Shaw Launches Comcast X1 TV Platform to Regain Market Share

According to a new report from Reuters, Shaw Communications has launched a long-awaited upgrade television project that it expects will take on Internet-protocol TV offerings from other competitors in the market, specifically TELUS out in Western Canada. 

The new product is called Shaw BlueSky TV, which uses Comcast’s X1 platform and is now available to customers in Calgary. The cable company announced BlueSky, ahead of their upcoming Q1 2017 earnings release. 

Shaw is pitching the new service as a “best-in-class” premium TV product that comes with a voice controlled remote and advanced search functions. In a statement, Shaw CEO Brad Shaw said:

“We are proud to be the first in Canada to pioneer Comcast’s ground-breaking technology and to be their first international partner.”

Shaw will not be the first television provider to turn to Comcast’s X1 platform after abandoning its internal attempts to create an IPTV. The Canadian provider first attempted to create their own IPTV in 2015, taking a $55-million write-down in the process.

In December, Rogers announced a deal with Comcast X1, killing their own IPTV development to go with the American provider’s turn-key solution instead. The move will result up to a $525 million write-down for Rogers, which expects X1 to debut in 2018.

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