The Roku channel, the free ad-supported app for Roku owners, will soon be available as a stand alone app for Android and IOS devices. The ROku Channel was already cleverly integrated into the Roku remote app but a stand alone app means that Roku will have a way to directly monetize content on mobile platforms in a much more forward way.
The app features tons of movies and has the hook of already being a popular entertainment brand in streaming. Users can sign up for an account via www.therokuchannel.com or via a Roku device. The nice thing about the stand alone channel though, is that it is available to users whether they have a Roku at all.
On the Roku itself the Roku channel has been hugely successful for the company both for its ability to draw users in with free content and the fact that it serves as a marketplace to other premium streaming services that Roku partners with in order to distribute content and share revenue. The new Roku Channel app has not been announced for competitor streaming platforms though stand alone app has long been available for Samsung TVs.
