NBCUniversal and Roku Broaden Their Partnership Through Launch of Global Distribution Studio Entertainment Channels

New channels will span multiple genres and feature iconic series including “Murder, She Wrote,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “Saved by the Bell,” “Magnum P.I.,” and more

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – August 15, 2023 – Today, NBCUniversal (NBCU) and Roku announced that new free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) linear content offerings featuring fan-favorite programming from across the NBCU Global Distribution library are now available on The Roku Channel, with more channels to come later this year.

Starting today, the Global Distribution Studio Entertainment Channels newly available on The Roku Channel include: Murder, She Wrote, featuring episodes of the Emmy®-winning mystery drama starring the beloved Angela Lansbury; Little House on the Prairie, featuring the hit series starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert that centers on the Ingalls family, who ventures out west in the late 1800s in search of a new life and land; and Universal Crime, which is comprised of notable library series that will provide viewers with plenty of mystery, suspense, and drama with shows like “Columbo,” “Kojak,” “The Rockford Files,” and more.

And that’s not all! Additional FAST channels coming to The Roku Channel today include Saved By The Bell, which features all series in the comedy franchise that follows the inventive schemes and mischievous dreams of a tight-knit group of friends, as they navigate high school, college, and beyond; TNBC (Teen NBC), which will present beloved series with timeless stories about the highs and lows of growing up, like “Punky Brewster,” “Major Dad,” and “Hang Time”; and Bad Girls Club, which features the series that follows seven outrageously bold, brazenly misbehaved women attempting to transform their reckless ways.

More channels will also be launching later this year, including Universal Action, which will get your heart racing with exciting, action-packed series like “The A-Team,” “Magnum P.I.” starring Tom Selleck, and “Knight Rider” starring David Hasselhoff, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the Emmy®-winning anthology series showcasing the iconic mysteries created by the legendary filmmaker.

This is an expansion of NBCU’s existing FAST relationship with Roku, which currently includes NBC News Now, Dateline 24/7, Today All Day, LX, NBC local channels, Telemundo regional news channels, Sky News International, and The Rotten Tomatoes Channel, as well as a broadening of NBCU Global Distribution’s relationship with Roku, beyond the licensing of films, TV series, and Telemundo programming.

“The Roku Channel is thrilled to announce its expanded relationship with longtime partner NBCUniversal,” shared Jennifer Vaux, VP, Content Acquisition & Programming for The Roku Channel. “As FAST continues to gain incredible popularity in the marketplace, we’re excited to bring such terrific content options – including a strong roster of very well-known, fan-favorite programming – to our viewers.”

“NBCUniversal has an unrivaled catalog of iconic series that have withstood the test of time and entertained audiences around the world,” said Bruce Casino, EVP, Sales & Distribution, U.S. for NBCUniversal Global Distribution. “We are excited to expand upon our longstanding relationship with The Roku Channel and dive into the dramatically growing FAST sector by partnering with them to bring our beloved TV shows to their viewers.”

Audiences can easily enjoy the channels through The Roku Channel’s Live TV Guide. The Roku Channel is available to stream on Roku devices or TVs, and it’s also easily accessible online at TheRokuChannel.Roku.com, Amazon Fire TVs, Samsung TVs, Google TV, and other Android TV OS devices.

Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel is the home of free and premium entertainment on the Roku platform. In Q4 2022, The Roku Channel reached U.S. households with an estimated 100 million people. The Roku Channel was a top 5 channel on the Roku platform by active account reach and streaming hour engagement in Q1 2023. Today, The Roku Channel features a diverse lineup of more than 80,000 free movies and programs and more than 350 free live linear television channels in the U.S. It licenses and distributes content from more than 250 partners.
 

About NBCUniversal Global Distribution
NBCUniversal Global Distribution is responsible for the licensing and distribution of NBCUniversal product to all forms of television and new media platforms in the U.S., Canada and in over 200 territories internationally. NBCUniversal’s content portfolio includes a vast and diverse library of more than 6,500 feature films and 170,000 television episodes, including current and classic titles, non-scripted programming, kids, sports, news, long-form and short-form programming from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Universal Television, UCP, Universal International Studios, Sky Studios, Universal Television Alternative Studio, NBC Late Night properties, DreamWorks Animation, Telemundo, and more, as well as locally produced content from around the world. Global Distribution is a division of Comcast NBCUniversal.
 

About Roku
Roku pioneered streaming on TV. We connect users to the content they love, enable content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and provide advertisers with unique capabilities to engage consumers. Roku TV™ models, Roku streaming players, and TV-related audio devices are available in various countries around the world through direct retail sales and/or licensing arrangements with TV OEM brands. Roku-branded TVs and Roku Smart Home products are sold exclusively in the United States. Roku also operates The Roku Channel, the home of free and premium entertainment with exclusive access to Roku Originals. The Roku Channel is available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Roku is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., U.S.A.

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