It is a launch that was “contemplated” in the outlook provided in a shareholder letter and second quarter earnings call from the executive leadership team at Roku.
Introducing the latest subscription video-on-demand, entering a crowded marketplace eager to grow advertising-supported OTT vehicles at what some may consider to be a bargain price.
The SVOD service now available at a $2.99 per month cost is branded as Howdy, which Roku has somehow trademarked.
Launching nationwide later today in the U.S., Howdy offers subscribers access “to a growing library of the stories viewers love, featuring thousands of titles and nearly 10,000 hours of entertainment” from such inaugural partners as Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FilmRise. Select Roku Original titles are also in the mix.
Among the featured selections on Howdy as noted by Roku are “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “The Blind Side,” “Weeds,” and “Kids in the Hall.”
For Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood, the roughly $36 annual fee is a value. “Priced at less than a cup of coffee, Howdy is ad-free and designed to complement, not compete with, premium services,” Wood said. “We’re meeting a real need for consumers who want to unwind with their favorite movies and shows uninterrupted and on their terms. Howdy is a natural step for us at Roku, extending our mission to make better TV for everyone, by making it affordable, accessible, and built for how people watch today.”
Jim Packer, President of Worldwide Television Distribution at Lionsgate, commented, “We’re excited to continue our longstanding collaboration with Roku on innovative ways to connect with audiences. With engagement of over 125 million people a day, Roku is the perfect partner to launch a more accessible complement to the higher-priced SVODs. This service has the ability to scale quickly while providing us with a new way to monetize our content, and we’re proud to be part of this new streaming experience.”
Roku is promoting the launch of Howdy across the month of August with a branded takeover of digital billboards in Times Square, assumingly targeting tourists visiting the City of New York at a time when locals leave the five boroughs for the mountains or the shore.
