Roku has locked up an exclusive preview of the first episode of season two of Park Bench with Steve Buscemi, AOL’s original Emmy-nominated series, in the U.S.
The preview, available now on Roku players and Roku TV models via the AOL On channel, became available Thursday (June 4), two weeks before season two of the series is offered on other platforms starting June 18.
As the name implies, the series, created and starring Steve Buscemi, features Buscemi and his friends sitting around to discuss “the special people, places, and spirit that embody the true essence of New York City.” Those joining Buscemi in season two include musician Elvis Costello, comedian John Oliver, actress Amber Tamblyn, actress Zosia Mamet, actor Paul Sparks, comedian Robert Smigel as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, comedian Gilbert Gottfried, and filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, among
Early access to the premiere of season two of the show, which is produced by Olive Productions and RadicalMedia, provides a bit of a differentiator to Roku, which is competing in the OTT sector against big players such as Apple, Google and Amazon.
“’Park Bench’ is a popular, critically acclaimed original series that I know Roku customers will enjoy viewing before it’s available on any other platform,” said Ed Lee, VP of content at Roku. “Working closely with channel partners such as AOL to deliver these exclusive entertainment experiences plays an important role in differentiating the Roku platform from the competition.”
“We're committed to making our content accessible to consumers to view on connected, over-the-top devices and screens of all sizes,” said Dermot McCormack, President of AOL Video & Studios. “ AOL video views have more than doubled across over-the-top devices compared to last year at this time and since Roku is a leading streaming platform with millions of customers, it is a natural fit for us to deliver an exclusive experience for Roku customers around our Emmy-nominated series.”
