Roku announced today that it will debut Roku Originals on May 20, to celebrate Streaming Day. The original content will stream on The Roku Channel for free.
Roku first made the announcement that it had created the Roku Originals branding in April. The move came after Roku acquired content from short-lived streaming service Quibi back in January. In that deal, Roku acquired over 75 shows and documentaries, including some titles that never streamed on Quibi.
30 of those originals will premiere on The Roku Channel on launch day including “Die Hart,” “#FreeRayshawn” and “Reno 911!,” documentaries, such as “Blackballed” and “Big Rad Wolf,” and alternative and reality programming, including “Punk’d” and “Chrissy’s Court.” Roku Originals will be available exclusively on The Roku Channel in the US, Canada, and the UK.
“The launch of Roku Originals will bring incredible, premium entertainment that has breadth, depth and diversity to the millions of streamers who regularly visit The Roku Channel and to many new viewers who may not even have a Roku device – and it’s all available for free,” said Sweta Patel, Vice President of Engagement Growth Marketing, Roku. “We’ve created a fantastic user experience to deliver exclusive, original content that’s accessible everywhere The Roku Channel is streamed.”
Programs available on May 20 include:
- “#FreeRayshawn”
- “About Face”
- “Bad Ideas with Adam Devine”
- “Barkitechture”
- “Big Rad Wolf”
- “Blackballed”
- “Centerpiece”
- “Chrissy’s Court”
- “Cup of Joe”
- “Die Hart”
- “Dishmantled”
- “Dummy”
- “Fight Like a Girl”
- “Flipped”
- “The Fugitive”
- “Gayme Show”
- “Iron Sharpens Iron”
- “Last Looks”
- “Let’s Roll with Tony Greenhand”
- “Most Dangerous Game”
- “Murder House Flip”
- “Murder Unboxed”
- “Nightgowns”
- “Prodigy”
- “Punk’d”
- “Reno 911!”
- “Royalties
- “Shape of Pasta”
- “Thanks a Million”
- “You Ain’t Got These”
Additional Roku Originals titles will be added later this year. “As The Roku Channel grows, we will continue to be even more creative and expansive in sourcing great content that will perform well in a free, advertising-supported model, while delivering an array of incredible, quality entertainment for our users to enjoy,” concluded Roku’s Patel.
Along with the launch of Roku Originals, The Roku Channel will be adding a new channel to its free streaming lineup. Laugh Out Loud, founded by Kevin Hart, will be bringing its LOL! Network to The Roku Channel.