Roku is officially getting into thestreaming servicegame. Most people are familiar with Roku for their streaming devices, which were first made available in 2008. But times are changing and streaming subscription services are becoming increasingly important. As such, Roku is moving away from strictly device-oriented business and will now be offering their own streaming service.
Roku will be operating similarly to the way Amazon operates with itsAmazon Channels service, which has been extremely successful up to this point. Though, Roku won’t have HBO GO available directly through the Roku Channel at the start. But they will have a standalone Epix channel, which is something that previously wasn’t available, unless one had a pay TV subscription. Roku’s vice president of programming and engagement Rob Holmes explained in an interview that they may have the edge over Amazon in this department in some ways.
For those who already use the Roku Channel, this could serve as a major improvement. It’s also going to be great for those who may want to explore what the app has to offer without actually having to buy a Roku device. But this serves as yet another reminder that there are going to be far morestreaming subscription optionsin the coming years, all with their various pros and cons.
Netflix is currently the streaming king, but Disney is launching Disney+ next year, with WarnerMedia also looking to launch their own service. There are also niche services like Shudder to consider. The main problem for consumers being that each service has exclusive content that can’t be obtained anywhere else. So TV and movie lovers are going to have to shell out for several different services to verify they can get all of the content they want. But at least Roku is going to try and consolidate everything within a single app. This news was previously reported byWired.
