making it much
more light-hearted and friendly
than Netflix. For example,
“Sports movies: they all end the
same way, but we still love ’em!”
or describing the horror section
as “Stuff you can’t unsee.”

In terms of actual usage,
Shomi lags behind on Netflix’s
model. One notable aspect is the
lack of an autoplay feature when
streaming shows, forcing the
user to take 10 whole seconds to
proceed in their binge-watching.

: Shomi’s app and accessibility

: for device standards aren't very
: good. For example, multiple

: user profiles can’t be created on
: asmart TV or tablet. Instead it
: has to be manually done ona

: computer.

Some smaller issues can

: alienate some users. Shomi

: does not have Roku support or

: payment support for Visa Debit,
: for example. Shomi is also a

: service that’s less than a year

: old, so the features and content
: will almost certainly grow and

: improve as time goes on.

Shomi is an excellent
alternative to cable and a great

: addition to home media habits.

: While it has its flaws, the content
: selection is well worth $8.99 a

: month and it is likely to be a firm
: competitor with Netflix soon.

 

Image via Thinkstock

 

Hathaway's latest 1s pleasing but predictable

» ‘The Intern’ review

Lauren Paulsen,
Senior Columnist

OOOO

l is inevitable that people are
going to think of one of Anne
Hathaway’s previous roles as
an intern in The Devil Wears
Prada when they hear about her
most recently released movie,
The Intern. But in this movie
Hathaway plays Jules Ostin, the
founder and CEO of an online
fashion company who gets her
own senior intern. No, not a
senior in high school or college,
but a senior in life.

Robert De Niro plays Ben,
a retired widower who finds he
no longer has purpose in life.
He notices a flyer advertising
the new senior intern program
at Jules’ company and decides to
apply. He manages to get the job
and wins over everyone at the
company with his old-fashioned
charm—everyone except his

: boss, Jules.

Jules is highly overworked
and finding it hard to manage
her company after its huge,
successful start. She needs
guidance and help, and who

: better to give it to her than her
: congenial, experienced, new
: intern?

If I were describing this

: movie to someone, I would call
: it a “heartfelt comedy.” It was a
: feel-good movie that I enjoyed

: watching, but it wasn’t one that
: | would say really had an impact
: on me. It was pretty predictable
: and used stereotypical

: characters, such as the seniors

: not knowing anything about

: modern technology. There were
: some funny moments, however,
: that had the whole theatre

: audience laughing, such as

: when Ben meets the company’s
: Masseuse.

Overall, I think The Intern

: is a pleasant movie to watch if
: you enjoy this genre. Just don’t
: expect it to have a major impact.

 

Still of Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway in The Intern (2015)