Roku rolls out its own TV channel, pitting it against the very apps that call its box home

The most popular streaming TV box for delivering Netflix, Hulu, and any other a la carte TV is officially tossing its own content hat into the ring. That's right, Roku is launching its own over-the-top (OTT) channel. 

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The new channel will be called, what else, The Roku Channel, and will offer users a large streaming archive of television and film titles. The catch? Access to content on The Roku Channel will be offered for free, with the platform operating as an ad-supported app, effectively putting it on the same footing at OTT apps like Hulu – which could be a problem. 

"We created The Roku Channel as a direct response to consumer demand — we heard our customers’ requests for more free content and we wanted to make it even easier for them to access free, ad-supported content on the Roku platform," said Rob Holmes, Roku's VP of programming. "This is similar to what we did with the 4K Spotlight. We created the 4K Spotlight so that our customers can easily find amazing 4K content."

However, as I highlighted in a previous story on Roku, years ago, the company was spun off from Netflix to avoid exactly this kind of competitive profile. The logic then was that if Netflix owned Roku, then other OTT brands might not want to opt into the Roku hardware system and simply cede power to Netflix. By operating without its own dedicated channel, Roku has been able to serve as neutral ground for all OTT services, from Amazon, to Sling, to HBO Now and many others. This neutral position has paid dividends, making Roku the OTT box with the biggest market share. 

But that may all be about to change once competitors get a look at the Roku Channel. 

The channel is launching with partners including Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Brothers, Lionsgate, MGM, and Paramount and will feature films such as The Karate Kid, Ali, Up in the Air, Legally Blonde, and many others, thus putting Roku firmly on a competitive footing with many of the OTT channels it has played host to for years. 

"We see The Roku Channel as a way to help our content publishers make their content more discoverable," says Holmes. "Our goal is to help content publishers drive viewership of their content on the Roku platform and reach more of the millions of active accounts on the Roku platform." 

Whether the now competing OTT services on Roku will see it that way is the real question. 

The Roku Channel will be available through what the company calls a "a phased roll out" over the next few weeks. 

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