The chef’s table is now closed.
Yesterday, Viewster CEO Rob Pereyda announced that the company will shut down its Omakase subscription service. Pereyda stated in an e-mail to partners that the service was ending because subscriptions were “not scaling at the level or on the timeline that Viewster AG had hoped for.”
The company had “created billing relationships” over 10,000 customers since its launch in November 2015.
Pereyda also noted that customers tended to want either the streaming subscription or the box, but not both at once. The company is exploring options in which they can continue Omakase under a new owner. If it’s unable to secure such a deal, Viewster’s Los Angeles office will close at the end of the month. According to UK Anime Network, Viewster was given a strict six-month period to prove its viability with the parent company.
The company will continue to honor orders for the final box, which features Hatsune Miku and Vocaloid characters. All orders received by March 23 at midnight will receive the box.
Not including the pre-launch “Alpha” and “Beta” boxes, Omakase saw three regular releases:
- November 2015: “Launch Box” featuring Kill la Kill
- January 2016: Naruto Shippuden
- March 2016: Vocaloid
Omakase was available to audiences in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In addition to the merchandise bundles, the service offered access to ad-free HD streaming video for all paying subscribers.
Source: UK Anime Network
