The Roku Channel

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The Roku Channel
DeveloperRoku, Inc.
Key peopleAnthony Wood, Charlie Collier
TypeOver-the-top media service
Launch date
  • September 2017; 6 years ago (2017-09)
Platform(s)Streaming devices: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast with Google TV, Android TV, Samsung smart TVs

Web: browsers running on PCs, smartphones and tablets
StatusActive (USA, Canada, the U.K., Mexico)
Members120 million viewers
Pricing modelFree ad-supported streaming television, Premium subscriptions
Websitetherokuchannel.roku.com

The Roku Channel is an over-the-top video streaming service owned and operated by Roku, Inc. Launched in September 2017,[1][2] the service is offered in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Mexico. The Roku Channel tops U.S. viewership for free ad-supported streaming TV,[3][4][5] and reports 120 million viewers as of 2023.[6]

The Roku Channel offers over 400 free live linear TV channels, more than 80,000 free movies and shows,[7] and access to premium content. The service can be streamed using streaming devices and smart TVs from Roku as well as other providers,[8][9][10] or using web browsers running on PCs, tablets or smartphones.[11]

History[edit]

2017–2019: launch in North America[edit]

The Roku Channel was launched in September 2017 as a free, ad-supported streaming television service ("FAST"),[1][12] available to viewers in the U.S.[13] Roku's CEO Anthony Wood stated in the same month that the channel was a "way for content owners to publish their content on Roku without writing an app".[14] By August 2018, the channel had expanded to Canada,[8] and a website version of the service was launched, allowing it to be accessed via any web browser.[11][15] In August 2018, The Roku Channel was also reported to have inked content licensing deals with Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Lionsgate, Disney, and Paramount Pictures. Additionally, the service offered content from existing partners including American Classics, FilmRise, Nosey, OVGuide, Popcornflix, Vidmark, and YuYu.[15]

2020–2022: expansion into the U.K., Mexico[edit]

April 2020 saw the launch of The Roku Channel in the U.K.[16] In January 2021, Roku announced that it had acquired the original content library of the defunct mobile video service Quibi for an undisclosed amount, reported to be around $100 million, for availability on The Roku Channel.[17][18] The content was rebranded as Roku Originals.[19] In August 2021, The Roku Channel was reported to add CBC, AccuWeather Now, FilmRise True Crime, Haunt TV, and IGN for free streaming.[20]

By March 2022, The Roku Channel included news services such as ABC News, Bloomberg, Cheddar, NBC News, Newsy, People TV, Reuters, USA Today, WeatherNation, and Yahoo Finance, all available for free streaming.[21][22][23] In October 2022, the channel was launched in Mexico.[24] According to Deadline Hollywood, October 2022 also saw Charlie Collier, previously the CEO of Fox Entertainment, join Roku as the President of Roku Media to manage ad platform business and content for The Roku Channel and more.[25] By the end of 2022, The Roku Channel was offering premium subscriptions for over 50 services including Discovery+, Paramount+,[26] MGM+, Showtime, Starz,[27] HBO,[28] AMC+, Shudder and Acorn TV.[29] Moreover, The Roku Channel was reaching U.S. households with a total population of 100 million, in Roku's estimates.[30][9] The Roku Channel was also reportedly the most popular FAST service in the U.S. in 2021 and 2022.[3][4][5]

2023–present: further developments[edit]

In February 2023, BGR reported that Roku announced the addition of nearly 2000 hours of on-demand content to The Roku Channel. This content included offerings from HBO, HBO Max, Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Warner Bros. Television. Moreover, this content would be available to stream for free.[31]

In August 2023, it was reported that The Roku Channel was adding several NBCUniversal services as free, ad-supported options. These included NBC News Now, Dateline, Today All Day, NBC local stations, regional Telemundo news channels, Universal Action, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Sky News International, The Rotten Tomatoes Channel, and a Universal Crime channel.[9][32][33] Further, The Roku Channel became available on Google TV and other Android TV OS devices, in addition to Roku-branded streaming devices and smart TVs, Amazon Fire TVs, Apple TV, and Samsung smart TVs.[8][10][34] Moreover, a report by Variety in September 2023 stated that The Roku Channel offered more than 80,000 TV shows and movies and access to premium content.[35] The Roku Channel reported 120 million viewers for 2023.[6]

According to The Wrap in February 2024, The Roku Channel offered over 400 free live linear TV channels and more than 80,000 free movies and programs, licensing and distributing content from over 250 partners.[7] In April 2024, NBA announced a partnership with Roku to launch "NBA Fast", the NBA’s first FAST channel, on The Roku Channel.[36] In the same month, The Hollywood Reporter highlighted March 2024 Nielsen data indicating that The Roku Channel gathered 1.3% of all U.S. TV use. This usage tied with NBCUniversal’s Peacock and Max; it also trailed YouTube, which had 9.7%, and Netflix, at 8.1%.[37]

Content[edit]

Free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST)[edit]

Below is a partial list of live TV channels included in The Roku Channel for free streaming:

Advertising video on demand (AVOD)[edit]

The Roku Channel offers viewers to watch a selection of advertising video on demand content for free, requiring no subscription fee.[51] This content includes movies from Hollywood studios such as Lionsgate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Sony Pictures and Warner Brothers, and videos from publishers such as American Classics, Fandor, FilmRise, Nosey, OVGuide, Popcornflix, Vidmark, and YuYu.[1] The channel also delivers about 2000 hours of content from Warner Bros. Discovery’s TV series and movies, including content from HBO, HBO Max, Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television and more.[52] Moreover, it offers for free a part of the "premium content" from CBS-owned Showtime, MGM-owned Epix, HISTORY, Cinedigm, and Acorn TV, with no subscription or trial required. The offering includes On Becoming a God in Central Florida (Showtime), Godfather of Harlem (Epix), America The Story of Us (HISTORY Vault), Heartland (Dove Channel), and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (Acorn TV).[53] The Spanish AVOD titles free to watch on The Roku Channel include Hernan (A+E Networks), Hunting Ava Bravo (Wild Sheep Content, Top Dead Center Films, Chollawood Productions), A la Mala (Lionsgate), Enamorada (Cisneros), Amor Comprado (Cisneros), Seasons 1-3 of El Señor de los Cielos (NBCUniversal Telemundo), El Chema: Edición Especial (NBCUniversal Telemundo), Seasons 1-2 of Señora Acero (NBCUniversal Telemundo).[50]

The Roku Channel offers original content, including that in Spanish, in form of Roku Originals.[54][55] Content creation partners for the Roku Originals include Cisley Saldaña, Liz Jenkins, Mariel Saldaña, Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, Rich Eisen, and “Weird Al” Yankovic.[56] Spanish-language content creation partners include Jennifer Lopez, Juanpa Zurita and Jaime Camil.[55]

Premium subscriptions[edit]

The Roku Channel offers premium subscriptions for various services including Discovery+, Paramount+,[26] HBO,[28] MGM+, Showtime, Starz,[27] Cinemax,[57] AMC+, Shudder, Acorn TV,[29] Fuse Plus,[58] and Vix Premium.[59]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Roettgers, Janko (September 6, 2017). "Roku Veers Into Programming With Launch of Ad-Supported Movie Channel". Variety. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  2. ^ Lacoma, Tyler (2022-11-03). "What is The Roku Channel? Content, cost, and how to use it". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on 2023-02-10. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  3. ^ a b Roth, Emma (2023-04-29). "These are the FAST services you need to know about". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  4. ^ a b Cahillane, Mollie (2023-01-09). "Roku to Ride Original Content, AVOD Waves Into 2023". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  5. ^ a b Abarinova, Masha (2022-10-28). "Consumers use nearly 10 streaming apps, as AVOD and FAST rise: Tivo". www.streamtvinsider.com. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  6. ^ a b Satin, David (2024-02-16). "Roku Channel Reaches 120 Million Viewers; Roku Celebrates Over 100 Billion Hours Streamed in 2023". The Streamable. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  7. ^ a b Manfredi, Lucas (2024-02-05). "David Oyelowo's Mansa Teams With Roku on Black Culture Channel | Exclusive". TheWrap. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  8. ^ a b c Katzmaier, David (2018-08-08). "Free movies and TV shows on Roku are now even easier to find". CNET. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  9. ^ a b c Hayes, Dade (2023-08-15). "NBCUniversal And Roku Strengthen FAST Ties, Adding Channels For 'Murder She Wrote,' 'Little House On The Prairie' And Other Classic And Nostalgia Titles". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  10. ^ a b "The Roku Channel is now available as a Google TV app". Digital Trends. 2023-07-12. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  11. ^ a b Binder, Matt (2018-08-09). "Now you don't even need a Roku box to watch the Roku Channel". Mashable. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
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  13. ^ Perez, Sarah (October 11, 2017). "Roku's new channel with free movies and TV goes live for all". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
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  20. ^ a b Keck, Catie (2021-08-17). "Roku now streams over 200 live TV channels, and here are the newest 17". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
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  25. ^ Petski, Denise (2023-04-27). "Charlie Collier's Pay Tops $53 Million At Roku In 2022". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  26. ^ a b Goldsmith, Jill (2022-08-03). "Roku Channel Adds Paramount+ To Subscription Offerings". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  27. ^ a b Welch, Chris (2019-01-28). "Roku launches premium subscriptions for Showtime, Starz, and other services today". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
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  36. ^ Keys, Matthew (2024-04-03). "NBA partners with Roku to launch free streaming TV channel". The Desk. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
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  43. ^ Nelson, Mike (2021-08-26). "What's The Difference Between The Streaming NFL Channel And The Linear NFL Network?". The Streamable. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
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  49. ^ Hayes, Dade (2020-08-07). "Latino Streaming Service VIX Launches Linear Channels On Roku, Xumo, Vizio & More". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  50. ^ a b Siegal, Jacob (2022-06-06). "The Roku Channel adds a Spanish-language hub with over 50 free live channels". BGR. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
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External links[edit]

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