US mobile operator Verizon has announced it is shutting down its Go90 service, an over-the-top mobile video streaming service that the firm launched in September 2015. The platform, which was designed to compete with established names like YouTube and Facebook, never managed to reach a critical mass of users.

Go90 was initially intended to boost Verizons revenues through higher data usage, as well as providing it with a new channel for video advertising. Later, when Verizon completed its acquisition of Yahoo, Go90 came under the control of Oath.

“Following the creation of Oath, Go90 will be discontinued,” said a Verizon spokesperson. “Verizon will focus on building its digital-first brands at scale in sports, finance, news and entertainment for todays mobile consumers and tomorrows 5G applications.”

Go90 has won awards for its original content, including an Oscar in 2018 for Kobe Bryants animated short “Dear Basketball”, and Verizon is thought to have invested as much as $1.2bn in content for Go90, according to Digiday. Plans for the original content have not been confirmed, but it is likely that it will be distributed across Yahoo and other Verizon properties.

The closure of the service, which is set to shut down on 31 July, is unlikely to result in significant layoffs at the firm, but Verizon has said that there are likely to be some redundant positions that will likely be eliminated.