The Roku Channel's fantasy series The Spiderwick Chronicles and former late night host Conan O'Brien's return to the small screen leads the list of original shows premiering this week.

The Spiderwick Chronicles, based on the children's book series of the same name by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, debuts April 19 and follows the Grace Family, whose move into their family's ancestral home unveils hidden mysteries as well as a secret, fantastical world around them, according to Roku. The eight-part series stars Christian Slater, Joy Bryant, Noah Cottrell, Lyon Daniels and Mychala Lee. 

Max's Conan O'Brien Must Go reality series stars the former Conan late-night show as he travels to remote places to visit people who have appeared on his based on his Conan Without Borders travel specials and his Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast. All four episodes of the series debut on April 18.  

Here are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting during the week of April 15-21. For some videos, viewer discretion is advised.

April 15, The Stranger (movie), Hulu

April 16, An American Bombing: The Road to April 19 (documentary), HBO

April 17, Under the Bridge (drama), Hulu

April 18, Dinner With Parents (comedy), Amazon Freevee

April 18, The Upshaws (returning series), Netflix

April 19, The Barnes Bunch (documentary series), WE tv

April 19, Jane (returning series), Apple TV plus

April 19, The Never Ever Mets (reality series), OWN

April 21, The Jinx-Part Two (documentary series), HBO 

April 21, Secrets of the Octopus (documentary), Nat Geo

The CW, Roku Originals and Australian streaming service Stan have teamed up on the scripted show Good Cop/Bad Cop, with Leighton Meester, Luke Cook and Clancy Brown in the cast. The CW calls the show a “procedural dramedy” and eight episodes have been ordered. 

Created by John Quaintance, Good Cop/Bad Cop is set to premiere next year. It will stream on The Roku Channel in the U.S. and Stan in Australia.

“It is really exciting to collaborate with Roku and Stan on this great new series starring Leighton Meester, who we are honored to welcome home to The CW, where she launched her career and made Gossip Girl one of the network’s most iconic and successful dramas of all time,” said Brad Schwartz, president of entertainment, The CW. “Writer John Quaintance and executive producer Jeff Wachtel have created a fun and funny drama full of clever storytelling and irresistible characters that we are confident will resonate with audiences worldwide. With Jeff’s track record of launching shows like Suits, Dawson’s Creek and Psych, we are thrilled for him to bring his hit-making magic to The CW.”

Meester and Cook play a sister-and-brother detective team that “must contend with colorful residents, a serious lack of resources, and their very complicated dynamic with each other and with their police chief, Big Hank (Clancy Brown), who happens to be their father,” according to The CW. 

Produced by Wachtel’s Future Shack Entertainment and Jungle Entertainment, the series is slated to begin production later this spring in Queensland, Australia. 

Quaintance, Wachtel, Trent O’Donnell and Chloe Rickard are the executive producers.  

Hulu’s new murder mystery series and the final season of Max’s Sort Of Comedy show lead the list of shows debuting during the upcoming week. 

Death and Other Details debuts January 16 and follows a woman traveling on a cruise ship who becomes the prime suspect in a murder mystery. Mandy Patinkin stars along with Hugo Diego Garcia, Lauren Patten and Angela Zhou. 

Max’s Sort Of debuts its third and final season on January 18, and continues to follow the life of a non-binary millennial who looks to navigate love, career and family, according to Max. 

Here are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting during the week of January 16 to 22. For some videos, viewer discretion is advised.

January 16, June (documentary), Paramount Plus  

January 18, Double Cross (returning series), ALLBLK

January 19, Chad (comedy), The Roku Channel

January 19, Hazbin Hotel (animation), Prime Video

January 19, The Kitchen (sci-fi movie), Netflix

January 21, The Woman in the Wall (drama), Showtime

Younify TV, an app that consolidates streaming service watch lists to help viewers quickly find shows, says it has added The Roku Channel to its universal streaming guide.

Originally, Younify focused on programming from subscription services, but recently added ad-supported streamers Tubi and Pluto TV to its lineup.

“Adding in the top three FAST channels makes Younify a complete streaming guide for the vast majority of American consumers who use some combination of the SVOD and FAST channels supported by Younify for all of their streaming needs,” said Jeff Lawrence, CEO and co-founder of MediaMall Technologies, which created PlayOn and PlayOn Cloud before Younify.

In addition to watchlists, Younify ingests the continue watching, recommended, trending, popular and critically acclaimed categories from streaming services to build it programming guide.

“Adding the FAST channels and their vast ad-supported libraries means that our users’ search results will most likely deliver exactly what the customer was seeking,” said Tracy Bauman, co-founder and COO of MediaMall. “The Younify Search feature which searches the entire library of each of the user’s streaming services at once and delivers a consolidated list of results at lightning speed is one of the most loved features in the app.”

Among the streaming services included in Younified’s guide are Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, Hulu, Max, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

In a sleek screening room at the NFL’s massive West Coast headquarters next to $5 billion SoFi Stadium, where the league’s Los Angeles Rams and Chargers play, a feature-length documentary unspooled this week that represents the latest push by Roku to get into both sports and original programming. 

That 97-minute documentary, NFL Draft: The Pick Is In, debuted Friday night on the Roku Channel, Roku’s in-house, ad-supported channel that includes an increasing number of its own original shows. 

At the screening, Rich Eisen, the NFL Network’s public face, called the doc “a major milestone for the Roku Channel.” Eisen is also the host of another new Roku original, a five-days-a-week talk show focused on the league. 

Eisen has anchored the NFL Network’s own coverage of the draft for most of the channel’s 20-year existence. A documentary about the 2023 draft, held in April and released less than two weeks before the regular season debuts, was a natural for everyone involved, he said.

“It’s the only event on the calendar where the main decision makers are not there,” said Eisen, who appears in several amusing behind-the-scenes moments in the doc. “It’s an off-season Super Bowl.”

Not surprising, then, that the NFL’s annual parity-inducing prospect-distribution system has spawned numerous previous films, both scripted and documentaries, from Draft Day with Kevin Costner and Chadwick Bozeman, on down.

The Pick Is In was well backed – the league’s NFL Films and the sports division of David Ellison’s Skydance Entertainment produced it -- and takes an equally well-funded approach to the events it’s covering. Camera teams were embedded with four franchises, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, a CAA agent representing two top defensive prospects, other players, and executives. 

The Pick Is In doesn’t break much new ground compared to its predecessors, other than the particular dramas of this year’s process. 

But after answering which top quarterback won’t be among the first 20 picks, and what happens when one of the agent’s clients slides a bit in the draft order, the doc mines real emotional gold from the late-round fate of one diminutive Kansas State running back. 

Deuce Staley had an extraordinary college career, despite being only 5’5” tall, with more than 5,000 yards combined rushing and receiving. The drama comes not just from Staley’s outsized college career, but the fact that his father, Will, is a Dallas Cowboys college-scouting executive. The outcome of a sixth-round pick in the draft’s third day has seldom carried as much emotional freight for disinterested onlookers. 

That’s quite an achievement, especially considering the draft is, as one participant put it, “a broadcast that’s essentially just a reading of names off pieces of paper.” 

Bigger Than a Sheet of Names For Roku

Roku Media Head of Content David Eilenberg said The Pick Is In is one of “about 30” original series and features created for the Roku Channel this year, and the channel’s first feature-length documentary original. 

Roku has been slowly building its originals offerings across a range of genres since 2021, when it spent $75 million on the programming library left when billion-dollar startup Quibi spectacularly crashed. Other Roku originals right now include the reality spinoff The Great American Baking Show and a Jessica Alba-hosted and -produced show on home renovations. 

“We’re trying a bunch of genres in general entertainment,” Eilenberg said, though he, like other Roku executives, declined to specify the company’s originals budget. “In this case, (The Pick Is In) gives people a new vantage on something that’s become a sports obsession.”

The NFL draft absolutely isn’t NFL live game broadcasts, which are overwhelmingly the most watched programming on broadcast and cable television. But the draft too has become something that resonates with many viewers, Eilenberg speculated, because of the huge interest in fantasy football leagues, which are all conducting this season’s team drafts right about now. 

Roku, meanwhile, is “looking at sports in a few different ways,” Eilenberg said. “We’re approaching it as a platform, not (just) with content, but as a tool.”

That tool is the Sports Zone, which functions as an interface within the general Roku interface, with programming from across the Roku universe. Eilenberg called it a “genre-specific sub-home menu,” created when Roku executives realized how many sports events and related programming were being watched on its platform. 

A recent Roku-commissioned survey found that 56% of streaming-video users watched live sports on their TV, and more than a quarter of those had missed games because their cable package didn’t include the match. 

The Sports Zone is one way to fight that fragmentation. Other streaming services – Apple TV Plus, Peacock, Paramount Plus – have added a Sports tab in their menu of offerings as they carry more and more live events. 

Roku, like Apple TV, has the benefit of being a “marketplace,” providing a more comprehensive set of viewing options than just their own shows, in Roku’s case including sports from CBS and Paramount Plus, Eilenberg said. 

In June, Roku made a splashy headline when it acquired a piece of the North American TV rights to Europe's Formula E racing league. But Roku isn’t directly competing with Fox Sports 1, ESPN, NBC Sports, Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT and TBS and other possessors of pricey live-game rights. 

“Our position, as with all our content, is the same as with all our channels, which is that it’s free and ad supported,” Eilenberg said. “That makes us distinct from the others.” 

He also suggested Roku’s method of reaching a wide audience echoes decades of free, ad-supported sports viewing experiences on broadcast TV. 

“People are going to be going through us to get to sports,” Eilenberg said. 

Sports not only attracts viewers, “it also draws interest from advertisers,” Eilenberg said. “No genre of content is more enticing. It’s not just the Big Four (pro sports leagues) with advertisers either. Women’s sports is huge now.” 

Accordingly there’s not only a sports “genre-specific sub-menu,” but what can only called a sub-sub menu for women’s sports, fueled by interest in World Cup soccer, the WNBA, and other female-focused leagues and sports. 

Eilenberg was hesitant to predict where Roku’s sports forays will head next. Understandable, given the many, many questions hanging over the industry, as legacy cable and broadcast wither, streaming economic models aren’t scaling, and TV rights have skyrocketed.

Among the headlines of just the past couple of weeks are speculation that ESPN will partner with Apple or Amazon (the latter reportedly more likely). Separately, Amazon said in its upcoming second season of Thursday Night Football that it will deploy artificial intelligence tools to enhance its NFL coverage this year. Amazon also said Nielsen will incorporate its first-party game viewership data in its ratings, which were 18% higher than Nielsen’s own. 

Apple has seen its modest Major League Soccer investment, $250 million a year for nearly all broadcast rights for a decade, blossom with the mid-season arrival in Miami of all-time great Lionel Messi. The 36-year-old global soccer star will not only be paid a boatload of money by David Beckham-owned Inter Miami, he’ll get a share of Apple TV Plus league subscription revenues. 

But whither Roku remains a question for many outside observers, with or without sports documentaries. 

Analyst Michael Nathanson said in a report after the most recent earnings that his firm remains” cautious about Roku’s ability to see sustained growth amid the rising competition in CTV advertising and devices ... We reiterate our Underperform rating.” 

As Nathanson pointed out, though Roku ad revenues were down for the first half of the year, its stock price is “humming along, up over +120% year-to-date (vs. +17.6% YTD for S&P500)!” Continuing that blistering pace of share-price growth will be challenging. 

More sports programming may help with ad revenues, by attracting or retaining more viewers. The programming also could differentiate the Roku Channel from not-very-different aggregator channels carried by competitors such as Tubi, Pluto, and TV OEMs such as Samsung and Vizio. 

“Longer term, we remain concerned about Roku’s ability to sustain outsized revenue growth and generate meaningful levels of profitability,” Nathanson wrote. 

That’s a reasonable concern about a company largely confined to the relatively static U.S. market, with mammoth competitors such as Alphabet, Amazon and Apple. Longer term, then, Roku must hope that it, like the undersized Deuce Staley in The Pick Is In, can still be a top pick when viewers draft their next viewing experiences. 

Roku has partnered with yet another connected TV gateway rival, Google, to distribute The Roku Channel. 

Starting Wednesday, the FAST service will be available via Google TV and Android TV devices. 

In Q4, Roku touted that its free streaming service was available to more than 100 million users in the U.S., with distribution on rival device platforms including Amazon Fire TV and Samsung smart TVs secured. 

The Roku Channel app is also supported by iOS and Android mobile devices, the open internet ... and, of course, the Roku device platform itself. 

The Roku Channel contains more than 350 live, linear-streamed channels. 

What's unclear: Google recently made more than 800 FAST channels available on Google TV. Will those soon be available on the Roku platform?

The Roku Channel surpassed a 1% share of total TV viewing in May — 1.1% to be precise — earning it a spot on Nielsen’s monthly report card.

Nielsen said that in May, viewing was down 4.4% from April, but that streaming viewing was up 2.5%. Streaming gained share, rising to 36.4% from 34% in April.

Netflix and Amazon Prime Video each rose in May. Some of Netflix’s 9.2% increase came from a technical change at Nielsen, but Netflix also had the top three streaming titles this month in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, A Man Called Otto and The Mother.

Prime Video benefited from the strength of its original series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Citadel, Nielsen said. 

The Roku Channel became the third free ad-supported streaming service to top a 1% share.  Paramount’s Pluto TV and Fox’s Tubi had done it previously.  The three services accounted for about 3.3% of all viewing, Nielsen said.

YouTube was the top streaming service with a 8.5% share of TV viewing in May, up from 8.1% in April. YouTube was followed by Netflix at 7.9%, up from 6.9%; Hulu at 3.7%, up from 3.3%; Amazon Prime at 3.1%, up from 2.8%, Disney Plus flat at 1.8%;Tubi at 1.3%; HBO Max unchanged at 1.2%; Peacock at 1.1%, unchanged; The Roku Channel at 1.1% and Pluto TV at 0.9%, up from 0.8%

Broadcast and cable lost viewing and share. 

Broadcast viewing was down 5.5% as sports viewing declined 25%.Cable was down 5.4% despite a 12% increase in sports viewership. 

On a year-over-year basis, broadcast viewing was down 5.6%  and cable viewing was down 13.7%.

Viewing via MVPD (multichannel video programming distributor) and vMVPD (virtual multichannel video programming distributor) streaming apps represented 5.5% of total television use in May, including 1.3% attributed to YouTube TV, and 0.4% to Hulu Live. 

Compared with May 2022, overall streaming consumption has increased by more than 30%, and streaming’s share of TV has risen 8.2 share points. 

Nielsen explained the “technical” change it implemented this month. Previously, set-top box streaming appeared in the “other” category. Now, content streamed via a cable set-top box that is identified as a “streaming original” is credited to the appropriate streaming service, and by extension, the overall streaming category (deducted from “other”). Though it will vary based on various factors, impact data from prior intervals indicates an approximate 1.5% share impact on total streaming.

Fuse Media said that it launched Latino Vibes, a new free ad-supported streaming TV channel on The Roku Channel.

The channel was announced during Fuse’s upfront and joins a roster of digital channels launched by Fuse, including Shades of Black, Backstage and OUTtv Proud.

Programming on Latino Vibes includes the series Hip-Hop Houdini and Mario Lopez One-on-One, movies like Exposed, The 24 Hour Woman, Nothing Like the Holidays; music specials with Camila Cabello, Jennifer Lopez, Bruno Mars and Enrique Iglesias. The channel will also carry Fuse favorites Don’t Cancel Me with Amara La Negra, Like Share, Dimelo and The Canvas: Los Angeles.

"As a Latino-owned entertainment company, it is in our DNA to make sure we provide a platform that supports and creates content where the Latino community can feel they are seen, celebrated and honored," said Fuse Media Chairman & CEO Mike Roggero. "Latino Vibes shows our commitment to creating a space in the entertainment industry that truly represents the diversity and richness of our global community, and we are pleased to have found a likeminded partner in The Roku Channel for the launch of Latino Vibes."

Fuse Media said its FAST channels increased total minutes watched fivefold in the third quarter compared to a year ago. In October the channels surpassed over 1 billion minutes watched this year. ■

The National Hockey League said it launched its first free ad-supported streaming channel on The Roku Channel.

The NHL Fast Channel will show highlights, condensed games plus archived content. It will also feature NHL Original Production programming like Welcome to the NHL, NHL Bound and documentaries featuring the game’s top players and teams. 

Leading into tentpole events such as the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic, the NHL FAST Channel will feature event-specific content to get fans geared up for these marquee dates on the NHL calendar.

“The NHL FAST Channel is an exciting addition to our content distribution portfolio that will serve quality NHL content to a broader audience, a vital component in expanding the reach of our game and growing our fanbase,” said Chris Foster, NHL VP, Digital Business Development. “We are thrilled to work with Roku on this new service to deliver a unique and creative NHL programming experience.  The NHL Fast Channel will be an always-on destination for passionate NHL fans in the United States who are constantly looking to get their fix of dynamic NHL content.”

The NHL’s FAST channel is using technology from Amagi for broadcast playout in the cloud and global distribution to connected devices. 

“The Roku Channel is delighted to be the inaugural partner of the NHL as the League makes its exciting expansion into FAST. We look forward to working with the NHL to further broaden its audience by connecting this brand-new channel to our robust audience made up of millions of streamers,” said Ashley Hovey, Head of The Roku Channel, AVOD. “Sports is a valuable content category for consumers, and we are thrilled to provide free and easy access to programming from one of the most popular Leagues in all of professional sports to our audience.”

The NHL FAST channel will be available on additional platforms in the coming months. ■

Despite cutbacks in other areas, Roku is expanding its programming offerings, adding The Jennifer Hudson Show to The Roku Channel.

Starting Thursday, The Roku Channel will be the exclusive ad-supported video-on-demand home for the talk show with episodes available the day after the air in syndication. All previously aired episodes of the program will also be available free on demand.

Roku acquired rights to the show from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery. Warner Bros. Discovery has plans to launch its own free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service, but has also shifted its strategy away from putting its content primarily on its own direct-to-consumer platforms.

"The Jennifer Hudson Show has energized daytime talk show audiences and continues to soar to new creative and ratings heights. The momentum that it has experienced since debuting only three months ago speaks volumes about Jennifer’s ability to connect with audiences. Adding J.Hud to the Roku Channel gives fans a whole new way to connect with her, which is what we are all about," said David Decker, head of content licensing for Warner Bros Discovery.

The show is hosted by Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winning singer Jennifer Hudson and features celebrity interviews, topical stories and music. Ratings for the show were up 17% to hit a new high in the week ended November 6.

"The authentic spirit that Jennifer Hudson brings to each episode of the series has already won over the hearts of audiences across the country, and we look forward to extending its viewership potential further to the millions of streamers reached by The Roku Channel," said Rob Holmes, VP, programming at Roku. "It’s thrilling for us to bring a top new series with A-list talent like The Jennifer Hudson Show to audiences to enjoy for free. We’re committed to sourcing quality entertainment options that are representative of what our audience wants to watch."

In October, Roku announced that it was eliminating 200 employee positions in order to cut expenses as a way of dealing with the economic conditions facing the industry. The company reported that third quarter platform revenue -- largely ad sales --dropped to $670 million from $673 million in the second quarter.

Produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Telepictures and distributed in national syndication by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, The Jennifer Hudson Show is executive produced by Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner, Corey Palent, Jennifer Hudson, Lisa Kasteler Calio, Graehme Morphy, and Walter Williams III, with Shani Black as co-executive producer.

The Jennifer Hudson Show is produced in Los Angeles. ■

AMC Networks said it made a deal with Roku that will put 11 free networks and AMC’s array of targeted subscription services on the Roku streaming platform.

The free channels include AMC Showcase, which will appear exclusively on The Roku Channel and feature AMC original dramas including Mad Men.

“This is an exciting expansion of our relationship with one of our most important and long-term partners, which will make even more of our acclaimed and popular programming available to The Roku Channel’s audience including, for the first time, the addition of 11 of our curated FAST channels,” AMC Networks chief commercial officer Kim Kelleher said. “It also serves our strategic goal of distributing and windowing our high-quality content across a coordinated ecosystem that includes our own networks and streaming services and leading partner platforms. We are thrilled to be in business with Roku and to have expanded this key partner relationship for years to come.”

Also: Hammered Again as Ad Revenue Experiences Another Setback

In addition to AMC Showcase, new to the Roku channel will be AMC’s HiDive anime service, which will launch as a premium subscription service. There will also be an expanded selection of ad-supported video-on-demand content from AMC, including movies and reality shows from WE tv.

Roku previously carried AMC’s subscription services AMC Plus, Shudder and Acorn TV.

“The Roku Channel is thrilled to announce its expanded relationship with longtime partner AMC Networks,” Roku VP of programming Rob Holmes said. “Every day, audiences come to The Roku Channel for easy access to a wide range of entertainment options. We are constantly working to enhance our programming portfolio to meet the needs of our users. Through this multi-faceted expansion of our partnership, we are pleased to provide our audiences with even more top content, plus exclusive programming, from AMC Networks, and look forward to connecting AMC Networks with viewers across The Roku Channel’s programming ecosystem.”

Former AMC executive Charlie Collier joined Roku in September as president of Roku's media division. ■

Netflix's premiere of former NBC series Manifest and Starz's debut of the classic period drama Dangerous Liaisons highlights the list of show premieres during the first week of November.

Netflix on November 4 will debut the fourth and final season of the supernatural drama series Manifest, which originally aired on NBC. The series, which follows the exploits of passengers on a presumed crashed plane who re-appear after five and a half years, returns for the first of two parts on the streaming service.

Starz on November 6 will launch Dangerous Liaisons, the latest takeoff on the famous 18th century French novel of the same name by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The eight-episode series stars Alice Englert, Lesley Manville, Carice van Houten and Paloma Faith.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of October 31 to November 6 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

October 31 – Inside Man (drama) – Netflix

November 2 – The Independent (drama) – Peacock

November 3 – Blockbuster (comedy) – Netflix

November 3 – The Capture (returning series) – Peacock

November 3 – The Suspect (drama) – Sundance Now

November 4 – Causeway (movie) – Apple TV Plus

November 4 – Enola Holmes 2 (movie) – Netflix

November 4 – The Mosquito Coast (returning series) – Apple TV Plus

November 4 – My Policeman (movie) – Prime Video

November 4 – Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me (documentary) – Apple TV Plus

November 4 – Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (movie) – The Roku Channel

November 5 – Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste (documentary) – Netflix

November 6 – Spector (documentary) –Showtime

Mood (drama) -- BBC America 

Roku said it has begun the international expansion of its The Roku Channel streaming service with a launch in Mexico.

Viewers in Mexico will be able to stream thousands of movies and TV show episodes, including more than 30 Roku Original programs, for free.

"Launching The Roku Channel in Mexico represents a pivotal moment for our business as we continue to expand internationally and offer streamers free access to great entertainment and news content," said Rob Holmes, VP, Programming at Roku. "In the U.S., The Roku Channel is a top-five channel on the Roku platform, by both reach and streaming hour engagement and we are excited for the opportunity to build this viewership in Mexico. We provide the scale for content providers and brands to reach these critical streaming-first audiences."

Prices for Roku streaming devices in Mexico start at 899 Pesos, or $45 U.S.

Also: Roku Enters the Smart Home Biz

In Mexico, in addition to on-demand content The Roku Channel will have more than 25 live channels. They include Telefórmula, Canela TV, Novelisima, and Runtime Español.

Content comes from Roku's global partners, such as Sony and Lionsgate, and local partners like Telefórmula.

Original programming available in Mexico at launch includes Operación Marea Negra, Natural Born Narco and Mamas.

On November 4, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story arrives on The Roku Channel, starring Daniel Radcliffe and a stellar cast including Evan Rachel Wood and Rainn Wilson.

"Free entertainment is one of the most searched-for categories on our platform, so we are pleased to meet that demand with the launch of The Roku Channel in Mexico," said Mirjam Laux, VP of international advertising and content. "The Roku Channel expands our entertainment offering for our users and increases the value they get from the Roku platform. Brands will also be able to reach engaged consumers through ad-supported content." ■

The Roku Channel said it added 14 linear channels to its lineup, including four from NBCUniversal Local and six from the E.W. Scripps Co.

The Roku Channel also launched Roku Channel Westers, an owned and operated channel with movies and series including Apache Junction, The Westerner and The Rebel.

Also: Roku Turns the Screws on Its FAST Channel Partners

The Roku Channel added NBC Local news channels from San Diego, Boston and the San Francisco Bay area. It also added NBC’s LX News. The Roku Channel added NBC News Channels from eight markets including New York and Los Angeles in June.

“We are excited to introduce LX News and three new NBC local news channels to The Roku Channel’s audiences following a very successful launch of our channels earlier this summer,” said Meredith McGinn, executive VP of diginets and original production at NBCUniversal Local. “If you’re looking to get the latest local news from NBC stations or want to go beyond the headlines, our NBC local news channels and LX News will deliver this and more.”

The Scripps channels added to the Roku Channels include Bounce XL, Court TV, Grit Xtra, Ion, Ion Mystery and Ion Plus.

Roku Channels also added BBC Kids, a Cheaters channel and Cine EstrellaTV.

“We’re thrilled to continue rolling out new channels to our Live TV Guide and continue expanding in entertainment categories we know our audiences enjoy and value. From local news channels to your favorite drama and crime series, to additional Spanish-language content, we are committed to providing it all for our viewers,” said Ashley Hovey, head of The Roku Channel AVOD.  ■

Roku said it has made a deal with Paramount Global to make the Paramount Plus streaming services available as a premium subscription within The Roku Channel.

Roku users can subscribe to either the $4.99 a month version of Paramount Plus with commercials, or the $9.99 a month ad-free tier.

Also: Roku Stock Dives Following Downbeat Earnings Outlook

For Paramount Plus, Roku has created a Live TV Guide enabling consumer to access Paramount’s live content, including live sports events including NFL games and UEFA soccer matches. It’s the first time the Roku Channel has offered a dedicated guide and the first time live sports will be available to streamers within Premium Subscriptions.

“Paramount Plus features an expansive breadth of content for the whole household, spanning original dramas, blockbuster movies, popular unscripted series, sports and news, all at a competitive price point,” said Jeff Shultz, chief strategy officer and chief business development officer, Paramount Streaming. “We are excited to expand our successful partnership with Roku and bring Paramount Plus to The Roku Channel.”

The Roku Channel offers Premium Subscriptions from over 50 services. 

"We're thrilled to partner with Paramount Plus  in its continued growth, and for the ability to provide our audience with easy access to its extraordinary breadth of content, IP and live news and sporting events," said Rob Holmes, VP, programming at Roku. “Premium Subscriptions connects today’s highest-quality content providers to the millions of streamers on The Roku Channel, and we’re excited to introduce streamers to everything that Paramount+ has to offer directly within The Roku Channel."  ■

Roku said it made a deal to put NBCU Local streaming news channels on The Roku Channel, effective Tuesday.

The first channels to be included in The Roku Channel’s Live TV Guide are from NBC-owned stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Hartford and South Florida.

Other NBC Local streaming news channels will be added to The Roku Channel in the coming months. 

Roku said that the deal marks the first time local news will be available through The Roku Channel. Roku device users can also access local news channels from CBS stations, and local news programming from hundreds of stations via services including VUit, Local Now, Stirr, NewsOn and Haystack News.

While scripted and non-scripted entertainment programming have long been popular on streaming services, they are rapidly adding sports and news programming. The Roku Channel already offers national news offerings, including NBC News Now.

“Audiences are increasingly opting to consume news through streaming, and local news has consistently been one of the top requested categories by our users,” said Ashley Hovey, head of The Roku Channel, AVOD. “We’re excited to work with NBCUniversal Local and the NBC Stations to expand our relevant live TV offering for streamers and to bring news from multiple major cities to millions of viewers across the country to easily access and enjoy.”

Viewers of The Roku Channel can watch the local news from any of the available NBC stations regardless of where they're located.

In January, NBCU Local began launching its local stations’ streaming news channels on the company’s Peacock platform. Initial channels include NBC Chicago News, NBC Philadelphia News and NBC Boston News and NBC Miami News.

“Local news has never been more vital to helping our audiences stay informed about what’s happening in their communities,” said Meredith McGinn, executive VP of diginets and original production, at NBCUniversal Local. “We look forward to bringing our NBC local news channels and our stations’ best-in-class journalism to the millions of people The Roku Channel reaches and to launching more of our NBC local news channels to expand streamers’ access to our local news content.” 

The NBC local news channels will feature the latest local news, breaking updates, weather forecasts, and live events. ■

Liquor marketer Mast-Jägermeister is sponsoring a three-part series being created by Roku’s Brand Studio spotlighting the handful of lesbian bars remaining in the U.S.

The Lesbian Bar Project is expected to start streaming in October on The Roku Channel. The series is being hosted and executive produced by Lea DeLaria for The Katz Co., and directed by Erica Rose and Elina Street.

Roku notes that in the 1980s, there were roughly 200 lesbian bars in the country and now there are fewer than 25. Rose and Street established the Lesbian Bar Project to celebrate and support the remaining lesbian bars.

The series will specifically look at bar owners and patrons in Houston, Phoenix and Chicago.

“We are honored to continue highlighting the critical need to support LGBTQIA+ establishments,” said Chris Peddy, chief marketing officer at Mast-Jägermeister US. “Our partnership with Roku Brand Studio provides a tremendous opportunity to raise awareness for the cause by sharing these meaningful stories with a broad and engaged audience.”

The Lesbian Bar Project is a good fit for Roku. Streaming hours in the U.S. on The Roku Channel for LGBTQIA+ content grew 20 times from Q1 2022 to Q1 2021. Also in the first quarter of 2022, streaming hours of docuseries content on Roku grew 14 times. 

“Our mission is to create a better TV storytelling experience and help marketers win the entire streaming journey,” said Brian Toombs, director head of content, Roku Brand Studio. “We’re thrilled to bring the data and distribution behind Roku’s platform to help Mast-Jägermeister US bring stories that matter to the largest screen in the home.”

Roku’s Branded Content unit, launched with staffers from Funny Or Die, has integrated advertisers including GEICO and Walmart into its Roku Recommends series. It also created The Show Next Door with Randall Park for Makers Mark.

“Our passion is storytelling, particularly about queer women, so the opportunity to partner with the Roku Brand Studio and Mast-Jägermeister US to expand The Lesbian Bar Project into a streaming series has been an absolute dream,” said Erica Rose and Elina Street, directors of The Lesbian Bar Project. ■

Seeing opportunity in streaming in the growing Hispanic community, Roku on Monday launched Espacio Latino on The Roku Channel.

The service is free and ad supported, with Lego Group as the launch sponsor.

The debut follows TelevisaUnivision launching its ViX streaming service and Comcast’s NBCUniversal Telemundo producing original shows for and establishing a hub on NBCU’s Peacock.                                                                                                                                                          In a twist, programming from both TelevisaUnivision and Telemundo appears as part of Roku’s Espacio Latino.

Telemundo is among the programmers joining Roku for the first time as part of the effort. Other new programmers on Roku include Hemisphere Media Group, Cisneros Media, Euro Channel, The Weather Channel en Español and Canela TV. Espacio Latino will also feature programming from A+E Networks, BBC Studios, Sony Pictures Television, Film Movement, Pantaya, EstrellaTV and beInSports.

Roku has been building up its original programming, partly through acquisitions such as the library from the quickly defunct mobile streaming service Quibi. The telenovela Natural Born Narco, created for Quibi, will debut as part of Espacio Latino on July 8. The recently released series Mamas, narrated in Spanish by Zoë Saldaña, will also be available.

The Roku Channel previously had some Spanish-language content, Ashley Hovey, head of the Roku Channel, AVOD, told Broadcasting+Cable. Spanish-language viewers were coming back to The Roku Channel about three days a week. “When we started seeing that trend, we really wanted to bring them our signature kind of experience, which is large, easy-to-use, personalized with a great ad experience,” Hovey said.

To get to Espacia Latino now, users will have to click through the Roku Channel, where the demand for free content is most prominent, but it could move onto Roku's main page in the future. “Usually we have an evolution of these things. We start on the Roku Channel,” she said. “But there is absolutely an opportunity for us potentially to have a platform-wide experience.”

Espacio Latino, like other Roku services, is free and ad supported.

“We’re able to replicate our ad experience, which we are very proud of. This is going to be half the ad load of linear television,” Hovey said. “Because of our direct relationships with our audience, we’re able to deliver more relevant ads in that space.”

She said that 70% of Roku’s Spanish-language households are not reachable on cable. “This is becoming a more in-demand audience that’s harder to find, which is why those advertisers are starting to lean in more and more.”

As launch sponsor, Lego will be sponsoring movies and will be featured in native advertising on screen. ■

In addition to on-demand content, Espacio Latino will include more than 50 Spanish-language live TV channels, half of which are new to the Roku channels. The channels are curated by programmers who will be able to promote other shows and channels.

“One of the things that the Roku channel does really well is work with those partners to make sure that their content is getting in front of audiences wherever that audience is,” Hovey said.

Espacio Latino will have thousands of hours of free movies and TV shows in Spanish.

“We’ve curated tons of content that appeals to this audience,” said Thalina Bates, Manager of The Roku Channel, AVOD, Spanish Language. “We’re talking about novels, series, movies.”

She added that the services will also have some popular English language tities. “We are offering them with Spanish-language subtitles and in some cases they are dubbed to Spanish because that’s how we enjoy watching our content,” Bates said.

Users subscribed to any Premium Subscriptions through The Roku Channel will have access to the content in Espacio Latino.

“We are proud to partner with The Roku Channel who shares our values in making Spanish-language content more accessible to consumers and offering them a rich viewing experience. It’s exciting to be a part of the launch of Espacio Latino and we look forward to providing the platform with the premium content we know our audiences enjoy. As content providers, our goal is to meet viewers where they are, and this new partnership gives us the opportunity to deliver on our promise to bring high-quality, culturally relevant content to the Hispanic/Latino communities we serve.”

Some of the shows that will only be available on Espacio Latino include Hernan starring Oscar Jaenada and Michel Brown form A+E Networks, Hunting Ava Bravo starring Kate de Castillo from Wild Sheep Content, Top Dead Center Films and Challawood Productions; and Enamorada starring Gaby Espino and Rene Lavan from Cisneros.  ■

The ad-supported version of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Discovery Plus streaming service is now available as a premium subscription on the Roku Channel, the companies said.

Roku users can sign up for the ad-free version of Discovery Plus for $6.99 a month, or the ad-supported version for $4.99 a month. 

The ad-free version of Discovery Plus was added by Roku last month.

Roku also offers HBO Max, part of Warner Bros. Discovery following the sale of WarnerMedia by AT&T to Discovery.

Roku even carried WarnerMedia’s short lived CNN Plus streaming service, albeit belatedly. 

Discovery executives said they plan to combine HBO Max and Discovery Plus into a single large service. Until that happens the company wants as many subscribers to Discovery Plus as possible.

"The launch of discovery Plus on The Roku Channel makes it easy for our users to access this compelling content, while enabling Discovery to reach incremental audiences through The Roku Channel,” said Rob Holmes, VP, programming, Roku, “By offering more great content in The Roku Channel, we provide even more reasons for our millions of streamers to engage with a top five channel on our U.S. platform, and more opportunities for our partners to reach our large audience.” 

The Roku Channel offers Premium Subscriptions from over 50 services. It allows users to enjoy a unified browse and sign-up experience and enables simple subscription management with a single monthly bill.

“We're pleased to deepen our relationship with Roku, a valued partner, and expand access of discovery plus on the Roku platform through the launch on The Roku Channel,” said Gabriel Sauerhoff, senior VP, digital distribution and commercial partnerships at Warner. Bros. Discovery. “We look forward to further extending the reach of our exceptional library of lifestyle and real-life content to millions of Roku streamers and providing them increased optionality in how they access discovery plus.” ■

Lionsgate said it signed a deal that will bring its theatrical films to Roku’s free, ad supported The Roku Channel.

Beginning with Lionsgate’s 2022 releases, The Roku Channel will get two separate windows for each film, the first will be exclusive and start immediately after the first window on Starz, a division of Lionsgate.

Also: Lionsgate Goes Hunting For Value with Starz Spinoff Plan

"We are pleased to expand our relationship with our longstanding partner Lionsgate to provide our audience with exclusive first-time, free access to Lionsgate’s theatrical slate,” said Rob Holmes, VP of programming at Roku. “This innovative approach creates value for both parties, and most importantly provides the millions of streamers on The Roku Channel with the opportunity to enjoy these compelling titles via this unique window.”

Films covered in the output deal include John Wick: Chapter Four; Expendables 4, Borderlands, White Bird: A Wonder Story and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

“This agreement affirms the great demand for first-run studio movies across a broad array of platforms,” said Lionsgate president of worldwide television distribution Jim Packer. “This partnership with The Roku Channel shows our ability to capitalize on opportunities in today’s complex television landscape with a multifaceted, layered approach that meets everyone’s needs.”■

Roku said it greenlit Honest Renovations, a new home improvement series co-hosted and executive produced by Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis.

The series will be added to the expanding list of Roku Original series. Production of eight one-hour episodes is expected to begin later this year.

On the show, Alba, who founded the Honest Co., and Mathis, founder and editor of The Cool Mom Co., will renovate the homes of deserving families while discussing the ups and downs of parenthood.

Also: Roku Wants To Shake Up The Upfront As Ad-Buying Bazaar Marks 60th Anniversary

“Becoming a parent was exciting, scary and confusing all at once,“ Alba said. ”Parenthood is the most transformative life experience, and no matter how much you think you’re prepared; you never really are. I can’t wait to share the stories of the special families and their incredible home renovations with viewers on The Roku Channel.”

Added Mathis: “Parenthood turned my world upside down–it filled my cup with so much love and at the same time, tested my patience in ways I couldn’t have imagined. It’s a uniting experience every parent can relate to! That’s why I’m so excited to bring the stories of these deserving families to The Roku Channel and execute truly life-changing home makeovers to help make life as a new parent a little more functional in Honest Renovations.”

High Noon Entertainment will produce the series. High Noon also produces Fixer Upper and Good Bones.

Also: Roku Channel Orders Season 2 of ‘Children Ruin Everything’ Before Season 1 Starts on May 13

“As we continue to build momentum for Roku Originals, we are proud to partner with Jessica, Lizzy, and the teams at 3 Arts and High Noon on Honest Renovations,” said Brian Tannenbaum, head of alternative original at Roku. “Jessica and Lizzy’s compassion, mixed with no-nonsense approach to parenting, will offer our viewers a fresh, relatable, and bold twist on the home renovation genre.”

Honest Renovations is executive produced by Alba, Mathis, Michael Rotenberg, Dunia McNeily, Oly Obst and Scott Feeley. ■

The Roku Channel has added AsianCrush to its linear channel lineup in the U.S.

AsianCrush, which provides Pan-Asian entertainment programming, was picked up by The Roku Channel in December in Canada. It joins a list of channels from Digital Media Rights already on The Roku Channel in the U.S., including RetroCrush, Midnight Pulp and Coroco.

DMR was recently acquired by Cinedigm, boosting its clout with distributors.

Also: Roku Channel Adds 16 More Linear 'Networks' From Brands Including A&E, WildBrain and FilmRise

“Our relationship with The Roku Channel in the U.S. and Canada has been mutually-beneficial since it began nearly two years ago, and we’re pleased to find new opportunities to utilize what each company does best,” said John Stack, DMR’s director of digital distribution and content strategy. “We believe The Roku Channel users will enjoy viewing the wide variety of Asian entertainment that AsianCrush consistently delivers, and are delighted to be expanding the reach of this popular, premium content.”  ■

The return of FX's Emmy Award-winning comedy series Atlanta after a four-year hiatus tops the list of original shows debuting during the last full week of March. 

The 10-episode third season of the comedy, which stars Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz and LaKeith Stanfield, debuts March 24 and takes place in Europe as the group embarks on the musical tour for rapper Paper Boi (Henry).

Netflix's Emmy-wining drama series Bridgerton returns for its second season on March 25 without its freshman season breakout star Regé-Jean Page. The new season of the Shondaland-produced series follows Bridgerton family member Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) as he searches for a wife. Netflix has already renewed the series for a third and fourth season. 

Also premiering this week is Paramount Plus's Halo, a sci-fi series based on the popular videogame franchise that focuses on a futuristic conflict between humanity and aliens.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of March 21 to March 27 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

March 22 – The Principles of Pleasure (documentary) – Netflix

March 23 – Parallels (sci-fi) – Disney Plus

March 24 – One Perfect Shot (documentary) – HBO Max

March 24 – Starstruck (comedy) HBO Max

March 24 – WWE Evil (documentary series) – Peacock

March 25 – Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls (competition series) – Prime Video

March 25 – No Woman No Try (documentary) – Prime Video

March 25 – Pachinko (drama) – Apple TV Plus

March 26 – The Pact (drama) – The Roku Channel

The debut of Killing Eve's fourth and final season highlights a busy week of show premieres.

BBC America's Emmy-winning series starring Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh debuts its final season on February 27. Laura Neal (Secret Diary of a Call Girl) will serve as lead writer and executive producer of Killing Eve's fourth season.

Netflix on February 25 will debut its original movie Tyler Perry's A Madea Homecoming, starring the prolific writer/producer as iconic character Mabel "Madea" Simmons. The movie marks the first film featuring Madea since the 2020 Madea Family Funeral.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of February 22 to February 27 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

February 23 – Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches (documentary) – HBO

February 23 – The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (animated comedy) – Disney Plus

Also: Content Spotlight: Tommy Davidson Returns as Oscar Proud in 'The Proud Family' Reboot

February 23 – Snowfall (returning series) -- FX

February 24 – Hellbender (horror film) – Shudder

February 24 – Love, Tom (music) – Paramount Plus

February 24 – Wasteland (documentary) – Paramount Plus

February 25 – No Exit (movie) – Hulu

February 25 – Reno 911! (returning series) – The Roku Channel

February 25 – Vikings: Valhalla (drama) – Netflix

February 27 – Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber (drama) – Showtime

Vevo is exclusively releasing Doja Cat’s official live performance series on The Roku Channel this weekend.

Planet Her, the long form video, features performances of her songs Ain’t Shit, Need to know and Love To Dream. They can be watched on-demand through Music on The Roku Channel exclusively on Saturday and Sunday.

The longform version of Doja Cat’s Official Live Performances will be widely available across the rest of the Vevo network beginning Monday.

Official Live Performances is a key tent pole for Vevo and has featured many top artists.

Vevo previously released exclusive performances of Say So and Streets, as well as a short film The Tale of Becoming Doja Cat.

Roku launched the Vevo App in 2013.  The Vevo lineup on The Roku Channel in the U.S. currently includes: Vevo Pop, Vevo R&B, Vevo Hip Hop, Vevo Reggaeton & Trap, Vevo Country, Vevo Latino, Vevo ‘70s, Vevo ‘80s, Vevo ‘90s and Vevo 2K. ■

Roku said a previously unreleased series executive produced by the Russo Brothers for Quibi, Slugfest, about the rivalry between Marvel and DC Comics, will start streaming on the Roku Channel on December 24.

Roku has gotten into the original programing game by acquiring the rights to the shows produced for Quibi, the short-form mobile oriented subscription service that raised billions of dollars in Hollywood to produce star-studded content, but quickly went out of business.

Roku also acquired the company that produces This Old House and leaked plans to produce 50 original shows over the next two years.

Also: Farrelly Brothers Comedy Makes Debut as Roku Channel Original

Narrated by Kevin Smith, Slugfest has 10 episodes that are each 8 to 10 minutes long. 

“After watching Slugfest, even the most die-hard superhero fans will gain a newfound perspective on how one competitive relationship shaped fandom culture into what it is today,” said Brian Tannenbaum, Roku’s head of alternative originals and a former Quibi exec. 

“Collaborating with the Russo Brothers to tell the backstory behind one of the most epic creative battles in the history of Hollywood was an incredible experience and we can’t wait to share this story with audiences on The Roku Channel,” Tanenbaum said.” 

Slugfest is executive produced by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, who directed the Marvel films Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Engame.

 “Audiences will leave  Slugfest  with a whole new of understanding of how the rivalry between two creative powerhouses shaped the iconic storylines and characters that fans around the world have come to know and love. We’re thrilled to partner with The Roku Channel to unpack the fascinating, but untold, history behind the most well-known competition in comics,” the Russo Brothers said.

Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce served as directors. Producers include Todd  Makurath, Peter Rieveschl, Nick Gilhool and Jen Casey. The series was created in partnership with AGBO. ■

Roku’s well of Quibi content hasn’t run dry yet.

The streaming platform said it will premiere The Now, a dark comedy series from the Farrelly Brothers on The Roku Channel Friday (Dec. 10).

Billed as a Roku Original, The Now was originally produced for Quibi.

Roku has been wading into putting original content. It bought the rights to the glossy content produced for Quibi, the short-form, mobile subscription service that quickly went out of business after raising and spending billions on programming from Hollywood’s top talent.

Also: Roku Streaming More Unaired Episodes of Two Quibi Series

The 14-episode (each one is 8 to 10 minutes long) show is typical of Quibi’s content. In addition to its award-winning directors, The Now stars Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Jimmy Tatro, Bill Murray, Alyssa Milano, Pete Davidson and Darryl Hannah. And no one has seen it. 

Those Quibi series became the first shows under the Roku Originals banner earlier this year, Roku also bought the company that produces This Old House. More recently, it leaked that it plans to produce 50 original scripted and unscripted series over the next two years.

The Now is about a man who is forced to rethink his outlook on life after a tragic event.

“I've never needed The Now more than now,” said Colin Davis, Roku’s Head of Original Scripted Programming. “This is a show that tackles tough but universal challenges with levity and comedy that only this excellent cast and creators can deliver. The Roku Channel is on a strong path to being the best destination for premium, bespoke, original comedies and ‘The Now’ more than delivers.”

The Farrelly Brothers are known for films including There’s Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber and Green Book.

“I wanted to make a show about living in the present because I personally have lived too much in the future and the past and I think a lot of people do. We worry about the future, and we have regrets about the past, yet we are only ever living in the now. The future and the past are just concepts, but all life takes place in the present. If you want to make changes in your life you have to make them in the now,” said Peter Farrelly.

“We knew that we needed a stellar cast to tell this story properly, and that’s what we got. Collaborating with Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson, Jimmy Tatro, Bill Murray, Alyssa Milano, and Daryl Hannah was an unforgettable experience, and the result is something that we’re very proud of. We can’t wait to share it with everyone on The Roku Channel,” added Bobby Farrelly.

All 14 episodes of the series will be available to viewers of The Roku Channel in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. for free at launch.

It will be hard to tell how many people wind up watching The Now. Roku claims that Roku Originals have been an important audience driver for The Roku Channel, but the company has decided not to share any specific viewer numbers.

The Now was directed by Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly. It was written by Peter and Bobby Farrelly, Steve Leff and Pete Jones. Steve Golin and Jeff Okin served as executive producers. The series was produced by Anonymous Content.■

Sticking to its policy of not releasing audience, Roku announced that its first original movie, Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas--based on the series canceled by NBC--was the most viewed program globally on The Roku Channel during its opening weekend, but failed to back that up with any data on viewers.

Roku also noted that the movie--developed with Lionsgate Television, was nominated for a Critics Choice Award in the best TV movie category, Roku’s first Critics Choice nomination.

Roku has been cautiously wading into the original programming pool. After acquiring the Quibi library and the company that produces This Old House, the company leaked plans to produce about 50 shows over the next two years.

“The Roku Channel is the home for standout entertainment,” said Colin Davis, Roku’s head of original scripted programming.

“It is amazing to see such a strong affinity for the film, not only from fans of the series, but also from first time viewers,” Davis said. “The fans deserved a moment to come together again to let their collective heart songs celebrate the holiday season and we are thrilled to bring this special movie to streamers on The Roku Channel. To have our first original film be the top viewed program on The Roku Channel, plus picking up a Critics Choice nomination all within the opening week, is the best early holiday present we could have asked for.” 

Since hanging its Roku Original shingle in May, The Roku Channel has claimed original shows have been an important audience driver. In the quarter The Roku Channel, which features free, ad supported content, was one of the top five channels on the platform, according to Roku.

Whip Media has Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas as the No. 4 most-watched streaming movie over the Dec. 3 weekend, behind Red Notice and Single All The Way on Netflix and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on Disney Plus.

Measurement firm Samba TV said Zoey was watched by 49,000 U.S. households in the first four days it was on Roku’s platform. The American audience skewed toward middle including (40,000 to 100,000), more female than male and older. It was especially popular in Charlotte, North Carolina. By comparison, Netflix's The Power of the Dog drew 1.2 million U.S. households.

Samba can’t collect data from millions of smart TV sets that run on the Roku operating system, so maybe take them with a grain of salt.

Roku had no comment on the Samba data, other than to say it doesn’t disclose specific figures. So we have to go with the numbers we have.■

Streaming company Cinedigm announced that The Country Network launched on The Roku Channel as a free, ad supported TV channel.

Cinedigm in June said it made a deal with The Country Network to get the country network distributed on streaming platforms. Cinedigm has a number of networks already carried by Roku, including the new Real Madrid TV.

While Roku become the first streaming platform to carry The Country Network, it continues to be carried over the air and on cable systems to about 40 million households in 51 markets.

“Country music has one of the most engaged and passionate fan bases with worldwide appeal, and we are thrilled to give these loyal viewers a new way to access TCN,” said Daniel Schneider, senior VP, revenue at Cinedigm. “This also allows country music fans who stream music programming to now get their country music fix from TCN on The Roku Channel.”

Also: Cinedigm Relaunches Screambox With Larger Distribution Footprint

The Country Network competes with ViacomCBS’s CMT. Another cable channel, Great American Country floundered for years before being sold by Discovery to former Hallmark Channel head Bill Abbott’s GAC Media earlier this year. Abbott has turned Great American Country into GAC Family, which now air family friendly programming and original holiday movies.

While The Country Network profiles country music stars and has blocks of music videos, it will use streaming to diversify its programming, adding specials and stand-up comedy. ■

The Roku Channel said it added 15 new live linear channels to its lineup on Tuesday.

The GQ Channel has also been refreshed, the streaming platform said.

Roku Channel now offers more than 200 live channels and 80,000 TV shows and movies. 

Also: Analyst Flashes Sell Sign On Roku Seeing Slower Third-Party SVOD Revenue

The move reflects the growth in popularity of free ad supported streaming television with both viewers and advertisers.

“The Roku Channel brings streamers a diverse lineup of free programming with 200+ live linear channels available on The Roku Channel’s Live TV Guide,” said Ashley Hovey, director, The Roku Channel, AVOD.

Also: Samsung TV Plus Adds ‘That Girl,’ Holiday-Themed Linear Channels

“We work hard to make things easy for our users and the latest lineup of live channels launching offers even more diversity and content to enjoy for free,” Hovey said. ”From timely holiday movies and valuable breaking national news programming to fantastic Spanish language, sports and pop culture offerings, we’re proud to bring streamers a wide spectrum of content to discover and stream.” 

The new live channels were announced on Roku’s linear blog. They are:

Holiday Movie Favorites by Lifetime, featuring favorite Lifetime holiday movies.

LiveNow from Fox, with raw and unfiltered breaking news and live events.

Midsomer Murders, a U.K. drama export in which murder and mysteries are investigated by two detectives in a quaint county with a staggering death toll.

NHRA, featuring American drag rscing as the NHRA brings you the fastest most explosive motorsports content on the planet.

Nosey Escandalos, with betrayals, infidelity and the resulting paternity disputes. Discover the drama and truth with Jerry Springer, Maury Povich and Judge Dad (Spanish language channel).

Origin Sports, bringing viewers the best players in sports before they were stars.

PowerNation en Español, featuring muscle cars, horsepower-fueled engine builds, trucks, off-road, and more! (Spanish language channel).

Qwest TV Classical, with classic Jazz music from Quincy Jones.

Qwest TV Jazz and Beyond, with Quincy Jones’s selections of the best in jazz and related music.

Qwest TV Mix, with beats for your body, grooves for your soul on Quincy Jones’s hub for global, mixed music.

Swerve Sports, calling itself “the first free service focused on sports storytelling,” the channel features documentaries, films and personality-driven digital content. 

Tayo Plus, providing fun children’s and family content live.

The Country Network, for today’s country music enthusiasts.

True History Channel, with unique perspectives on the moments, places, and people that have shaped modern life.

Vox, a channel that takes viewers from curiosity to a better understanding of the world around them. ■

This Old House will start its 43rd season Thursday (Sept. 30) with two new streaming channels, courtesy of Roku.

Roku acquired the company that produces This Old House and Ask This Old House (starting its 20th season) in March for $97.8 million. 

The acquisition is resulting in 13 more episodes of each series this season (39 per show) and new distribution options, Dan Suratt, VP of This Old House for Roku, told Broadcasting+Cable. 

Also Read: Roku Launches ‘OK’ Campaign To Promote Ease of Streaming

“We knew this was going to be a huge opportunity for us to expand not only the amount of content production, but also the reach and scale of that production,” Suratt said, adding that there could be even more episodes in future seasons.

Acquiring This Old House is part of Roku’s effort to put more original programming on its platform.

Also Read: Is Roku Right? Has TV Streaming Really 'Passed the Tipping Point'?

Starting Oct. 12, a This Old House premium subscription channel — Roku’s first owned subscription channel — will be available for $4.99 a month. Subscribers will be able to watch new episodes of both shows commercial free at the same time they have their debuts on PBS. They will also have access to a deep selection from the This Old House and Ask This Old House library. Roku is offering the channel with a 14-day free trial.

Suratt said the $4.99 price is in line with what others are charging for premium content. The subscription service will be available on other streaming platforms in the near future, he added.

Roku is also starting up a This Old House Classic linear channel that will be available through The Roku Channel’s Live TV Channel Guide. This Old House Classic will feature seasons one through 12 (including episodes with Bob Vila) and seasons one through five of Ask This Old House. 

“It’s new and classic all in one,” Suratt observed.

The two new channels will accompany the This Old House Channel, which has been streaming on The Roku Channel since 2019. 

The Roku Channel will have the current season of the shows available on demand for free, plus four additional seasons.

There are seven This Old House free streaming channels on various platforms, and Roku will be looking to syndicate This Old House Classic to other platforms, Suratt said.

“It’s a great opportunity for a brand that has had such a storied past to have the leader in streaming technology and delivery of content to be our parent to allow us not only to distribute more widely but also create more content,” he said.

This Old House has proved its popularity with streamers. Of the 200 linear channels available through The Roku Channel This Old House is one of the top 20 linear channels by hours streamed from Jan. 1 through Sept. 1, Suratt said.

Streaming hours of This Old House and Ask This Old House have gone up nearly 50% in the first six months since Roku bought the show, compared to the six months before the acquisition, he added.

That will only be helped by a promotional campaign set to launch in mid-October.

The show is also popular with advertisers. The move to Roku has made this old house more aggressive about selling sponsorships. Already it has added Amica Mutual Insurance as a sponsor, joining long-time underwriters like Home Depot.

Season 43 of This Old House starts with an old house in Concord. Other than the increased number of episodes, Suratt said the show’s formula isn’t changing. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and I think 43 years kind of shows it ain’t broke,” Suratt said.

Cinedigm said that its has made deals to get more of its channels carried by The Roku Channel.

The newly added channels are Real Madrid TV, So . . .Real and The Only Way to Essex.

The Roku Channel previously announced adding the El Rey Network, the failed cable channel that has been revived by Cinedigm.

Also Read: Cinedigm’s Streaming Strategy Starts to Pay Off

"The Roku Channel continues to grow as a go-to destination for streaming, enabling users to discover and enjoy a wide variety of programming," said Daniel Schneider, senior VP, revenue at Cinedigm. "We are thrilled to help make such a variety of new channels that we know will appeal to each enthusiast audience available on The Roku Channel." 

Roku, reviving another failed media outlet, said it will be the first to bring the revived El Rey Network to streaming viewers on Aug. 17.

El Rey shut down as a cable network after seven years on Jan. 1, shortly after Univision pulled out of the channel.

Roku this year also revived programming from Quibi, the short-form mobile streaming service that spent billions on content but quickly went out of business. Roku has dubbed the Quibi shows as “Roku Originals.”

The El Rey channel was started by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez.

Roku said it will give streamers access to more than 150 hours of original programming and be the first AVOD destination to watch Rodriguez’s feature film Red 11.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to embark on an exciting new journey with Robert Rodriguez and El Rey Network,” said Ashley Hovey, director of AVOD, The Roku Channel.

“With 9 out of 10 U.S. Hispanic households streaming in the U.S., it is clear there is a growing demand for engaging, high quality Latinx entertainment. El Rey is changing the programming world in an exciting way that speaks to the future of audience discovery and engagement,” Hovey said. “AVOD is the place for content creators to connect with highly engaged audiences and The Roku Channel is proud to be the exclusive first ever streaming home for the El Rey Network.”

The Demi Lovato Show, one of the shows from failed short-form mobile service Quibi acquired by Roku, will start appearing on The Roku Channel on July 30.

Roku is calling the Quibi shows “Roku Originals.” The streaming company claims that the first batch of Quibi shows it began streaming are getting a lot of viewership, but it hasn’t disclosed precise figures.

Episodes of The Demi Lovato Show will feature a guest and cover topics including activism, feminism, gender identity, sex and body positivity, mental health and interplanetary visitors, the company said.

The guests will be identified at a later date. 

If Roku has designs on diving into the big-ticket original content game, Rob Holmes, Roku’s VP of programming, isn’t letting on.

After Roku bought the rights to This Old House and the studio that produces it, Holmes said “it's not really about that we want to own more and produce more of our own” shows for The Roku Channel.

Roku’s acquisition of The Old House and its companion Ask This Old House, two popular long-running series, follows the streaming platform launching its first exclusive show, the thriller Cypher. 

Last year, Roku acquired rights to programming from Quibi, the short-lived short-form subscription service that poured hundreds of millions into its series but failed to attract subscribers.

It also followed reports that Roku was looking to hire executives to manage original programming.

All of those breadcrumbs seem to lead to the notion that like cable networks and streaming services before it, that eventually Roku would want to have its own original shows.

But Holmes said that The Roku Channel is a free, ad-supported streaming service, or AVOD, network and that makes it different from subscription-based SVOD services that don't carry ads, like Disney Plus and HBO Max.

“AVOD is free, so if you’re a consumer, you’re not thinking about how much does this cost? Am I going to remember to cancel? How much am I subscribing to already? You really are just thinking: ‘Am I going to watch this,’ ” he said.

“We think AVOD content can be successful without necessarily being exclusive,” Holmes added. “SVOD craves exclusivity. You want that expensive, premium show that prompts people to find you service and subscribe to it and then stay month to month. So you sort of need that content.”

AVOD content is also different because it's a good idea to stick with advertiser friendly genres, Holmes said, noting that This Old House has GMC and The Home Depot as long-term sponsors.

As the owner of This Old House, Roku plans to continue having it run first on PBS, then stream on Roku. It will also continue to appear on Discovery’s cable networks.

“It’s a great brand and engages consumers wherever they are and it makes it more relevant for advertisers,” Holmes said.

Roku could also make new spinoffs of This Old House. “It’s absolutely an opportunity,” he said.

Roku said it acquired TOH Holdings, the owner of the This Old House business, from TZP Group as its ad-supported streaming platform continues to grow.

The acquisition includes distribution rights and digital assets of This Old House and Ask This Old House and their television production studio. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The current seasons of This Old House and Ask This Old House will continue to stream on The Roku Channel after they air on PBS. The show will also continue to appear on cable with Discovery.

The moves follow Roku’s acquisition of programming from Quibi, the short-form mobile programming service that failed to attract subscribers last year. Roku also on Friday launched its first exclusive show, Cypher.

“We believe that the types of incremental content investments we have been making are commensurate with the scale and growth trajectory of The Roku Channel,” said Rob Holmes, VP of programming at Roku. 

Also Read: Roku CFO Louden: We Are Not Like A Cable Company

“While TV subscription services require exclusive content on an ongoing basis, we believe that ad-supported models like The Roku Channel thrive with content that is broadly distributed across multiple platforms and services. Furthermore, the more relevant the content becomes for a larger audience, the more appealing it is to advertising partners,” he said. 

This Old House has long been underwritten on PBS by The Home Depot.

This Old House and Ask this Old House were the two top-rated home improvement shows in America in 2020.

“This Old House created the television home improvement genre and is beloved by millions of fans. We are thrilled to welcome this incredible team, and we could not be more excited to help grow the brand for an entire new generation of home improvement enthusiasts,” said Holmes.

Holmes said he expected that future seasons of This Old House would follow the same distribution strategy. 

“The passion of the craftspeople on This Old House is matched only by its viewers, and we take great pride that over the past four decades we have helped them improve their most valuable asset — their home,” said Dan Suratt, CEO, This Old House Ventures. “Roku is not only the No. 1 TV streaming platform in America, it also represents the future of TV, and we could not think of a better home for This Old House to grow and to continue its leadership position in the home improvement genre.”

Suratt and the rest of the executive team working on This Old House will join Roku.

As more original content moves to streaming, The Roku Channel is set to be the home to the U.S. premiere of a scripted series, Cypher, on March 19.

The move underscores the question of whether Roku aims to make money working with programmers as the top streaming platform, or if it has ambitions to become a programmer itself through The Roku Channel.

Roku acquired the right to stream content created for Quibi in January. And job postings in February seemed to indicate the company was staffing up to produce original shows.

Now it is pulling out the stops to prompt Cypher, a seven-episode action drama about a top FBI cryptanalyst that will appear exclusively on The Roku Channel.

“As The Roku Channel continues to grow, we’re constantly looking for ways to elevate the streaming experience for our viewers and get them to great entertainment easily and for free,” said Sweta Patel, VP of engagement growth marketing at Roku. “Because of The Roku Channel’s incredible reach, Cypher has the ability to be streamed by millions of engaged viewers.”

More shows may be on the way.

“We are constantly seeking licensing deals to deliver incredible free content to our users,” said Rob Holmes, VP, programming at Roku.

“Roku’s exceptional audience scale and monetization capabilities have enabled us to rapidly grow The Roku Channel into one of the top AVOD channels on our platform today, more than doubling audience reach and streaming hours year-over-year in 2020," Homes said. “Our partnership with Aroma Studios and United Bros for the exclusive licensing and premiere of Cypher aligns with our broader AVOD content strategy that will continue to drive the growth of The Roku Channel going forward."

The Roku Channel’s big streaming audience is making it a more attractive destination for programmers and content producers.

“Roku is a pioneer in TV streaming with millions of engaged users. The Roku Channel is a premiere destination for streaming entertainment because of the scale and diversity of its audience,” said Cypher executive producer and showrunner Zeus Zamani.

Justin Jones, Cypher’s producer, added “We are absolutely thrilled that viewers in the U.S. and Canada will get to see Cypher for the first time on The Roku Channel.”

Cypher follows Will Scott, a top FBI cryptanalyst who is enlisted to decode a document that turns out to be a hitlist.

The show appeared on Netflix in South Africa but will be making its debut in the U.S. and Canada on The Roku Channel.

Cypher stars Martin Dingle Wall, Jaclyn Hales, Mary Helen Schmidt, Lauren Gravitt, Brian Krause, Robert, John Reardon, Eve Mauro and John J. Jordan.

The series was executive produced by Tamer Mortada and written and directed by Majdi Smiri.

Roku said its Roku Channel will become the exclusive home to the content created for Quibi, the short-form mobile subscription video app that failed despite more than $1 billion investment from top media companies.

The bite-sized Quibi shows will be available free on an ad supported basis in 2021 to Roku users.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Read Also: Katzenberg Shutting Down Quibi Streaming Service

“The Roku Channel is one of the largest and fastest growing channels on our platform today and we are consistently expanding the breadth and quality of our free, ad-supported content for our users,” said Rob Holmes, VP of programming at Roku. “Today’s announcement marks a rare opportunity to acquire compelling new original programming that features some of the biggest names in entertainment. We’re excited to make this content available for free to our users in The Roku Channel through an ad-supported model. We are also thrilled to welcome the incredible studios and talented individuals who brought these stories to life and showcase them to our tens of millions of viewers.”

Read Also: Quibi Autopsy: Service Had Only 450,000 Paid Users When Katzenberg Shut It Down

Quibi, started by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, raised $1 billion to create high-profile, big-name short-form content and technology designed for mobile viewing by younger consumers. 

It launched in April with a high profile ad campaign, but drew a disappointing level of downloads and viewership.

The company blamed the pandemic, but a resistance to letting its shows be viewed on a big TV screen also contributed to its downfall.

Read Also: Roku CFO Louden: We Are Not Like A Cable Company

Quibi shut down operations in October.

“The most creative and imaginative minds in Hollywood created groundbreaking content for Quibi that exceeded our expectations,” said Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg. “We are thrilled that these stories, from the surreal to the sublime, have found a new home on The Roku Channel.”

Quibi content starred talent including Idris Elba, Kevin Hart, Liam Hemsworth, Anna Kendrick, Nicole Richie, Chrissy Teigen, and Lena Waithe and was created by producers including Steven Spielberg. 

Some Quibi content will be seen for the first time on the Roku Channel.

The transaction involves Roku acquiring Quibi Holding LLC, a company created when Quibi was restructured that holds Quibi’s content distribution rights.

Sony Pictures Television is launching three free ad-supported streaming television channels on Roku’s free streaming service, The Roku Channel, starting Tuesday, SPT said.

The new Sony Canal Novelas, which will air telenovelas, joins Sony Canal Comedias, which airs comedies, and Sony Canal Competencias, which airs reality competition shows. The Roku Channel reaches more than 40 million viewers and is available on Roku-enabled smart TVs and devices. Potential viewers can also access the programming via the Plex app, and it’s also available via Vizio SmartCast. 

Related: SPT Launching Free Ad-Supported Streaming Channels

The three channels are packed with programming produced by Sony Pictures Television International Production and target the U.S. Hispanic market, which offers a potential audience of more than 60 million viewers. 

Related: Plex Launches Spanish-Language Channels

“Sony Pictures Television has a compelling portfolio of Spanish-language entertainment that appeals to The Roku Channel’s engaged audience,” said Ashley Hovey, director of AVOD growth, Roku, in a statement. “At Roku, we’re laser-focused on delivering the best streaming experience to our customers. We know that the US Hispanic audience is rapidly growing and we’re very excited to partner with SPT to bring their vast library to The Roku Channel.”

Boasting more than 86 million domestic users, Roku has the leading OTT device ecosystem in the U.S. usurping Amazon Fire TV, which has nearly 67 million users.

Citing these eMarketer figures, Bloomberg framed the battle for domestic streaming platform supremacy up pretty neatly this morning, painting Roku as the market incumbent, thriving but besieged by competition that also includes Apple TV and Google Chromecast.

Notably, Bloomberg’s feature also outlined all the different ways the platform makes money.

Or, as authors Lucas Shaw and Gerry Smith put, “Nearly every inch of real estate on Roku is for rent.”

For example, an advertiser can take over the Roku homepage, as Hulu recently did when it poached the rights for Seinfeld from Netflix. According to Bloomberg, those rights go for around $1 million. (The news service didn’t specify how long of a takeover that $1 million buys.)

Hulu, Netflix and Showtime, meanwhile, have to pay Roku a licensing fee of $1 a customer to have dedicated buttons on Roku remote controls that take users directly to their service.

Roku is projected to take in more than $600 million in advertising revenue this year and could reach $1.5 billion by 2022, according to RBC Capital Markets figures that are highlighted in the Bloomberg article.

Perhaps Roku’s most notable monetization feature is its carriage model. While pay TV operators cough up licensing fees to carry media networks, Roku pays nothing to have content companies put apps (aka “channels”) on its platform. But Roku gets a share of the ad dollars, just the same.

And when a subscription service like Netflix signs up a customer on Roku, the platform gets a cut of the revenue, as well.

Despite the explosive growth of so-called “platform” revenue on Roku, which grew another 79% in the third quarter, the company still loses money, Bloomberg noted.

Hardware is a big reason why, with the company still selling its devices at artificially low prices to better proliferate its OTT ecosystem.

But proliferated it is.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Sam Bloom, who heads advertising firm Camelot, said, “When we went out to Roku, my eyes were opened. I was shocked by how large the footprint is there.”

Research company Parks Associates released a ranking of the top 10 streaming platforms today, putting Netflix atop a list that was compiled prior to the launches of Apple TV Plus and Disney+.

So how do the rankings look now that Disney+, which signed up 10 million viewers within the first hours of its November 12 launch? Notably, Roku—which operates what is arguably the top OTT streaming ecosystem in the U.S.—keeps track of the most popular channels on its platform via the website for its AVOD service, The Roku Channel. (Hat tip to the always active CordCutterNews for turning us onto these rankings this morning.)

Unsurprisingly, Netflix leads the list, followed by YouTube and Hulu, with Disney+ coming in No. 4.

More surprising: Amazon Prime Video ranks No. 5 on the list—perhaps because the No. 2 SVOD service overall has a user base the prefers the Amazon Fire TV ecosystem?

Another notable tidbit from these rankings: Charter’s Spectrum TV app, which lets subscribers view their multichannel service on Roku, ranks sixth in usage on the Roku platform. The beta version of Comcast’s Xfinity Stream app ranks 11th. 

Here are the “most popular” streaming channels on Roku:

Plex, a maker of popular software for organizing personal digital media, has announced the launch of an AVOD platform in around 220 countries.

In recent months, Plex had announced content deals with MGM, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Lionsgate, and Legendary, structuring these arrangements to prioritize international rights.

It will be competing in a global market for ad-supported streaming that includes the Roku Channel, Viacom’s Pluto TV, start-up Tubi, Amazon’s IMDB Live and Vudu’s Movies on Us.

Related: Plex Licenses Movie Package from Warner Bros.

“Over time, we’ll be adding more stuff from different studios and creators—from Oscar-winning Hollywood movies to the latest from India, Russia, China, Japan, Africa, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe to really cool independent movies fresh off the festival circuit,” Plex announced this morning on its company blog.

The Plex UI will be delivered through the company’s software, existing under a “movies and entertainment” heading. The platform will be accessible to Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV, as well as iOS and Android mobile devices and many smart TVs, among other OTT ecosystems.

As Roku Channel, Pluto TV and other AVOD services are just beginning to aggressively seek international expansion, Plex says its service will enter the market with more content than its competitors.

“While there are certainly other free streaming services out there, we’re the first to offer a vast, free, diverse collection of content for a truly global audience,” Plex said. “Starting today, Plex will deliver more content to more countries than any other free streaming service to date.”

Ad-supported streaming platform Tubi has announced the launch of a kids component, as well as its expansion into the UK.

Tubi Kids will launch on Oct. 21 and feature what the San Francisco startup said will be more than 1,200 age-appropriate movies and TV shows. Movies will include How to Train Your Dragon, Norm of the North, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows; TV series will feature characters including Sonic the Hedgehog, Strawberry Shortcake, Paddington Bear and The Wiggles.

Related: Tubi Set to Launch in Australia

The move follows AVOD competitor the Roku Channel’s launch of a dedicated kids area in August. Subscription streaming platforms including Netflix and Hulu have had dedicated kids areas for some time.

Meanwhile, the UK launch will occur in “early 2020,” Tubi said. It comes after the AVOD platform’s August expansion announcement for Australia.

“We’re ramping up our international expansion with the UK launch being the first of several forthcoming territories and look forward to announcing them soon,” said Farhad Massoudi, CEO of Tubi. “The launch of Tubi Kids reinforces our dedication to offer an age-appropriate viewing environment – super-serving kids and families with a robust amount of content.”

Tubi doesn't announce unique users for its platform. But the startup announced earlier that it had streamed 94 million hours of content in the month of May. It said it was up to 132 million hours of streamed content in September, a 40% increase. 

Start-up AVOD company Tubi is set to expand to Australia.

Starting September 1, the free-to-consumer, ad-supported streaming service will be available to Telstra TV subscribers through an integration deal with the telecom. It will also be viewable in Down Under region via Samsung smart TVs, as well as connected devices including Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Sony PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. There’s app support for Apple iOS and Google Android mobile devices. And Australians can watch via PCs on Tubi.TV.

Tubi said it has secured rights to a library of 7,000 movies and TV shows at launch. Tubi name-dropped titles including 3:10 to Yuma,The Blair Witch Project, Kickboxer and Stranger Than Fiction in its press release touting the expansion.

Related: Roku Growth Outpacing Netflix’s Early Int’l Expansion Phase: Analyst

International expansion is all the rage right now in the ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) business. Roku appears to be following Netflix’s game plan for its Roku Channel, building inroads into Latin America. ViacomCBS’ Pluto TV recently landed in Europe.

Tubi CEO Farhad Massoudi noted that Australia is a top market for the leading SVOD service, Netflix, but that Tubi expects to have the market much to itself in regard to AVOD, at least initially.

“I don't think any of the big AVOD platforms have launch there,” he said, noting that Australia also has a strong internet infrastructure and that the advertising market is “fairly mature.”

In a 2018 report on Netflix’s top streaming markets, Business Insider ranked Australia seventh, just behind Norway, noting that the SVOD giant had about 43% penetration into a market of more than 23 million consumers.

Tubi, which is privately funded with $26 million to date, is crediting heavy lifting for the Australian launch to a man who bills himself as the AVOD company's “international expansion consultant,” Josh Ismin.

Said by Tubi to be “no stranger to Australian video advertising,” Ismin founded video and ad platform TVN in Sydney back in 2010. Sold to Telaria in 2015, TVN now touts users including Foxtel, Network Ten, MCN and Southern Cross Austereo. 

Streaming TV pioneer Roku said it is adding a “Kids & Family” destination to the Roku Channel, which is designed to make it easy to access free over-the-top content.

The move comes as more streaming services have decided that offering children’s programming is a good way of becoming stickier to families that subscribe.

Disney+ will have kid friendly content when it launches in November and recent announcements have CBS All Access producing original shows for kids including a new Danger Mouse series and Viacom adding kids programming, including a SpongeBob SquarePants pop-up channel, to Pluto TV.

Related: FuboTV Launches Sports Network on Roku Channel

Launching Monday, Roku Channel’s Kids & Family will have both free content and premium content that will be incorporated for Roku users who subscribe to HBO, Noggin and other pay services with children’s shows.

The service will be ad supported, but will have 40% of the commercial time on traditional linear TV. Lego Systems has signed up as the first sponsor of Kids & Family on the Roku Channel.

“We recognize that it can be a challenge to find quality kids and family entertainment across multiple streaming channels, particularly free, ad-supported options,” said Rob Holmes, VP of programming and engagement at Roku. “Kids & Family not only provides a selection of great free, ad-supported content from partners like pocket.watch with Ryan’s World and Lionsgate’s Leapfrog, but also highlights kids’ entertainment from existing premium subscriptions partners. Parents looking to find great programming for their children will enjoy the ease of going to The Roku Channel as their one place for kids and family entertainment.”

The Roku Channel is also part of Roku’s pitch to consumers looking to reduce their subscription costs by providing value. “Video is the easiest thing for them to cut back on and actually cut the cord,” Holmes said. “What we’re seeing is that as users do that they are seeking some ways to augment their viewing with great ad-supported content.”

The service will be ad supported, but will have 40% of the commercial time on traditional linear TV. Lego Systems has signed up as the first sponsor of Kids & Family on the Roku Channel.

Related: Roku and Amazon Now Control Nearly 70% of U.S. Streaming Media Player Market

“Roku offers a custom experience that will help us connect with our kid and family audiences, who are consuming content on an evolving array of platforms,” said Michael McNally, senior director at the Lego Group. “We’re thrilled to be the exclusive sponsorship partner in Kids & Family on the Roku Channel.”

Kids programming on traditional TV has not been doing well. Last week, viewing on kids’ cable networks was down 24% year versus the same week in 2018, with Nickelodeon down 32%, according to an analysis by Todd Juenger of Sanford C. Bernstein.

While adding kids programming, Roku is also offering additional controls that will let parents set access to programming based on content ratings.

Free Kids & Family content will include franchises such as Care Bears, The Cat in the Hat, Leapfrog, Little Baby Bum, My Little Pony, Rev & Roll, Super Mario Brothers,Thomas & Friends, It will have five exclusive episodes of Ryan’s World.

Roku said its Kids & Family designation will have 7,000 free ad supported movies and TV episodes from producers including Hasbro, DHX Media, Happy Kids TV, Lionsgate, Mattel, Moonbug and pocket.watch.

“There is a lot of great kids content and family content on the Roku platform. It’s just dispersed across a range of both paid and free channels. We wanted to make a single place that offered a hand-selected selection of kids and family entertainment,” Holmes said.

Viewers will be able to search for programming by age, by character and by theme.

There are also full-time live and linear streams of children’s programming from Moonbug, pocket.watch and Xumo.

"There is a tremendous opportunity to expand our reach with the quickly growing audience on The Roku Channel,” said Chris Williams, founder and CEO of pocket.watch. “Family time is often enjoyed in the living room where Roku is so successful and we’re thrilled to bring our biggest creator partners, like Ryan from Ryan’s World, into the heart of the home through the new pocket.watch channel.”

Kids & Family will be available to Roku Channel users on Roku devices, via the web and on some Samsung smart TVs.

Roku calls itself the No. 1 TV streaming platform in the U.S., with 30.5 million active accounts, 9.4 billion hours streamed during the second quarter and 41 million OTT devices and smart TVs.

The Roku Channel, set up two years ago to help people find attractive programming from the vastness of online content, has become a top 5 channel on the platform. The Roku channel offers 50,000 free and paid movies and TV shows. The Roku Channel also offers one-click subscriptions to premium services such as HBO, Starz and Showtime.

With the revenue it makes selling advertising on its platform already up 86% in the second quarter, Roku announced the launch of yet another potentially lucrative extension to its popular Roku Channel AVOD offering.

Already up and running today, the new “Kids & Family” portal includes 7,000 movies and episodic TV installments from programmers including Hasbro Company, DHX Media, Happy Kids TV, Lionsgate, Mattel, Moonbug and pocket.watch, among others. Brands include Care Bears, The Cat in the Hat, Leapfrog, Little Baby Bum, My Little Pony, Rev & Roll, Super Mario Brothers and Thomas and Friends.

For users paying for premium channels, the Kids and Family portal will also include subscription-based kids and family content from partners such as Hopster, Noggin and Zoomoo, as well as children’s entertainment from services such as HBO and Starz

There’s also a bit of exclusive content, such as five episodes of the pocket.watch series Ryan’s World.

Roku said its ad load will be only 40% of what viewers would find on linear television. Roku has also set up a PIN-based system for parents to set controls on what their kids view.

Related: Roku Surpasses 30M Users, Beats Q2 Forecasts

“We recognize that it can be a challenge to find quality kids and family entertainment across multiple streaming channels, particularly free, ad-supported options,” said Rob Holmes, VP of programming and engagement for Roku.

For its part, Netflix has made a significant push into kids programming, and The Walt Disney Company will certainly challenge for that viewership share when Disney+ debuts later this year.

But in terms of the free-to-consumer ad-supported market, Roku’s robust kids play will be tough to beat, offering a no-cost programming option in an ecosystem Netflix and Disney will have to go through to reach their consumers. 

Roku shares, which have tripled in price since December, are pointed north once again.

The streaming company generated $250.1 million of revenue in the second quarter, a 59% uptick over the comparable period in 2018. Notably, 67% of Roku’s revenue during Q2 came from advertising within its ecosystem, including on AVOD platform the Roku Channel. “Platform revenue was $167.1 million for the quarter, up 86% year over year.

Analysts had expected operating losses of $0.23 per share, but the company delivered a net loss of only $0.08 per share.

Roku reported that its streaming platform is now being used regularly by 30.5 million households, up from 29.1 million at the end of the first quarter.

Average revenue per user reached $21.06, up $2 from Q1. It’s the first time that metric has exceeded $20.

You can see the rest of Roku’s second quarter financials in this letter to shareholders.

If there any clouds on Roku’s horizon, they seem to related to the OTT player business and the impact of Donald Trump’s trade war on manufacturing them.

“Tariffs might impact our future results,” CEO Anthony Wood told investors. He added that Roku is considering relocating its manufacturing base. 

British-themed streaming service Acorn TV has expanded its distribution outlets to include The Roku Channel, The Apple TV app and Android TV, according to service officials.

Acorn TV is now available for purchase directly through Premium Subscriptions on The Roku Channel, as well as through the Apple TV app and on Android TV Smart TV’s and digital media players, according to the service.

In addition, Acorn is available on Amazon Prime Video Channels for Canada, adding to the service’s distribution on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S.

“Acorn TV is now available in more ways than ever before so customers can watch its addictive international mysteries and dramas on whatever device or platform they prefer,” said Mike Pears, President of U.S. Distribution for RLJ Entertainment and Acorn TV in a statement. “With millions of drama and mystery fans worldwide, we’re thrilled to work with these key distribution partners to continue to evolve the service and expands its distribution in North America as well as worldwide.”

Live-streamed Division I men’s college basketball is coming to the Roku Channel this weekend.

A slate of 11 Conference USA, Atlantic 10 and Patriot League games, broadcast live on Stadium from March 2-14, will tip off Saturday in matchup between Fordham and Davidson.

Call it “March Pre-Madness”—the games won’t have the viewer impact of the upcoming NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, but the slate includes quarterfinal matchups of the Conference USA championship tournament—a determiner, at least to some extent, of who gets into the big March Madness 66-team tourney.

A full schedule of Stadium’s men’s hoop slate can be found here.

We’re not talking about the Roku Channel symbolically offering the appearance of getting into live sports. The fast-growing AVOD platform is live-streaming some key conference matchups at a pivotal portion of the season.

Related: Roku Set to Become $1B Company in 2019, Plans Course for International Expansion

The free-to-consumer Roku Channel, which is available as an app in the Roku ecosystem, as well as on the open internet, has been the key driver as Roku transitions from a maker of OTT devices to the operator of an ad-supported streaming platform.

Roku’s platform revenue increased 85% year over year in 2018, reaching $416.9 million, which accounted for more than 56% of total revenue. In the fourth quarter, platform revenue reached an all time high for the company, $151.4 million, a whopping 77% year over year increase.

In November, Roku announced that the Roku Channel would be adding live sports and entertainment to a programming menu that already included live-streamed news channels. Through channel additions including Adventure Sports Network, Combat Go and EDGESport. Roku touted a flora and fauna of niche competition events that included Street League Skateboarding and the Muay Thai Grand Prix Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

Virtually lost in the announcement was the addition of unnamed “live games and events” through Stadium. It's not on the level of the NBA, but men’s college hoop carries national mainstream sports audience weight—consider the 2.12 million viewers drawn by ESPN for game between top-ranked teams Duke and Syracuse. 

As subscription-based streaming has become an increasingly mature, competitive business, the advertising revenue side is emerging as undiscovered country.

Consider the Roku Channel as the Netflix of the fast-growing advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) business.

Roku just posted third-quarter revenue growth of 39% (to $173.4 million), driven by the rapid expansion of platform advertising sales on the Roku Channel.

Roku is still known for its over-the-top devices that connect TVs to the internet. But since the first quarter, it has been making more of its money selling advertising.

Platform revenue comprised 47% of Roku’s revenue in the third quarter of last year. In the just-reported 2018 third quarter, platform revenue had spiked to 57%, or $100.1 million.

That growth tracks with the free-to-consumer Roku Channel, which expanded out to the open internet in September, a year after its launch.

Roku distributes the streaming apps of about 5,000 partners in the OTT ecosystem that operate on its industry-leading device platform. That platform currently serves 23.8 million active accounts, up from 16.7 million in third-quarter 2017.

The Roku Channel is but one more app, offering library movies from suppliers including Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures, as well on-demand news channels from ABC News and Cheddar, to highlight a small cross-section of the content.

Roku doesn’t break out how much advertising revenue the Roku Channel is generating specifically. But it’s been called the platform’s fastest-proliferating app ever.

“The Roku Channel has become a material source of ad impressions and monetization on the platform, something we believe will grow over time given the expanding reach and popularity of the channel,” Roku CEO Anthony Wood said in a note to shareholders. “Increasing reach and engagement allows us to continue to improve content quality and selection on the channel, which fuels its relevance to our user base.”

Roku Channel growth also tracks the expansion of engagement with the platform in general. Total hours spent by users streaming video increased to 6.2 billion in the third quarter, up from 3.8 billion hours in Q3 2017.

Wood said he believes Roku has the advanced-advertising capability to further monetize this growth.

“A key differentiator, and competitive moat, is our direct relationship with customers on our platform which allows us to continuously collect rich data, including user registration, and anonymized behavioral information — like audience engagement with streaming channels, streaming ads and traditional linear ads using opt-in technologies like Automatic Content Recognition (ACR),” Wood said. “We gather this data and create user segments, develop lookalike audience and predictive models and activate segments for use in a variety of business operations, including recommendations for users in The Roku Channel, analytics for our content publishers and targeted advertising for brands. Our platform is also capable of ingesting CRM and third-party data sets from advertisers and data providers, to augment our already rich data set.”