Roku will launch original programming fueled by Quibi’s content on May 20
Roku today announced the launch of its own original programming, which will initially become available to viewers in the U.S., U.K., and Canada through the media platform’s free streaming hub, The Roku Channel, starting on May 20th. The debut lineup will include 30 titles, including both the scripted and reality programming Roku had acquired from the short-form streaming service Quibi earlier this year, following its shutdown.
Quibi, of course, had launched at an inopportune time for a service that was designed for on-the-go viewing, when it arrived in the middle of a pandemic. But some have argued that much of Quibi’s content wasn’t compelling enough to pull in the number of subscribers to make the service a success. It will be interesting to see how well that same content now fares on Roku where it will no longer be “mobile-first,” but will more likely be streamed on a big-screen TV.
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The Roku Channel Rolling Out 30 Originals
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The Roku Channel is planning to roll out its Roku Originals launch lineup, which features 30 titles, on May 20, in celebration of Streaming Day.
The roster of Roku Originals, which features the acquired Quibi lineup, includes scripted series such as
Die Hart,
Blackballed and
Punk’d and
Chrissy’s Court.
Roku is partnering with Laugh Out Loud, the multiplatform comedy brand founded by Kevin Hart, to bring LOL! Network, a linear channel featuring a curated collection of the boldest voices in comedy, to The Roku Channel. It will join The Roku Channel’s lineup of more than 35 live linear streaming channels.
You Ain’t Got These.
More Originals are expected to roll out on The Roku Channel later this year. The company revealed last month that it would be rebranding the 75 Quibi shows and documentaries it had acquired from the shut down streamer as Roku Originals.
“As The Roku Channel grows, we will continue to be even more creative and expansive in sourcing great content that will perform well in a free, advertising-supported model, while delivering an array of incredible, quality entertainment for our users to enjoy,” Sweta Patel, Roku’s VP of engagement growth marketing, said in a statement.
The company is also partnering with Kevin Hart’s multi-platform comedy brand Laugh Out Loud to bring linear channel LOL! Network to The Roku Channel.
On May 20th, Roku is dropping 30 shows that it recently acquired from the now-defunct streaming service Quibi as ‘Roku Originals.’
The content will be free with ads on the Roku Channel, the company’s ad-supported streaming service that launched in Canada in 2018, a year after hitting the United States.
During a recent press briefing, Roku said that roughly 53 million households watched content on the Roku Channel last quarter and that it expects that number to keep rising. With this many eyes on the channel and these new shows coming to the platform, Roku seems to really be striving to be taken seriously as an original content provider.