Canadian media conglomerate Rogers Communications is pulling Viceland Canada off the air after it terminated its $100 million deal with the millennial digital media company, citing poor ratings and massive revenue loss.
Viceland Canada lost $2.49 million before taxes in 2016, part of an overall 14.1 percent revenue fall since 2015, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter. Vice signed the three-year production and distribution deal with Rogers Communications in 2014. The channel will go off air March 31.
“In this crowded content universe and as audience habits change, we continue to evolve our strategy to deliver unique content to Canadians,” Rogers Communications told The Reporter Monday.
Viceland’s American cable channel is also suffering from poor ratings. Since replacing H2 in 2015 — a History Channel sister — it has performed considerably worse, despite its apparent millennial appeal.
Some of Viceland Canada’s content included “Deus and & Mero” and the marijuana-focussed documentary series “Weediquette.”
The last few months have been difficult for Vice Media, last valued at $5.7 billion in June. After missing its 2017 revenue target of $800 million in November, The New York Times reported on a culture of sexual harassment and abuse at the company’s Brooklyn office last month.
That NYT investigation led to the suspension of its president, Andrew Creighton, and its chief digital officer, Mike Germano. An internal investigation is still pending.
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