30-680: The Roku Channel is an over-the-top video streaming service available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the U.K. Launched in September 2017, it is owned and operated by Roku, Inc . The service leads U.S. viewership for free ad-supported streaming TV and reports 120 million viewers as of 2023. The Roku Channel offers over 400 free live linear TV channels, more than 80,000 free movies and shows, and access to paid content. The service can be streamed using streaming players and smart TVs from Roku as well as other providers, or using web browsers running on PCs, tablets or smartphones. The Roku Channel
60-440: A 23-year-old Greenwich, Connecticut, high school dropout who never attended college. Geller chose to remain anonymous at first due to the marketing opportunities that being anonymous afforded him and his site (despite his identity being widely known by many of the organizations whose information he was disclosing). When BGR joined Penske Media Corporation, Geller decided it was best for both him and his site that he reveal himself as
90-430: A closed, private network system that uses exclusive equipment like set-top boxes , which is typically the case with IPTV services (such as U-verse TV ). OTT services are typically accessed via television sets with integrated Smart TV platforms, streaming devices such as Amazon Fire TV and Roku , video game consoles , websites on personal computers , and apps on smartphones and tablets . In 2011,
120-1046: A part of the "premium content" from Showtime, MGM+, Cinedigm and Acorn TV, with no subscription or trial required. The offering includes On Becoming a God in Central Florida (Showtime), Godfather of Harlem (Epix), America: The Story of Us (HISTORY Vault), Heartland (Dove Channel), and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (Acorn TV). The Spanish AVOD titles free to watch on The Roku Channel include Hernan ( A+E Networks ), Hunting Ava Bravo (Wild Sheep Content, Top Dead Center Films, Chollawood Productions), A la Mala ( Lionsgate ), Enamorada ( Cisneros ), Amor Comprado ( Cisneros ), Seasons 1-3 of El Señor de los Cielos ( NBCUniversal Telemundo ), El Chema: Edición Especial (NBCUniversal Telemundo), Seasons 1-2 of Señora Acero (NBCUniversal Telemundo). The Roku Channel also includes original content, including that in Spanish, in form of Roku Originals . Content creation partners for
150-442: A partnership with Roku to launch "NBA Fast", the first FAST channel from NBA, on The Roku Channel. Roku also announced an agreement with NBA to air more than 40 NBA G League games during the 2024–25 season. In May 2024, The Roku Channel secured a multiyear rights agreement with Major League Baseball to stream live the league's Sunday Leadoff games for free. In June 2024, measurement firm Comscore found The Roku Channel to be
180-464: A phone, PC, or smart television set. By mid-2017, 58 percent of US households would access one in a given month, and advertising revenues from OTT channels exceeded revenue from videos playing in web browsers on desktops and laptops. In 2019, the record of simultaneous users watching an OTT event was set at 18.6 million in India by Disney Entertainment 's video streaming platform Hotstar . The record
210-671: A report by Variety in September 2023 stated that The Roku Channel offered more than 80,000 TV shows and movies and access to premium content. The Roku Channel reported 120 million viewers by the end of 2023. In January 2024, Roku announced an agreement with Formula E to air all but 5 races per year. Roku was slated to also air Recharge , a studio program aired 24 hours after every race. According to The Wrap in February 2024, The Roku Channel offered over 400 free live linear TV channels and distributed content from over 250 partners. In April 2024, National Basketball Association (NBA) announced
240-584: Is a digital distribution service offered directly to viewers via the public Internet , rather than through an over-the-air , cable , or satellite -based provider. The term is synonymous with " streaming platform ", such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video which provide access to subscription-based film and television content (SVoD). OTT bypasses cable, broadcast , and satellite television platforms—the media through which companies have traditionally acted as controllers or distributors of such content. This content may include shows and movies for which
270-524: Is a technology-influenced website and covers topics ranging from consumer gadgets, to entertainment, gaming, and science. Founded in October 2006 by anonymous web personality Boy Genius (also referred to as BG/BGR), the site was previously based on offering the public an early look at upcoming mobile phones and devices before anyone else. On April 27, 2010, BGR was acquired by Penske Media Corporation . BGR has been mentioned in many major news sources such as
300-468: Is defined as instant messaging services or online chat provided by third parties, as an alternative to text messaging services provided by a mobile network operator . An example is the Facebook -owned mobile application WhatsApp , that serves to replace text messaging on Internet connected smartphones. Other providers of OTT messaging include Viber , WeChat , iMessage , Skype , Telegram and
330-566: Is the audio, video, and other media content delivered over the Internet, without the involvement of a multiple-system operator (MSO) in the control or distribution of the content. The Internet provider may be aware of the contents of the Internet Protocol (IP) packets and may be able to block or restrict their transit to end users (unless that internet provider operates within a jurisdiction that requires " net neutrality "). However,
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#1732802354582360-714: The Wall Street Journal blog Digits, ABC News , Reuters , The Huffington Post , and CNBC . Examples of BGR's ability to be the first to report news about a gadget include the first pictures of the Android 2.0 mobile operating system in 2009 and the first reported picture of the Amazon Kindle 2 in 2008. As of August 2017, BGR reaches over 11 million unique visitors a month. While running BGR, Boy Genius kept his identity concealed. On April 27, 2010, Boy Genius revealed himself as Jonathan Geller ,
390-665: The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Canada's telecommunications regulator, stated that it "considers that Internet access to programming independent of a facility or network dedicated to its delivery (via, for example, cable or satellite) is the defining feature of what has been termed 'over-the-top' services". In contrast to video on demand systems offered by cable and IPTV , which operate over managed networks where channels can be changed instantly and thus content available instantaneously, some OTT services such as iTunes require that
420-528: The Miss Universe beauty pageant in the United States, making the first time the pageant would broadcast on streaming television, after several years on linear television. By the end of 2022, The Roku Channel was offering premium subscriptions for over 50 services including Discovery+ , Paramount+ , MGM+ , Showtime , Starz , HBO , AMC+ , Shudder and Acorn TV . Moreover, The Roku Channel
450-614: The original content library of the defunct mobile video service Quibi for an undisclosed amount, reported to be around $ 100 million, for availability on The Roku Channel. The content was rebranded as Roku Originals . In August 2021, The Roku Channel was reported to add CBC , AccuWeather Now , FilmRise True Crime, Haunt TV , and IGN for free streaming. By March 2022, The Roku Channel included news services such as ABC News , Bloomberg , Cheddar , NBC News , Newsy , People TV , Reuters , USA Today , WeatherNation , and Yahoo Finance , all available for free streaming. In October 2022,
480-509: The ISP is not responsible for the viewing abilities, copyrights, and/or other redistribution of the content from the OTT provider. This model contrasts with the purchasing or rental of video or audio content from an Internet service provider , such as pay television , video on demand and internet protocol television (IPTV). OTT refers to content from a third party that is delivered to an end-user, with
510-404: The ISP simply transporting IP packets. OTT television , commonly called streaming television , remains the most popular OTT content. This signal is received over the Internet or through a cell phone network, as opposed to receiving the television signal from a terrestrial broadcast or satellite. The video distributor controls access through an app, a separate OTT dongle, or a box connected to
540-455: The Internet or other Internet Protocol (IP)-based transmission path where the transmission path is provided by a person other than the OVD. An OVD does not include an MVPD inside its MVPD footprint or an MVPD to the extent it is offering online video programming as a component of an MVPD subscription to customers whose homes are inside its MVPD footprint. In broadcasting , over-the-top (OTT) content
570-406: The OTT acquired licensed rights from the content owner. Programming may also include original content produced by the service or specifically for it. OTT services also include a range of "skinny" television offerings by streaming platforms, such as Sling TV and Hulu with Live TV , that provide live streams of specialty channels . OTT content is delivered via the public Internet instead of
600-1040: The October 2024 showed that The Roku Channel gathered 1.8% of all U.S. TV use and ranked as the sixth most-watched streaming service, trailing YouTube (10.6%), Netflix (7.5%) and Prime Video (3.5%). Below is a partial list of live TV channels included in The Roku Channel for free streaming: The Roku Channel offers viewers to watch a selection of advertising video on demand content for free, requiring no subscription fee. This content includes movies from Hollywood studios such as Lionsgate , Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Sony Pictures and Warner Brothers , and videos from publishers such as American Classics, Fandor , FilmRise, Nosey, OVGuide, Popcornflix, Vidmark, and YuYu. The channel also delivers about 2000 hours of content from Warner Bros. Discovery’s TV series and movies, including content from HBO, HBO Max, Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television and more. Moreover, it offers for free
630-728: The Roku Originals include Cisley Saldaña, Liz Jenkins, Mariel Saldaña, Paul Hollywood , Prue Leith , Rich Eisen , and “Weird Al” Yankovic . Spanish-language content creation partners include Jennifer Lopez , Juanpa Zurita and Jaime Camil . Ads are often played at an extremely high volume, startling viewers. The Roku Channel offers paid subscriptions for various services including Discovery+ , Paramount+ , HBO , MGM+ , Showtime , Starz , Cinemax , AMC+ , Shudder , Acorn TV , Fuse Plus , and Vix Premium . Over-the-top media services An over-the-top media service (also known as over-the-top television , or simply OTT )
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#1732802354582660-783: The channel was launched in Mexico. According to Deadline Hollywood , October 2022 also saw Charlie Collier, previously the CEO of Fox Entertainment , join Roku as the President of Roku Media to manage ad platform business and content for The Roku Channel and more. Later, in December 2022, Roku announced that it would sign a agreement with the Miss Universe Organization to broadcast the 70th (2022) and 71st (2023) editions of
690-500: The most popular among all free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) streaming services in the U.S. In August 2024, Roku launched a new FAST channel, Roku Sports Channel, to be made available on The Roku Channel. At launch, the sports channel would show live events from MLB Sunday Leadoff , Formula E and the NBA G League and live studio programming from The Rich Eisen Show and GMFB: Overtime . Later, viewership data from Nielsen for
720-426: The now defunct Google Allo . OTT voice calling , usually called VoIP , capabilities, for instance, a softphone or as provided by FaceTime , Skype , Viber , WhatsApp , WeChat , and Zoom use open internet communication protocols to replace and sometimes enhance existing operator controlled services offered by mobile phone operators. Boy Genius Report Boy Genius Report (also referred to as BGR )
750-588: The video be downloaded first and then played. Relatedly, some OTT services require movie download but can start playing the content before the download completes ( streaming ). The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) categorizes OTT services into two groups: multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) and online video distributors (OVDs). Virtual MVPDs include such services such as DirecTV Stream , FuboTV , Sling TV , Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV . The FCC defined an OVD as: any entity that provides video programming by means of
780-441: Was also reported to have signed content licensing deals with Sony Pictures , Warner Bros. , Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , Lionsgate , Disney , and Paramount Pictures . Additionally, the service offered content from existing partners including American Classics , FilmRise , Nosey, OVGuide , Popcornflix , Vidmark , and YuYu. April 2020 saw the launch of The Roku Channel in the U.K. In January 2021, Roku announced that it had acquired
810-1001: Was broken again in 2023 with 59 million concurrent viewers during the ICC Cricket World Cup final on Disney+ Hotstar . Consumers can access OTT content through Internet-connected devices such as smart TVs , digital media players , gaming consoles , set-top boxes , desktop and laptop computers, tablets , and smartphones . The results of a 2018 in-house data analysis of their subscribers by Uscreen (a membership platform for video creators and entrepreneurs) reported that 45% used iOS and Android mobile devices to access their OTT content, while 39% used web browsers for streaming. The term "OTT" has also been used to describe no-carrier cellphones , for which all communications are charged as data, avoiding monopolistic competition , or apps for phones that transmit data in this manner, including both those that replace other call methods and those that update software. OTT messaging
840-466: Was launched in September 2017 as a free, ad-supported streaming television service ("FAST"), available to viewers in the U.S. Roku's CEO Anthony Wood stated in the same month that the channel was a "way for content owners to publish their content on Roku without writing an app". By August 2018, the channel had expanded to Canada, and a website version of the service was launched, allowing it to be accessed via any web browser. In August 2018, The Roku Channel
870-561: Was reaching U.S. households with a total population of 100 million, in Roku's estimates. The Roku Channel was also reportedly the most popular FAST service in the U.S. in 2021 and 2022. In February 2023, BGR reported that Roku announced the addition of nearly 2000 hours of on-demand content to The Roku Channel. This content included offerings from HBO, HBO Max , Discovery Channel , HGTV , Food Network , TLC , Warner Bros. Pictures , and Warner Bros. Television . Moreover, this content would be available to stream for free. In August 2023, it
900-577: Was reported that The Roku Channel was adding several NBCUniversal services as free, ad-supported options. These included NBC News Now , Dateline , Today All Day , NBC local stations, regional Telemundo news channels, Universal Action , Alfred Hitchcock Presents , Sky News International , The Rotten Tomatoes Channel , and a Universal Crime channel. Further, The Roku Channel became available on Google TV and other Android TV OS devices, in addition to Roku-branded streaming devices and smart TVs, Amazon Fire TVs , Apple TV , and Samsung smart TVs. Moreover,
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