Roku’s New Plan to Relieve Streaming Headaches

Roku is attempting to resolve the increasing fragmentation of live sports content—a situation that has quickly become one of the most troublesome issues for fans. 

The streaming company introduced a series of new software and hardware products Wednesday, in part designed to get viewers efficiently to the games of their choice, regardless of which networks are showing them.

Among the efforts are an expansion of its existing league-oriented sports zones that help direct fans to specific games, as well as newly introduced mobile notifications that will be personalized based on the team preferences of individual fans and also include tune-in information. The sports zones will additionally become available this year in Mexico for the first time, further accelerating Roku’s global presence. 

The company also rolled out a new line of more compact and efficient streaming sticks with simpler setup functions.

“As more viewers turn to streaming to keep up with their favorite teams, the experience can often feel fragmented and frustrating. … So we are laser-focused on continuing to solve pain points for our sports fans,” said Roku senior director of product management Neala Gollomp.

The scale of Roku’s efforts is already significant, as the company is in more than 90 million U.S. households, representing more than half of those in the country with broadband internet access. 

“When I think about what we do for the viewer and the advertiser, and what we call the streamer’s journey, our job is to help you find your game, wherever it is, in a delightful way and provide the path there,” Roku president of media Charlie Collier told Front Office Sports. “If you are an NFL fan, for example, and you’re not in the business, you have to find your team across Thursday night, Sunday day, Sunday night, and Monday night. So you need a curator and a path to get your fandom.”

Exclusive Rights

Roku, meanwhile, is taking a more cautious approach to acquiring exclusive sports rights, instead leaning more into that curation-based strategy. The company is about to start the second season of its early Sunday rights deal with Major League Baseball, beginning May 11 with a Cubs-Mets game. There is no interest, however, in buying additional MLB rights, particularly those being abandoned by ESPN after this season. 

“We’re not bidding on the ESPN package,” Collier said. “We like the relationship we have with Major League Baseball, we love the package we have, and we’re committed to building Major League Baseball, whether it’s on ESPN or anywhere else it falls across the apps. We root for every app and every show ever made.”