Roku, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROKU) announced it is expanding The Roku Channel to include “Premium Subscriptions.”
Users will be able to watch both free ad-supported and paid premium entertainment in one easy-to-navigate interface, with personalized recommendations, where they can browse, trial and subscribe to popular services.
In addition to 10,000+ free ad-supported movies and TV episodes already available, The Roku Channel will soon offer users the option to add 25+ Premium Subscriptions from providers such as SHOWTIME®, Starz and EPIX. Users will be able to discover new services from Premium Subscriptions partners, browse their entire catalogs and then sign-up for at least a seven-day free trial using their existing Roku® account information. Premium Subscriptions are only viewable within The Roku Channel. Additionally, search within The Roku Channel will be expanded, allowing users to easily search for keywords within the channel. The Roku Channel will make subscription streaming easy for users by providing one destination to watch premium entertainment from more than 25 providers with a single monthly bill and simple account management.
“We’re focused on making it easy to find great entertainment of all types on the platform and adding Premium Subscriptions is a natural evolution for The Roku Channel,” said Rob Holmes, Vice President, Programming and Engagement, Roku. “As a top five channel by active account reach, The Roku Channel is already a great source for free, ad-supported entertainment and provides significant user engagement. By making it easy for users to discover, subscribe to and watch Premium Subscriptions, we believe this offering will result in increased subscriptions and user engagement for our subscription partners and an even better user experience.”
“Bringing our premium programming to a highly engaged user base via The Roku Channel is a great opportunity to expand our reach, drive more viewership and make our range of STARZ Original TV series and movies more widely accessible to new and growing audiences,” said Joe Glennon, Executive Vice President of Affiliate Sales, Starz.
One-Stop Shop for Favorite Free and Premium TV
Premium Subscriptions will offer “one-click” signup and easy subscription management. Free, live and subscription content will be presented together in The Roku Channel, making it simple to browse, subscribe to and watch a wide variety of streaming entertainment.
- Free for all users: The Roku Channel will continue to include thousands of free, ad-supported titles available without a subscription and is available on a range of devices; users do not need any subscriptions or memberships in order to access quality free, ad-supported content
- Wide variety of subscription partners: Premium Subscription partners at launch include SHOWTIME, Starz, EPIX, Baeble Music, CollegeHumor’s DROPOUT, CuriosityStream, FitFusion, The Great Courses Signature Collection, Hopster, Magnolia Selects presented by Magnolia Pictures, MHz Choice, NOGGIN, Smithsonian Channel Plus, Tastemade, Viewster Anime and more
- One-click subscriptions: Customers will be able to start a free trial or subscribe to new Premium Subscriptions with one click using their existing Roku account information once they visit the subscription page
- Free trials: All premium content can be trialed for at least seven days
- Trial reminders: A reminder will be sent before each free trial expires and billing starts
- Single bill: Subscriptions will be managed directly from my.roku.com. Customers will receive one monthly bill for all premium subscriptions on The Roku Channel
New Mobile Viewing
The popular Roku mobile app will soon enable users to watch content from The Roku Channel. For the first time, users with iOS and Android devices will be able to use the Roku mobile app without a Roku device, enabling them to watch The Roku Channel anytime, anywhere in the United States. Users will be able to start a video on a Roku player or Roku TV and pick up from where they left off while on the go.
Availability
Premium Subscriptions and search capabitlities on The Roku Channel will begin rolling out to select Roku devices in late January, with a phased rollout planned for early 2019. The Roku mobile app update will also begin rolling out to iOS and Android devices in late January.
About Roku, Inc.
Roku pioneered streaming to the TV. We connect users to the streaming content they love, enable content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and provide advertisers with unique capabilities to engage consumers. Roku streaming players and Roku TV™ models are available around the world through direct retail sales and licensing arrangements with TV OEMs and service operators. Roku is headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif. U.S.A.
This press release contains “forward-looking” statements that are based on our beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to us on the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements include but are not limited to the features, benefits, impact and availability of Premium Subscriptions on The Roku Channel, the content available through Premium Subscriptions, the Premium Subscription partners at launch, and the timing and benefits of updates to the Roku mobile app. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially are detailed from time to time in the reports Roku, Inc. files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and our most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on Roku’s website and are available from Roku without charge.
