ESG, Roku team for AVoD nets in US, UK

Endemol Shine Group (ESG) has partnered with Roku to put three ESG channels on to the set-top box company’s AVoD service in the US, as well as supplying content for Roku’s service in the UK.

Kasia Jablonska

The deal sees ESG’s channels Reel Truth Crime, DIY Daily and Wipeout Xtra made available on the Roku streaming platform in the US. Powered by tech partner Wurl, the three channels feature programming from ESG’s content archive.

True crime brand Reel Truth Crime features Foxtel series Crime Investigation Australia and Sky commission Ross Kemp on Gangs; DIY Daily features Channel 4 show Restoration Home and Channel 5 series Build a New Life in the Country; and Wipeout Xtra is home to ESG’s physical gameshows such as the BBC1 version of Total Wipeout.

Furthermore, ESG has partnered with Roku in the UK for the launch of The Roku Channel, which will include ESG content such as Animal Park, Bananas in Pyjamas, McLeod’s Daughters and the Australian and Canadian versions of Wipeout. The channel is available on Roku, Now TV and Sky Q devices.

Kasia Jablonska, ESG’s head of digital distribution and monetisation, described Roku as “market leaders in the TV streaming space,” adding: “We’ve had a successful partnership for a while now and we are delighted to extend this partnership to increase the distribution of our world-class content in the US and the UK.”

The move follows ESG’s recent steps to expand the distribution of its own channels with a deal this week with smart TV manufacturer Vizio, adding four channels to the ad-supported smart TV platform Vizio SmartCast in the US, and with Samsung for channels on its connected TV service TV Plus in the US, the UK, France, Italy, Spain and Germany.