NBCUniversal, Roku broaden content partnership

NBCUniversal (NBCU) and Roku announced that new free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) linear content offerings featuring fan-favorite programming from across the NBCU Global Distribution library are now available on The Roku Channel, with more channels to come later this year.

 Starting today, the Global Distribution Studio Entertainment Channels newly available on The Roku Channel include: Murder, She Wrote, featuring episodes of the Emmy®-winning mystery drama starring the beloved Angela Lansbury; Little House on the Prairie, featuring the hit series starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert that centers on the Ingalls family, who ventures out west in the late 1800s in search of a new life and land; and Universal Crime, which is comprised of notable library series that will provide viewers with plenty of mystery, suspense, and drama with shows like “Columbo,” “Kojak,” “The Rockford Files,” and more.

And that’s not all! Additional FAST channels coming to The Roku Channel today include Saved By The Bell, which features all series in the comedy franchise that follows the inventive schemes and mischievous dreams of a tight-knit group of friends, as they navigate high school, college, and beyond; TNBC (Teen NBC), which will present beloved series with timeless stories about the highs and lows of growing up, like “Punky Brewster,” “Major Dad,” and “Hang Time”; and Bad Girls Club, which features the series that follows seven outrageously bold, brazenly misbehaved women attempting to transform their reckless ways.

More channels will also be launching later this year, including Universal Action, which will get your heart racing with exciting, action-packed series like “The A-Team,” “Magnum P.I.” starring Tom Selleck, and “Knight Rider” starring David Hasselhoff, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the Emmy®-winning anthology series showcasing the iconic mysteries created by the legendary filmmaker.

This is an expansion of NBCU’s existing FAST relationship with Roku, which currently includes NBC News Now, Dateline 24/7, Today All Day, LX, NBC local channels, Telemundo regional news channels, Sky News International, and The Rotten Tomatoes Channel, as well as a broadening of NBCU Global Distribution’s relationship with Roku, beyond the licensing of films, TV series, and Telemundo programming.

“The Roku Channel is thrilled to announce its expanded relationship with longtime partner NBCUniversal,” shared Jennifer Vaux, VP, Content Acquisition & Programming for The Roku Channel. “As FAST continues to gain incredible popularity in the marketplace, we’re excited to bring such terrific content options – including a strong roster of very well-known, fan-favorite programming – to our viewers.”

“NBCUniversal has an unrivaled catalog of iconic series that have withstood the test of time and entertained audiences around the world,” said Bruce Casino, EVP, Sales & Distribution, U.S. for NBCUniversal Global Distribution. “We are excited to expand upon our longstanding relationship with The Roku Channel and dive into the dramatically growing FAST sector by partnering with them to bring our beloved TV shows to their viewers.”

Audiences can easily enjoy the channels through The Roku Channel’s Live TV Guide. The Roku Channel is available to stream on Roku devices or TVs, and it's also easily accessible online at TheRokuChannel.Roku.com, Amazon Fire TVs, Samsung TVs, Google TV, and other Android TV OS devices.

Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel is the home of free and premium entertainment on the Roku platform. In Q4 2022, The Roku Channel reached U.S. households with an estimated 100 million people. The Roku Channel was a top 5 channel on the Roku platform by active account reach and streaming hour engagement in Q1 2023. Today, The Roku Channel features a diverse lineup of more than 80,000 free movies and programs and more than 350 free live linear television channels in the U.S. It licenses and distributes content from more than 250 partners.