A Roku remote control on a photograph arranged in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, on May 2, 2021.
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Roku Announced Tuesday that it was launched Howdy, a commercial -free streaming service which costs $ 2.99 per month, in a change for the company that has been known for a long time for free visualization and supported by advertising.
The streaming platform should have 10,000 hours of cinematographic and television content from Lionsgate,, Discovery Warner Bros. and filmrise, as well as its own exclusive program known as Roku Originals. The service is available in the United States from Tuesday.
“With the launch of Howdy, Roku makes the beloved content of our catalog accessible to an even larger audience,” said Johnny Holden, income director and strategy for Radial Entertainment, the parent company, in a press release.
Roku, who also manufactures streaming equipment such as devices and televisions, launched its free streaming option and supported by advertising, the Roku channel, in 2017. These types of services, which also include Overall Pluto and Fox Corp. Tubi, has seen accelerated growth with regard to audiences and advertising revenues.
The new service works next to the Roku canal, which will remain free. Howdy will initially be available on the Roku platform and will later be deployed on mobile and other platforms, said the company.
“At the price of less than a cup of coffee, Howdy is without advertising and designed to complete, and not to compete with premium services,” said Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Roku.
In June, the streaming and media giant signed a partnership agreement with Amazon Advertising, the advertising company of the technological giant, intended to extend the scope of Roku with advertisers. The agreement gives advertisers access to more than 80 million American households and includes the Fire TV streaming devices in Roku and Amazon, according to a press release announcing the partnership.
Roku published the profits of the second quarter on Thursday, by publishing a turnover of $ 1.11 billion, which exceeded analysts’ expectations. Platform revenues increased from 18% from one year to the next to $ 975 million.