The Canadian SVOD market will soon have another new entrant, with the upcoming launch of unscripted-focused Hayu.
Owned by NBCUniversal International, the service features reality series such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians (pictured) and its various spin-offs, as well as The Real Housewives and Million Dollar Listing franchises.
The SVOD is scheduled to launch in Canada before year’s end. A monthly price for the service has not yet been announced. According to Hayu, the majority of the content on its Canadian platform will be added on the same day that it premieres in the U.S. No additional details were given.
Hayu is already in seven other international markets, having launched in the U.K., Ireland and Australia in March 2016 and in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark in November 2017. It has a library of more than 5,000 episodes and 150 series, with more than 750 news episodes being added yearly.
It will be available across a number of devices including mobile, tablet, web and cast to connected smart televisions. Other unscripted properties carried on Hayu are Top Chef, Flipping Out and Bad Girls Club.
“Given that reality content is hugely popular in Canada, we are pleased to be readying Hayu – an SVOD product with a proven track record – specifically curating the service for Canadian fans of the genre,” said Hendrik McDermott, SVP, branded on-demand, NBCUniversal, in a statement.
Hayu is one of a number of new international SVODs to enter the Canadian market in 2018. Last week, CBS launched its All Access SVOD platform in Canada, while BritBox also entered the market in February.
Last month a study from Convergence Research indicated that Canadian OTT access revenue (including subscriber revenue, activation fees and one-time membership fees) grew by 29% in 2017, bringing the total revenue up to $872 million for the year. The forecast for 2018 is $1.11 billion, and by 2020, Convergence said it expects OTT revenue to reach $1.58 billion domestically.