Roku Adds Premium Subscriptions for Channels

Roku is expanding The Roku Channel to include premium subscriptions, adding 25-plus offerings from providers such as Showtime, Starz and EPIX.

In addition to the more than 10,000 free ad-supported movies and TV episodes already available, The Roku Channel will offer users the option to pay for subscriptions to some 25 channels. Premium subscriptions are only viewable within The Roku Channel. Premium subscription partners at launch include Showtime, Starz, EPIX, Baeble Music, CollegeHumor’s DROPOUT, CuriosityStream, FitFusion, The Great Courses Signature Collection, Hopster, Magnolia Selects presented by Magnolia Pictures, MHz Choice, NOGGIN, Smithsonian Channel Plus, Tastemade, Viewster Anime and more.

Additionally, search within The Roku Channel will be expanded, allowing users to search for keywords within the channel.

“We’re focused on making it easy to find great entertainment of all types on the platform and adding premium subscriptions is a natural evolution for The Roku Channel,” said Rob Holmes, VP of programming and engagement at Roku. “As a top five channel by active account reach, The Roku Channel is already a great source for free, ad-supported entertainment and provides significant user engagement. By making it easy for users to discover, subscribe to and watch Premium Subscriptions, we believe this offering will result in increased subscriptions and user engagement for our subscription partners and an even better user experience.”

“Bringing our premium programming to a highly engaged user base via The Roku Channel is a great opportunity to expand our reach, drive more viewership and make our range of Starz original TV series and movies more widely accessible to new and growing audiences,” said Joe Glennon, executive VP of affiliate sales at Starz.