Roku celebrates 700 channel milestone with new partners: Coby, Harmon Kardon and others now Roku Ready
Sure, Roku's compact Streaming Stick will happily pipe streaming content to any MHL-ready TV, but there's nothing like the guarantee of certification to convince you you're buying the right flatscreen. Roku has announced partnerships with six more hardware manufacturers, ensuring future devices from Hisene, Harmon Kardon, Coby, Voxx Accessories, Apex and TCL will be "Roku Ready." New TVs from partners old and new will be on display at CES, Roku teased, all flaunting the Streaming Stick's access to a wealth of streaming content.
There's news on that front too, Roku says its devices now offer access to over 700 channels of streaming entertainment. Brands such as Blockbuster On Demand, PBS, SyFy, VEVO and Fox Now give consumers choices from some of the top brands in streaming video, the company says in a press release, with services like Amazon's Cloud Player and Big Fish Unlimited's casual gaming portal rounding out the Roku experience. Read the announcements for yourself after the break.
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Roku Adds New Roku Ready Partners for 2013
Apex, Coby, Haier, Hisense, TCL to Showcase New Smart TVs with Roku Streaming Stick at CES
LAS VEGAS – Jan. 7, 2013 – As demand for streaming entertainment continues to grow, there is more interest from consumer electronics manufacturers, particularly TV makers who are looking to introduce streaming features to their devices. Rather than invest in building and maintaining their own platforms, many are turning to Roku®. The company today announced (alongside "Roku Surpasses 700 Channels with New Services from Best Brands in Streaming Entertainment") six new Roku Ready® partners – Coby Electronics Corp.; Harman Kardon; Hisense Electric Co. Ltd.; TCL Corp.; Voxx Accessories Corp. and Westinghouse Digital – who join existing Roku Ready partners 3M; Element Electronics; Haier America; Hitachi America, Ltd.; Insignia, a Best Buy brand; OPPO; Sumar Intl., Inc. and TMAX Digital, Inc. (Apex Digital®TVs) in using the Roku Streaming Stick™ to provide an integrated streaming experience for their customers. Many of these Roku Ready partners will introduce their new Smart TVs and devices with Roku at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Most people keep their TVs for six to eight years, yet today's consumer electronics require regular software updates and enhancements or they quickly become outdated. Even if the software continues to evolve, the hardware often needs upgrades in order to keep pace. Moving the streaming platform to a stick addresses the concern of Smart TVs or other electronics becoming obsolete shortly after purchase as the streaming stick can be replaced, as needed and for a fraction of the cost of the device. Additionally manufacturers benefit from a proven streaming platform that involves very little financial and technical investment.
"Consumer electronics makers are turning to the Roku Streaming Stick to create Smart TVs, projectors, Blu-ray players, digital antennas – and even audio receivers – that give consumers instant access to the highly-rated Roku streaming platform, filled with compelling entertainment and yet incredibly easy to use," said Chas Smith, general manager of OEM business, Roku. "With 14 CE manufacturers now turning to Roku for streaming solutions, consumers will have many choices in 2013 when shopping for new, innovative and affordable electronics."
New Smart TVs with the Roku Streaming Stick will be on display at CES from:
Apex booth #12138, Central Hall
Coby, booth #12027, Central Hall
Haier, booth #10939, Central Hall
Hisense, booth #7243, Central Hall
TCL, booth #9825, Central Hall
In addition the 3M Streaming Projector with Roku can be found at booth #30528, South Hall.
Roku Surpasses 700 Channels with New Services from Best Brands in Streaming Entertainment
Blockbuster On Demand, FOX NOW, PBS, Spotify, VEVO and Others Join Roku
LAS VEGAS – Jan. 7, 2013 – With its selection of streaming entertainment growing daily, Roku® Inc. today announced it has surpassed 700 channels on the Roku platform, offering consumers more made-for-TV entertainment than any other streaming device. As these new channels become available, consumers will be able to choose from the best brands and services in streaming video, music and casual games including Amazon Cloud Player, Big Fish, Blockbuster On Demand, FOX NOW, iHeartRadio, PBS, Spotify and VEVO. In other news today, Roku also announced "Roku Adds New Roku Ready Partners for 2013."
"When we launched the first Roku player in 2008, it was the very first device to stream Netflix to the TV and offered just that one channel. Today, the content universe is vastly different with many content producers and owners embracing delivery over the Internet and recognizing the broad appeal and strength of the Roku platform," said Steve Shannon, general manager of content and services, Roku. "We're excited to say we have more entertainment choices on Roku today – 700 channels – and more importantly, we have the best brands in streaming entertainment."
New channels on Roku span video, music and casual games including:
New Video
Blockbuster On Demand –With thousands of movies and new releases to rent, Blockbuster On Demand boasts a catalog filled with HD titles – including hand-selected movies with the highest ratings from Rotten Tomatoes®. New release rentals will be available for as low as $3.99, and Roku customers will be able to elect to receive special promotions for even greater deals. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
Dailymotion – Bringing more than 30 million videos, 10,000 premium content providers and unique content for free, Dailymotion features a wide array of genres and original material from comedy to sports, music and more. Expected to be available in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Republic of Ireland in Q1 2013.
DISHWorld – The exclusive International TV content partner to Roku recently launched three new East Asian languages – Cantonese, Filipino, and Vietnamese. DISHWorld expands on the service of its parent company DISH, the leader of international programming for more than a decade. TV packages start as low as $14.99/month. DISHWorld also delivers programming in Arabic, Bangla, Brazilian, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Available now in the U.S.
Flingo – More than 70 new channels, including brands like TMZ, A&E, History Channel, Lifetime, Transworld, Warren Miller, Fitness Magazine, and CollegeHumor. Select channels are available now. New channels will launch every month.
FOX NOW – Features all-new full-length episodes of hit FOX shows like NEW GIRL, FAMILY GUY, GLEE and BONES as well as bonus features and content including behind-the-scenes interviews, episode descriptions and more. Expected to be available in Q1 2013 to customers in the U.S. who subscribe to a participating TV provider.
PBS – More than 1000 videos, including full-length episodes from new programs as well as the PBS archives, with new content updated daily. Programming includes AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Masterpiece, Nature, Nova, Secrets of the Dead, and more. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
PBS KIDS – More than 1,000 videos from PBS KIDS television series including Curious George, The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That!, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Dinosaur Train, SUPER WHY!, Wild Kratts, and Sesame Street. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
Syfy – Brings exclusive access to all episodes of the digital series Riese: Kingdom of Falling and Nuclear Family. Additionally, webisodes, clips and behind-the-scenes videos from popular shows including WAREHOUSE 13, BEING HUMAN and FACE OFF are available for screening. Available now in the U.S.
VEVO – Features more than 50,000 HD music videos, exclusives premieres, select live performances and original music programming from more than 11,000 artists. Available now in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Republic of Ireland.
New Music and Audio
Amazon Cloud Player – Amazon's music service lets customers access their music collection, including any music purchased from Amazon's library of more than 22 million audio tracks, on their TVs. Available now in the U.S.
iHeartRadio – Clear Channel's all-in-one digital radio service provides access to more than 1,500 radio stations and allows users to create commercial-free custom stations inspired by a favorite artist or song. With iHeartRadio, listeners can browse radio stations by music genre and location. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
Spotify – Available with a premium Spotify subscription, the award-winning digital music service provides instant access to more than 20 million songs, top tracks and albums, and the ability to listen to and manage playlists. Available now in the U.S., U.K. and Republic of Ireland.
New Casual Games; Available Exclusively for Roku 2 XS and the Roku Streaming Stick
Big Fish Unlimited – Features a growing catalog of games – 150 today with new games added every week – from every casual genre, including Hidden Object, Puzzle Adventure, Match 3, Time Management, and more. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
Danger Derby – This race track driving game features three game modes – Arcade, Challenge, and Mirror – and can be played by one or two players. Available now in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Republic of Ireland.
Family Solitaire – The most relaxing and easy-to-play version of Solitaire available on TV today, Family Solitaire is based on the Klondike Solitaire rules, probably the best-known and most played Solitaire in the world today. Available now in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Republic of Ireland.
To view all channels currently available on the Roku platform, visit www.roku.com/channels.
The award-winning Roku streaming players and the Roku Streaming Stick are renowned for their ease of use, selection of content and affordability. Roku players start at $49.99 and the Roku Streaming Stick is $99.99. Both can be purchased from Roku.com as well as from major retailers. The Roku Streaming Stick is also bundled with some products including the 3M Streaming Projector and select Smart TVs from Roku Ready® partners.
