Roku to launch library-focused SVoD service Howdy for $3 a month

AVoD streamer and smart TV company Roku is launching a new paid subscription offering called Howdy, which will feature library titles for US$2.99 a month.

Anthony Wood

Collision Conf via CC

The US-only, ad-free offering will launch later this year with around 10,000 hours of shows and movies from “inaugural partners” Lionsgate, Warner Bros Discovery and FilmRise, in addition to select Roku originals.

Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood said Howdy was a “natural step” for the company, highlighting that the service is “designed to complement, not compete with, premium services.”

“We’re meeting a real need for consumers who want to unwind with their favorite movies and shows uninterrupted and on their terms. Howdy is a natural step for us at Roku, extending our mission to make better TV for everyone, by making it affordable, accessible and built for how people watch today,” he said.

Howdy will carry titles such as Mad Max: Fury Road, The Blind Side, Weeds and The Kids in the Hall, in addition to romcoms, medical dramas and ‘90s comedy.

Johnny Holden, chief revenue and strategy officer at FilmRise’s parent company Radial Entertainment, said the new service would allow FilmRise’s library content to reach a broader audience in the US.

Lionsgate’s president of worldwide TV distribution Jim Packer added that Howdy would enable Lionsgate’s content catalogue to reach new viewers.

“With engagement of over 125 million people a day, Roku is the perfect partner to launch a more accessible complement to the higher-priced SVoDs. This service has the ability to scale quickly while providing us with a new way to monetise our content, and we’re proud to be part of this new streaming experience,” said Packer.

The launch of Howdy comes as Roku appears to be taking more of an interest in the world of paid subscription streaming.

In early May, the company announced it was acquiring Frndly TV, a Denver-headquartered subscription streaming service offering live television, on-demand video and digital video recording, for US$185m. Frndly TV offers 50 live TV channels, including A&E, Hallmark Channel, The History Channel and Lifetime, and thousands of hours of on-demand content, with its subscription tiers starting at US$6.99 a month.