Roku's New Weekly Series: What to Watch Next

Roku Launches “Roku Recommends” – A Weekly Entertainment Program

Roku is broadening the content available on its free platform, The Roku Channel, with the debut of a new weekly show titled “Roku Recommends.” This 15-minute program will utilize Roku’s viewership data to showcase the top 5 titles for streaming each week.

While differing from fully “original programming” like the recently acquired Quibi content, this series will be exclusive to Roku, accessible within The Roku Channel and Featured Free sections, with fresh episodes released every Thursday.

Introducing the Roku Brand Studio

This series represents the inaugural production from the newly established Roku Brand Studio. The studio’s primary focus is the creation of video advertisements and bespoke branded content for advertising partners.

Funny Or Die is responsible for the show’s production, with Mike Farah, Beth Belew, and Jim Ziegler serving as executive producers.

Meet the Hosts

The program will be hosted by entertainment journalist and AfterBuzz TV co-founder Maria Menounos, alongside former NFL player Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins. The pair will present the selected Top 5 titles to the audience.

These recommendations will draw from the extensive library of channels available on the Roku platform, leveraging data unique to the system.

Addressing Streamer Search Time

“Nielsen data indicates that the average streaming viewer spends over seven minutes searching for their next viewing choice,” stated Chris Bruss, head of Roku Brand Studio. “We are uniquely positioned to utilize our trending data to assist viewers in discovering exceptional movies and shows.”

He further added, “This also allows advertisers to move beyond conventional 30-second advertisements and engage streamers in environments typically free from ads, which are usually subscription-based.”

Advertising Opportunities

The series will incorporate advertising sponsorships. Walmart has already committed as a national sponsor for the program.

Advertisers will benefit from Roku’s Measurement Partner Program, enabling them to assess the reach of their integrations among subscription video on-demand (SVOD) users, alongside other key metrics related to brand impact and campaign performance.

The Evolving Streaming Landscape

This launch occurs during a period of significant change within the streaming industry. Many streaming services, such as Netflix, currently provide personalized content recommendations based on user viewing habits, including popular and trending titles, and a Top 10 list.

However, with the increasing number of streaming services, mergers, and fluctuating content licensing agreements, viewers may increasingly require consolidated, up-to-date recommendations spanning multiple platforms, rather than being limited to content within a single service.

Competition and Innovation

Amazon Fire TV recently responded to this need with the introduction of a “Find” feature designed to simplify the search and discovery of movies, shows, and free content on its platform.

Previously, Roku lacked a comparable recommendation system of its own.

It is noteworthy that Roku is now leveraging its proprietary streaming data in this manner, potentially paving the way for further development of a more comprehensive recommendation system in the future.