Nintendo TVii, the service for Wii U that lets its users find, watch and interact with television content through the console's GamePad controller, is shutting down on Aug. 11, Nintendo announced in a Miiverse post today.
"After almost 3 years of finding, watching and engaging with Nintendo TVii, we will be ending the service on August 11, 2015 at 3:00pm PT," Nintendo said in its announcement. "At the same time, we will be closing the Nintendo TVii Miiverse community.
"We sincerely thank you for all of your engagement within the community and the Nintendo TVii service. We look forward to your contributions within our many other Miiverse communities."
A system update for the Wii U will roll out next month that will remove TVii functions from the GamePad.
In a FAQ posted to Nintendo's support website, the company said "it is time to focus our resources on other projects" in explaining TVii's closure. Other video applications for Wii U, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube and Crunchyroll, won't be affected by TVii's closure.
Nintendo TVii launched in the U.S., Canada and Japan in December 2012, the month after the Wii U first hit store shelves. TVii was pitched as an interactive, second-screen experience that would let Wii U owners search for TV shows, movies and sporting events across a variety of platforms. TVii was designed to work with cable and satellite channels, as well as on-demand video providers Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. The service also featured a social element, allowing TVii users to share comments on video content through Miiverse, Facebook and Twitter, as well as doodle over live television with the GamePad touchscreen.