Rogers and Shaw set to launch Netflix rival Shomi on Tuesday

TORONTO – The new streaming service Shomi is being launched by Rogers (TSX:RCI.B) and Shaw (TSX:SJR.B) on Tuesday.

Seen as a competitor to Netflix, Shomi will debut with nearly 12,000 hours of content to stream — mostly TV shows — for $8.99 a month.

Only Rogers and Shaw customers can sign up for the service at first, although the companies hope to make it more widely available over time.

“2 Broke Girls,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “American Horror Story,” “Louie,” “Modern Family,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “The Americans” and “Two and a Half Men” are among the shows available to stream at launch.

Both Rogers and Shaw are offering a free one-month trial of Shomi.

Some Rogers Internet customers will get Shomi for free until March 31, 2015, while Shaw says its Internet and TV customers can watch Shomi content with its Shaw Go WiFi service.