Roku unveils its own free, ad-supported movie channel

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Having just announced plans to raise $100 million from an IPO, Roku's movie-focused (and ingeniously-named) ‘Roku Channel’ will be coming to its streaming platform in the near future...

Thanks to licensing deals with Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Entertainment, MGM and Warner Brothers, the ad-supported channel will offer Roku device owners hundreds of films, such as Ali, The Karate Kid and Legally Blonde. According to Variety, this marks the first time that Roku has licensed movies from Hollywood studios on this scale.

The Roku Channel will also push video content from other US content companies on the platform, such as Popcornflix.

Rob Holmes, vice president of programming at Roku, has said: “With the Roku Channel, we’re responding to consumer demand and helping content publishers deliver content through a new experience that makes finding free entertainment easy for our customers.”

The channel is rolling out “over the coming weeks”, so Roku device owners should soon be able to download it for free, from the platform’s store.

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Becky Roberts
Becky Roberts

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine. During her 10+ years in the hi-fi industry, she has reviewed all manner of audio gear, from budget amplifiers to high-end speakers, and particularly specialises in headphones and head-fi devices. In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.