Roku streaming service enters Canada with 100 apps

Roku Inc. on Monday officially launched its streaming devices in Canada, with more than 100 channels, or apps, available, the company said. The channels available to Canadian users include Netflix, CNBC, Facebook, and Wheel of Fortune. Many apps are free while others cost a fee to download. Roku's launch in Canada is another sign of growing online options for Canadian television consumers. The Roku box will compete in Canada with Apple Inc.'s Apple TV service and Boxee Inc.'s Boxee, which also aggregate streaming video for the television set. Google Inc. has not yet released its Google TV service in Canada, which could be launched this year. The Roku service allows users to watch live and on-demand sports from leagues such as the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball, a release said. According to an emailed statement from Roku spokeswoman Kelly Hickman, the sports channels offered are “subscription based” through separate content providers such as the sports leagues. Roku subscribers to MLB games would pay for a subscription through MLB.tv, which costs $125 per year or $25 per month. In the U.S., many live Saturday afternoon games are blacked out from the service due to "MLB exclusivities,” according to the MLB.tv website. Users can instead watch the games archived. The company does not charge any additional fee for subscription-based channels, Hickman said. Roku's "top tier" channels in Canada do not include applications from Canada's major broadcast networks, such as BCE Inc.'s CTV, Shaw Communications Inc.'s Global Television or the CBC/Radio-Canada television networks. Canadian broadcasters must develop applications that are compatible with streaming systems like Roku. Fiona Chan, another spokeswoman for the company, told The Wire Report Monday that Roku will continue to expand with new channels added every day. She said the total list of channels to be offered in Canada has not been finalized. In the U.S., Roku offers more than 450 channels. Roku will be offering two device models in Canada, the Roku 2 XD and the Roku 2 XS. The Roku XS has all of the features of Roku XD plus a remote with motion controls for games and Ethernet and USB ports, Roku said in a release. "We have a simple formula for our best-selling streaming players: provide access to a ton of entertainment at a low price, while maintaining a best-in-class streaming experience," Chuck Seiber, vice president of global marketing at Roku, said in a statement Monday. The Roku 2 XD is priced at $90 and the XS model is $110. They are expected to be available in London Drugs and Wal-Mart stores in Canada at the end of the month, a release said. The models are available for pre-order online at though Roku, London Drugs and Wal-Mart websites as well as Amazon Inc.'s Canadian website. The CRTC has said it has concerns about existing levels of consumer choice in the traditional TV distribution market, noting last week that it encourages Canadian broadcast distributors to offer more “consumer friendly packaging options” for consumers. The commission said last year that its concern, in part, is that “lack of choice and flexibility could motivate consumers to leave the regulated broadcasting system" for online alteratives. news@thewirereport.ca

Roku streaming service enters Canada with 100 apps

Broadcast | April 16, 2012

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Roku streaming service enters Canada with 100 apps

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