Netflix Is Leaving Older Roku Players Because of DRM & Others Could Do The Same

In early October, news broke that Netflix was ending support for older Rokus on December 1, 2019. Sadly, Netflix has not posted a full list of Roku players that are losing support on December 1, but Roku says the first two Roku models will lose Netflix at that time. (If you are affected by this change, you should see a pop-up warning message informing you of Netflix ending support on December 1.)

Here is a message Netflix posted on their website about the change:

Due to technical limitations, Netflix will no longer be available on this device after December 1st, 2019. Please visit netflix.com/compatibledevices for a list of available devices.

Now, according to Gizmodo, the issue is with older Roku players not supporting Netflix’s current DRM. Older Roku players use Windows Media DRM, and Netflix now uses Microsoft PlayReady DRM. Because these older Roku players will no longer support updates, this means that on December 1, 2019, when Netflix turns off support for the older Windows Media DRM, these Roku players will lose support.

The good news is if you do not see the pop-up warnings when you launch Netflix on your Roku, you shouldn’t have to worry. These Roku models are also Roku models released in 2011 or before.

With this move to leave behind the older WIndows Media DRM we could see other streaming services do the same. Because of that if Roku offers you one of the $15 Roku Express you may want to consider taking advantage of that deal.

The last bit of good news is Black Friday is almost here and Roku will once again be having a $49.99 Roku Ultra and a $29.99 Roku Stick+ for sale at multiple stores.

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