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Roku (ROKU) Rolls Out Free TV Streaming in UK Amid Lockdown

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Roku, Inc. (ROKU - Free Report) has announced the launch of The Roku Channel in UK with free access to more than 10000 movies, TV episodes and documentaries as users practice social distancing due to coronavirus-led lockdown.

The Roku Channel is coming to Roku streaming devices, including the Roku Express, Roku Premiere, and Roku Streaming Stick+. Moreover, the channel is also available on the Hisense Roku TV that was launched in late 2019 apart from Sky Q boxes and Now TV streaming sticks.

Notably, there are no subscriptions or fees required to access The Roku Channel but the programs will be interspersed with ads.

Roku, Inc. Price and Consensus

Roku, Inc. Price and Consensus

Roku, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Roku, Inc. Quote

Roku Channel Content Lineup for British Viewers

The UK Roku Channel will feature popular global and British TV series, alongside a special Kids & Family section.

Popular British series showcased on The Roku Channel include Homes Under the Hammer, The Commander, Ultimate Force, Fifth Gear, Skins and Britain’s Best Bakery.

Additionally, other Hollywood hits including Get Carter, The Wicker Man and Les Miserables are a part of the film library.

Moreover, The Roku Channel comes with children's content curated from both linear TV and digital platforms like Alphabet’s (GOOGL - Free Report) Google-owned YouTube.

The Kids & Family section features shows like Bob the Builder, Teletubbies, Oddbods, Bernard, Ryan’s World Specials, Fireman Sam and Baby Einstein Classics to entertain children at home as school, parks and malls remain shut due to coronavirus outbreak.

Notably, Roku has teamed up with over 40 content partners, including Hollywood studios such as EndemolShine Group, FilmRise, Lionsgate (LGF.A - Free Report) and Sony’s Sony Pictures Television among others with more expected to join over time.

Roku’s Ad Business to Aid Top-Line Growth

Roku has been pushing further into the UK market with budget television set — the Hisense Roku TV — which is available in the UK and the recent Roku OS 9.3 update bringing Alexa and Google Assistant support to Roku streamers too.

This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold)) company’s expanded licensing partnerships and advertising revenues from The Roku Channel and advertising video on demand (AVOD) partners are expected to boost top-line growth in the near term. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Additionally, increased streaming hours growth is expected to boost TV streaming advertising on Roku’s platform with the launch of streaming services — Apple TV+ and Disney+ from Apple and Disney, respectively, during the fourth quarter, which witnessed 60% year-over-year increase in streaming hours to 11.7 billion.

Moreover, the acquisition of Dataxu (a demand-side advertising platform) in the fourth-quarter is expected to accelerated Roku’s OTT advertising roadmap and enable the company to provide marketers a single data-driven software solution to plan, buy and optimize their ad spend across TV and OTT.

The Roku Channel may not appeal to viewers who prefer paying for ad-free content. Nonetheless, the ad-supported service will attract users seeking free supplement to their existing TV streaming service subscriptions, which may include Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon prime videos. 

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