Roku is planning to launch a video subscription video marketplace that would share similarities with Amazon Channels, the SVOD aggregation service that was launched more than two years ago, according to Variety.

Per the report, Roku’s plan is to provide a streamlined, more simplified way for users to sign up for and view subscription video services on Roku players and integrated Roku TVs without having to download separate apps.

Roku declined to comment on its reported plans. 

Under its curation model, Amazon streamlines access to dozens of OTT-delivered subscription services, including Starz, HBO Now, Showtime, CuriosityStream and BritBox, to name a few, to its Prime customers.

Under Roku’s Switzerland-style approach, the platform has become a streaming home for thousands of OTT apps and services. Under Roku’s purported approach with aggregation, users wouldn’t need to separate apps for partners that are part of the program. Variety said Roku is also working on a new billing platform called Roku Pay.

Elsewhere in the OTT world, Ellation-owned VRV platform has also hitched its wagon to the aggregation model, selling a mix of individual SVOD services alongside a value-driven combo pack.

RELATED: VRV Adds Titles from Warner Bros. Animation, Sci-Fi Service Dust

Comcast, meanwhile, has also been using its pay TV platform to offer and sell more than two dozen, separate subscription video services, including AMC Premiere, FX+, TumbleBooks TV, History Vault, Lifetime Movie Club, and Acorn TV.

Roku appears to be eyeing an approach that is paying dividends particularly for Amazon Channels. About 55% of direct-to-consumer subscription video purchases are made through Amazon, according to The Diffusion Group.

RELATED: Study: Amazon Dominates Direct-to-Consumer Video

The move to drive the subscription model through a more targeted, streamlined offering also appears poised to bring more dollars to Roku’s fast-growing Platforms unit, which includes advertising, subscription revenue sharing and licensing fees from TV manufacturer partners.

RELATED: Roku’s Platform Revenue Exceeds Player Revenue in Q1

VRV, Ellation’s SVOD aggregation service, is adding a set of titles from Warner Bros. Animation as well as content from Dust, a relatively new sci-fi-focused service.

New programing coming way of Warner Bros. Entertainment includes Freakazoid! and Road Rovers (added on May 11) and Dragon’s Lair (added May 14). Content from Dust, a sci-fi service from Gunpowder & Sky focused on short-form titles from emerging and established filmmakers, was added to VRV on May 16.

RELATED: ‘Dust’ Goes Over-the-Top With Short-Form Sci-Fi

With respect to the new animation titles, part of the aim is to add witty content (and “more adult than you might remember”) that works well with VRV’s audience, Gabriel VanHuss, head of programming at VRV, said.

The latest mix of additions also tie into a strategy that enables VRV to see how certain content connects with its audience while possibly opening the door for broader, channel-class offerings.

Out of the chute, that content will be offered on VRV Select, a curated house channel that VRV launched last year and is part of a $9.99 per month SVOD premium package that also bundles in several other individual services such as Crunchyroll, Funimation, CuriosityStream, DramaFever, Rooster Teeth and Shudder, among others.

Mixing in this new content on VRV Select marks an exploratory “first step” that will enable the service to see how VRV customers are engaging with it, how those titles interact with other content on the platform, and enable VRV to assess initial assumptions that this new content will hit it off with the VRV audience, explained Eric Berman, VRV’s head of business development.

If everything pans out in this incubation stage on VRV Select, it’s possible that VRV’s work with these partners could evolve into the building of new individual SVOD channels, he added.

VRV, which has more than 2 million registered users (the service hasn’t disclosed its paid base), is also using other distribution outlets to broaden exposure to the service.

A new example is Facebook Watch. VRV is making French animated series Dofus available on Facebook Watch starting today, with new episodes running on that platform on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays through mid-September.

VRV has also worked with Twitch to highlight series and other content offered on the SVOD service. 

VRV, Ellation’s subscription VOD aggregation service, has teamed with Metro Goldwyn Mayer to add Stargate Command to VRV Select, a curated house channel launched last year.

The integration will provide access to the full Stargate Command offering that’s part of an All-Access offering that includes Stargate Origins, a digital, short-form prequel series for the Stargate franchise that was launched last fall, and a library that includes StargateSG-1, Stargate: Universe,Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate (the motion picture), Stargate: The Ark of Truth, Stargate: Continuum and a mix of extras.

RELATED: MGM Slates ‘Stargate Origins’ Digital Series

VRV Select is part of a $9.99 per month SVOD package from VRV that also bundles in services such as Crunchyroll, Funimation, DramaFever, Rooster Teeth, and Shudder, among others. 

RELATED: SVOD Shakeout: The Survival of the Fittest (subscription required)

As a stand-alone, MGM sells All-Access for a one-time fee of $20 (providing access from the Startgate Command launch on Sept. 20, 2017, through May 15, 2018), and will continue to provide those members with a window of exclusivity for newly released content. VRV, meanwhile, will offer episodes of Stargate Origins no earlier than 30 days after each episode first appears on Stargate Command, they said.

MGM also announced that, this summer, it will make the new feature-length cut of Stargate Origins available for sale digitally (in resolutions up to 4K) for $19.99 in the U.S., and will also offer local language versions (at a price to be announced later) in several other international markets, including France, Italy, Japan, Spain and Latin America. That cut, the first Stargate content to be released in 4K, will also be made available for free to All-Access subscribers.

VRV announced that it now supports Apple TV devices, complementing its reach on other streaming platforms that includes web browsers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Android TV, Fire TV boxes and sticks, Xbox One and PS4 consoles, newer-generation Roku devices, and Google’s Chromecast.

"We are honored to partner with MGM to bring Stargate, one the most beloved sci-fi franchises of all-time, to VRV,” Eric Berman, head of business development & partnerships at Ellation, said in a statement. “Together, we can now offer the fandom access to their favorite content across mobile and living room devices through the VRV app, which as of today, is now available on Apple TV."

VRV has not announced subscriber figures, but, at last check, said it had about 2 million registered users.

VRV, Ellation’s SVOD aggregation service, is broadening its support for TV-connected platforms. 

Though mobile access still remains important, VRV said it has added support for Amazon Fire TV and Android TV devices.

That expands on existing integration with iOS and Android mobile devices, web browsers, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles, Chromecast streaming adapters, and newer-generation Roku devices.

VRV’s bigger focus on TV-connected platforms also comes amid a revised content strategy that spreads well beyond its focus on genres such as anime, comedy, gaming and fantasy, when the service debuted in late 2016.

Last month, for example, VRV became the exclusive streaming home for two original series from El Rey Network -- Man at Arms: Art of War and Robert Rodriguez’s The Director’s Chair. Season one of both series are now offered on VRV Select, VRV’s curated house channel that’s part of a $9.99 per month premium bundle that includes several other services, including Crunchyroll, Funimation, Rooster Teeth, Tested, Shudder and Nerdist.  Both series continue to run on El Rey Network, and new episodes are currently production.

VRV has also been broadening its curated SVOD offering with recent additions such as CuriosityStream (fact-based and documentary titles), DramaFever (Korean TV shows and movies), and MUBI (cult, classic, independent and award-winning titles).

VRV has not announced subscriber figures, but says it has about 2 million registered users.

Ellation, VRV’s owner, is a portfolio company of Otter Media, the OTT-focused joint venture of AT&T and The Chernin Group.

VRV said two original series from El Rey Network -- Man at Arms: Art of War and Robert Rodriguez’s The Director’s Chair – are being made available on the Ellation-owned SVOD aggregation service.

Season one of both series are available for streaming on VRV Select, VRV’s curated house channel that’s part of a $9.99 per month premium bundle that includes several other services, including Crunchyroll, Funimation, Rooster Teeth, Tested, Shudder and Nerdist.

Update:As a clarification, VRV is now the exclusive streaming service for those two series, which continue to run on El Rey Network, with new episodes in production. While VRV is the exclusive streaming home for The Director's Chair, it is also being sold (via download) on iTunes ($2.99 per episode, or $29.99 for all of season one). 

The Director’s Chair, produced by Troublemaker Studios and Skip Film with FactoryMade, is a series featuring interviews between directors and host Robert Rodriguez. Past guests include Sylvester Stallone, John Carpenter, Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Mann, George Miller, Guillermo del Toro, Robert Zemeckis, Frank Darabont, Jon Favreau and Quentin Tarantino.

Man at Arms: Art of War, hosted by Danny Trejo and produced by DEFY, features a team of expert craftsmen who reproduce iconic weapons and armor from scratch.

VRV has not announced subscriber figures, but says it has more than 1.5 million registered users. The additions of the two original series expands on VRV’s move into content that extends beyond genres like gaming, fantasy, comedy and anime that dominated the service’s focus when it launched in late 2016.

RELATED: VRV Adds Drama Fever to Lineup

“The Director’s Chair and Man at Arms: Art of War lifts the curtain and presents a fascinating look at how things are made – whether it’s beloved films or iconic weapons,” Daniel Tibbets, president and GM of El Rey, said in a statement. “I anticipate that the VRV audience will embrace these series as enthusiastically as the El Rey audience.”

RELATED: VRV to Add CuriosityStream to SVOD Mix, Launch Offline Viewing

VRV, Ellation’s SVOD aggregation service, is expanding its content slate again, this time in the form of DramaFever, the OTT service that specializes in Korean TV shows and movies and content from other parts of the globe.

DramaFever, now a unit of Warner Bros. Digital Networks, offers shows such as Good Doctor, a South Korean medical drama that was recently adapted by David Shore for ABC, comedies that include My Secret Romance, and Running Man, a variety show.

RELATED: Warner Bros. Buys DramaFever

VRV is selling DramaFever as a standalone for $4.99 per month, and in a $9.99 per month bundle that also features Cartoon Hangover, Crunchyroll, CuriosityStream, Funimation, Geek & Sundry, MONDO, Mubi, Nerdist, Rooster Teeth, Shudder, Tested, and VRV Select.

DramaFever also sells a direct-to-consumer service that starts at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. Amazon Channels, meanwhile, sells DramaFever Instant among its dozens of SVOD services.

The addition of DramaFever continues a broadening of VRV’s content focus beyond initial areas that included anime and animation.

Last month, for example, VRV tacked on CuriosityStream, the fact-based entertainment service started up by Discovery Communications founder John Hendricks, and also added Mubi, which features cult, classic, independent and award-winning titles.

RELATED: VRV to Add CuriosityStream to SVOD Mix, Launch Offline Viewing

“We are honored to partner with DramaFever, an established player in the SVOD space, whom we've been watching from afar for some time," Eric Berman, head of partnerships for VRV, said in a statement. "They bring an immense amount of premium content from across the world, providing even more unique value to the VRV offering and further leveling-up our ability to serve passionate audiences."

VRV, Ellation’s SVOD aggregation and bundling service, has expanded its content slate with the addition of MUBI as a channel partner.

In MUBI, VRV adds a service for film buffs that features a mix of cult, classic, independent and award winning titles. Under a distribution model that mirrors a limited theatrical run, MUBI releases one new film per day, with each title available for 30 days.

Titles offered on MUBI in November and December include the global premiere of Radio Mary, an indie from Gary Walkow (director of The Trouble With Dick), the first two films of Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip trilogy, Spike Lee’s Passing Strange, as well as This Is Spinal Tap.

In addition to MUBI, VRV today has also added CuriosityStream, the OTT service from Discovery Communications founder John Hendricks that develops and licenses a library of fact-based programming and “edu-tainment” content.

RELATED: VRV to Add CuriosityStream to SVOD Mix, Launch Offline Viewing

Update: VRV is offering CuriosityStream and MUBI on an a la carte basis for $5.99 each, and is also bundling both of those services in its Combo Pack, which sells for $9.99 per month and now features a dozen channels (others channels currently offered in VRV's SVOD bundle include Cartoon Hangover, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Geek & Sundry, Mondo, Nerdist, Rooster Teeth, Shudder, Tested and the new VRV Select channel). 

VRV also confirmed that it is rolling out offline viewing today, enabling customers download and later view titles without an internet connection.

VRV, which offers SVOD services on an a la carte basis as well as via a bundle, initially tailored its service for fans of anime, animation, gaming, comedy, fantasy and technology, but has been expanding into adjacent areas following the additions of CuriosityStream and MUBI.

“Our goal is to be big, but not broad,” Arlen Marmel, VRV’s general manager, said in a recent interview.

VRV launched about a year ago, but hasn’t released subscriber numbers. Earlier this month it announced that VRV has about 1.5 million registered users, 1 million “active” users (those who visit VRV at least once in a given month), and that its platform has delivered more than 1 billion minutes of watched video so far. The average VRV user has been spending about three hours per week watching content on VRV, while premium users spend about five hours per week (or about 43 minutes per day) on the service.

VRV parent company Ellation is a portfolio company of Otter Media, the OTT-focused joint venture of AT&T and The Chernin Group.

RELATED: Report Rekindles Rumor That AT&T Has Eyes for Rest of Otter Media

Ellation, the OTT-focused company tied to Otter Media (the AT&T-The Chernin Group joint venture) has tapped Mediamorph’s cloud-based platform to help it manage content rights and contracts tied to subscription services such as Crunchyroll and VRV.

Ellation manages more than 25,000 titles across Crunchyroll and VRV, a new SVOD aggregation service, along with 20 million registered users and more than 1 million paid subs across both OTT brands.  

RELATED: Mediamorph Lands $21M ‘C’ Round

Ellation joins a list of known Mediamorph customers that includes Liberty Global, Frontier Communications, and Altibox. Ellation is a portfolio company of Otter Media, the OTT-focused joint venture of AT&T and The Chernin Group.

RELATED: Mediamorph Lands Hulu Deal 

“As we continue to grow, it is critical for us to scale successfully and better manage the complex nature of our contracts and title rights,” Susanna Hofmann, Ellation’s CFO, said in a statement. “Mediamorph will both improve the visibility into our library of content to take full advantage of its value, and more effectively aid the automation of our financial processing.”

VRV, a new SVOD aggregation/bundling service, and Brown Sugar, a recently launched SVOD focused on popular African-American-themed movies from the 1970s and 1980s, both extended support this week to Google’s Chromecast streaming adapter.

RELATED: Bounce TV to Launch ‘Brown Sugar’ SVOD Service

Brown Sugar, which sells for $3.99 per month and features titles such as The Mack, Foxy Brown, Shaft and Super Fly, is also supported on Web browsers and iOS and Android mobile devices.

RELATED: SVOD Surge (subscription required)

VRV, from Ellation, offers a mix of individual SVOD services focused on fans of anime, animation, gaming, comedy, fantasy and technology, as well as a combo package that runs $9.99 per month. VRV also supports Android and iOS mobile devices and Xbox One and PS4 consoles.

RELATED: VRV’s ‘Combo Pack’ Offers 8 SVOD Channels for $9.99/Month

VRV, Ellation’s new subscription VOD aggregation service/platform, recently revealed pricing on a bundled “Combo Pack” that will offer steep discounts on eight “channels” when compared to pricing when those services are purchased separately.

VRV’s Combo Pack bundles together Crunchyroll, MONDO, Funimation, Rooster Teeth, Cartoon Hangover, Nerdist, Geek & Sundry, and Tested for $9.99 per month. Together, they’d run about $33 if a consumer  subscribed to those services individually. VRV is also offering a seven-day free trial for its first SVOD bundle.

RELATED: Ellation’s ‘VRV’ Platform Sets Sights on SVOD Surge

“This is not a limited time offer, and you won’t find this bundle anywhere else. Not only does VRV facilitate a new and bigger community built by the team that brought you Crunchyroll, but it also offers a new model of value for fans of these related genres,” Mike Aragon, GM of VRV, noted in this Oct. 28 blog post.

RELATED: OTT Innovator Helps Build a New Platform

VRV is also making its supported SVOD services, including those offered in the aforementioned bundle, available on a la carte basis. Here’s how the one-off pricing stacks up for each ad-free SVOD service via VRV:

-Crunchyroll: $6.95 per month

-Funimation: $5.99 per month

-Rooster Teeth: $4.99 per month

-Cartoon Hangover: $2.99 per month

-MONDO: $2.99 per month

-Nerdist: $2.49 per month

-Geek & Sundry: $2.49 per month

-Tested: $3.99 per month

-GINX: $1.75 per month

-Machinima: $1.99 per month

-Rifftrax: $4.99 per month

-Seeso: $3.99 per month

-Shudder: $4.99 per month

Of that initial batch of partners, Cartoon Hangover and MONDO are exclusive to VRV. Aragon noted that VRV intends to add channels from more partners in the coming months.

Per the FAQ, VRV also offers more than 20,000 hours of free, ad-supported content.

Following a recent launched beta trial, VRV was pushed live last week, a VRV official confirmed. VRV said it was “available for public consumption” on November 10.

Ellation, a portfolio company of Otter Media (the OTT-focused joint venture of AT&T and The Chernin Group), introduced VRV in June in tandem with E3. Its SVOD platform is being tailored for fans of anime, animation, gaming, comedy, fantasy and technology.

VRV is initially supported on the Xbox One as well as native apps for iOS and Android smartphones, and expects to add more platforms to the list later.

VRV, Ellation’s budding SVOD aggregation service/platform, is one step closer to its commercial launch after issuing beta invitations today.

“If you signed up to be notified when our beta goes live, check the email address you gave us for instructions to download the VRV app and get things rolling! If you haven’t heard from us yet, though, sit tight!” the company announced here while also sharing word on Twitter:

VRV BETA INVITES ARE ROLLING OUT! Check our Tumblr for more info! https://t.co/xTBgDcmaeK

— VRV (@WatchVRV) October 28, 2016

VRV said it will use its Tumblr to keep tabs on major  bug fixes and content updates.

RELATED: OTT Innovator Helps Build a New Platform

Of recent note, VRV announced several new content partners in areas such as anime, gaming, comedy, horror and tech, including Funimation, Tested, RiffTrax, CollegeHumor, Machinima, GINX eSports TV, and Shudder.

Other announced VRV launch partners include Ellation’s own Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Seeso, Nerdist Alpha, and Geek & Sundry Alpha, along with exclusive access to Frederator Networks’ premium Cartoon Hangover offering.

RELATED: Ellation’s ‘VRV’ Platform Sets Sights on SVOD Surge

VRV will make all supported SVOD services available on an a la carte basis, but will also feature bundling options. VRV will be available on the Xbox One at launch (VRV has not announced that date).

Ellation is a portfolio company of Otter Media (the OTT-focused joint venture of AT&T and The Chernin Group).

VRV, Ellation’s soon-to-launch curated SVOD service/platform, said it has struck deals with an additional batch of content partners spanning several areas and genres, including anime, gaming, comedy, horror and tech.

The latest to join the mix are Funimation, Tested, RiffTrax, CollegeHumor, Machinima, GINX eSports TV, and Shudder, which will all offer their respective premium channels on VRV, when it launches later this year. Additionally, MONDO, a digital distributor of high-quality animation, will debut “MONDO Premium,” as an SVOD exclusive on VRV in the U.S.

VRV’s platform will be taking aim at rising popularity of niche-focused, SVOD services that can be delivered over-the-top to connected devices. VRV has also announced several other launch partners, including Ellation’s own Crunchyroll, as well as Rooster Teeth, Seeso, Nerdist Alpha, and Geek & Sundry Alpha, along with exclusive access to Frederator Networks’ premium Cartoon Hangover offering.

RELATED: Rooster Teeth Ready to a Take Bigger Bite

Ellation, a portfolio company of Otter Media (the OTT-focused joint venture of AT&T and The Chernin Group), is tailoring its platform for fans of anime, animation, gaming, comedy, fantasy and technology. 

“We have been working to bring as many partner companies to VRV as possible so that our passionate fans can enjoy the most comprehensive collection of content developed specifically for them,” said Mike Aragon, General Manager of VRV, in a statement. “At launch, we will have over a dozen channels on the platform. This unique mix of channels will create a first-of-its-kind video experience, incorporating premium content in a more interactive and community-based environment.”

RELATED: OTT Innovator Helps Build a New Platform

VRV will be available on the Xbox One at launch (that date still has not been announced), and is expected to announce other device partners later.

Watch this sizzle-reel from VRV: