Roku is going right after Netflix with this big move

Roku is going right later on Netflix with this large movement

Roku remote with a Netflix button among others in front of a TV.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Update: Roku recently suffered a serious outage that not simply took out its streaming services, it too made streaming devices and Roku TVs practically useless for several hours.

Roku is looking to beat out Netflix at its ain game. The company's advertizement-supported streaming service, The Roku Channel, has long relied on licensed content to fill out its library. But they are planning to beef up its original programming in the next two years to bring in more users.

Co-ordinate to The Los Angeles Times, The Roku Channel is planning to develop more than 50 original scripted and nonscripted shows. That's on tiptop of the 75 serial information technology acquired from the defunct Quibi last twelvemonth.

The tedious build-up is similar to the strategy Netflix used when information technology transitioned from its DVD rentals-past-mail business organisation to streaming in 2007. Netflix first stocked its digital catalog with older movies and shows, then began producing its own originals a few years later.

The Roku Channel is available to everyone, non just Roku owners, but Roku does make some of the best streaming devices in the market and its Os powers some of the best TVs. The LAT notes that information technology is the fifth virtually popular streaming service with an estimated audience of seventy one thousand thousand viewers in the U.s.a..

It offers more than than fourscore,000 on-demand titles and over 200 live channels, which are highlighted in a new Roku characteristic targeting string cutters. And as an ad-supported service, it's completely gratis. Speaking of pricing, Netflix just raised its prices by upwards to $2 per month.

The Roku Streaming Stick 4K — (Image credit: Henry T. Casey)

In contempo years, Roku has been carefully wading into the realm of originals. Buying the Quibi library was the first step, followed past the acquisition of the dwelling improvement staple This Sometime House and the exclusive licensing of crypto thriller Cypher. The Roku Aqueduct also pulled a Netflix by saving Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and ordering a vacation special (with future seasons or one-offs a strong possibility).

The slate of new originals in development span genres, from reality competitions to lifestyle shows to dramas and comedies. Since Roku already has years of data on what their users accept been watching, they can more effectively target the kinds of series they make.

And while their originals to this point have been English-language, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Roku start going after strange series. Perhaps the next Squid Game will stream on The Roku Channel. Netflix had better watch out.

In other TV news, a new Umbrella University flavour 3 storyboard has fans worried about Allison. Plus, we've got all the details on how to watch the upcoming How I Met Your Male parent online , as well as a tip that every Fire Television owner needs to improve their home screen.

Kelly is a senior writer roofing streaming media for Tom's Guide, so basically, she watches TV for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment author for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she's non watching Telly and movies for work, she's watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.