The Roku Channel

Leading FAST service and CTV advertising platform within Roku ecosystem

The Roku Channel is Roku Inc.'s free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service that serves as both a content destination for viewers and an advertising platform for brands. Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel aggregates free movies, TV shows, live news, sports, and premium subscriptions into a single destination accessible on Roku devices and beyond. The platform has grown to become one of the top streaming services in the U.S., reaching tens of millions of households monthly. As an advertising platform, The Roku Channel represents a key component of Roku's platform business, enabling advertisers to reach streaming audiences through video ads, display ads, and sponsorships. The service leverages Roku's first-party data and automatic content recognition (ACR) technology to deliver targeted advertising at scale. Advertisers can access The Roku Channel's inventory through Roku's OneView ad platform, which provides unified access to streaming TV advertising across Roku's owned-and-operated properties and third-party publisher inventory. The Roku Channel operates as a subsidiary of Roku Inc. and plays a central role in the company's strategy to monetize its large active user base through advertising rather than hardware sales alone. The platform competes directly with other FAST services like Pluto TV, Tubi, and Amazon Freevee, while also serving as a distribution channel for premium SVOD services through its Premium Subscriptions marketplace.