ROKU SEES TWO-WEEK STREAMING GROWTH FOLLOWING LAUNCH OF ORIGINALS

Roku, Inc. has seen a rise in streaming figures after adding 30 original series to its platform.“We always believed Roku Originals would perform exceptionally well as free, ad-supported entertainment on The Roku Channel,” said Rob Holmes, Roku’s Vice President of Programming. 

The debut the titles reached an estimated 70 million people in the U.S. as of Q1 2021. In addition, the top ten most-watched programs on The Roku Channel were all Roku Originals in these two weeks. 

In addition to driving broader discovery of The Roku Channel, Roku Originals saw deep engagement. In the first two weeks, more than one in three users of The Roku Channel streamed a Roku Originals series, with users streaming over nine episodes on average. “The Roku Channel has grown to become a leader in free streaming entertainment,” added Holmes, “The momentum around Roku Originals demonstrates not only our ability to acquire great content for The Roku Channel, but to connect that content with the right audience at scale.”

Roku expects to release an additional 45 Roku Originals this year to complement The Roku Channel’s expansive library of 40,000+ free movies and television programs and 190+ live linear channels already offered to viewers. “The first two weeks have surpassed our expectations, with millions of people streaming Roku Originals, and provided a further demonstration of The Roku Channel flywheel, with great content driving record engagement that’s appealing to advertisers seeking to reach the streaming audience,” Holmes said.

Most recently, Roku ordered a second season of the Roku Original series ‘Die Hart’ after the action-comedy series starring Kevin Hart had the largest opening weekend in the history of The Roku Channel. In May, Roku inked a deal with Saban Films to bring the studio’s feature films directly to The Roku Channel after theatrical release – a first of its kind agreement for Roku. In March, Roku acquired “This Old House,” which included the two top-rated home improvement programs in the U.S and a television production studio.