Shonda Rhimes Scandal and Hayden Mindell

Rogers Shaw Communications: Hip-hop soap opera "Empire" — one of the top-rated shows in the United States — has become the latest Hollywood hit to get the axe at City, after the network recently decided to scrub Shonda Rhimes "Scandal" from the prime-time lineup as well. "Empire" never made the Canadian Top 30 ratings list during its second season on City, according to data compiled by Numeris, and those low ratings are what led City to dump the series. "It wasn't getting the audiences we needed," said Hayden Mindell, vice president of TV programming and content at City owner Rogers Media, according to The Chronicle Herald. But Shomi, the streaming service launched by Rogers and Shaw Communications, was keen on grabbing rights to the second season of "Empire," after already seeing its users flock to the first season. "You take the opportunities when they come, and this was a great opportunity," said Marni Shulman, head of Shomi content and programming, in an interview. But streaming services are proving more than happy to scoop them up. Though Shomi refuses to disclose viewership numbers, Shulman said the first season of the series "always" ranks among the streaming service 10 most-watched shows. "'Empire' is a really, really strong show for Shomi," she said. "It performs exceptionally well for us." About 77 per cent of the Shomi accounts that made it through the second episode watched all the way to the end of the first season. "That really, really high," Shulman said. Canadians will still be able to catch the series on Wednesday nights if they get Fox through their cable or satellite provider or via an over-the-air antenna. New episodes of "Empire," which begin airing March 30 on Fox, will appear on Shomi within 24 hours of the U.S. broadcast. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.