Roku is launching an ad-free, subscription streaming service called Howdy. The service costs $2.99 per month and features a library of nearly 10,000 hours of content from its partners, including Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FilmRise, alongside select Roku Original titles.
Subscribers will have access to popular titles like “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “The Blind Side,” “Weeds,” and “Kids in the Hall,” as well as a variety of genres such as rom-coms, medical dramas, and ’90s comedies.
Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood stated that Howdy is designed to complement, not compete with, premium streaming services. The launch follows Roku’s recent acquisition of Frndly TV, a live TV and on-demand streaming service, for $185 million.
Howdy will join Roku’s existing free, ad-supported streaming service, The Roku Channel, which has been reported as the most popular FAST service, ahead of competitors like Tubi and Pluto TV. The platform sees over 125 million daily users.
Roku’s strong organic reach, with more than 90 million streaming households, is expected to drive growth for Howdy. The company recently reported a 15% revenue increase in its second-quarter financials, with streaming hours reaching 35.4 billion, up 5.2 billion from the previous year.
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