11 ms·

Fox to buy Roku

360 points by thm 4mo ago

mmooss 4mo ago
[flagged]
- frogperson 4mo ago
  [flagged]
andrewla 4mo ago
Some alternative sources - Fox PR: https://www.foxcorporation.com/news/corp-press-releases/2026/fox-corporation-to-acquire-roku-inc/ https://www.foxcorporation.com/news/corp-press-releases/2026... - Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/fox-buy-roku-22-billion-deal-2026-06-15/ https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/fox-buy-roku-...
- ChrisArchitect 4mo ago
  - An important update about Roku https://www.roku.com/blog/roku-fox https://www.roku.com/blog/roku-fox
lenerdenator 4mo ago
Further proof that antitrust is dead in the US.
- stogot 4mo ago
  Does this violate US antitrust laws?
  - ivanmontillam 4mo ago
    If the spirit of the antitrust law is to protect consumers from enshittification, then yes. But as written to the letter of the law, no, as this would not create a monopoly. More consolidation yes, but a monopoly technically not.
    - lenerdenator 4mo ago
      Given that the whole point is to prevent consolidation that is to the detriment of consumers, well, yeah.
      - ivanmontillam 4mo ago
        yeah, but who's to say Fox is gonna screw up this one? Like the government saying: "Sorry Fox, you cannot have this one, this one is too good for your dinosaur management." Since that's a very dangerous government hand meddling, I guess the correct move is to let it happen (to our liking or not).
        lenerdenator 4mo ago
        > yeah, but who's to say Fox is gonna screw up this one? I mean... gestures widely
andrewla 4mo ago
As a long-time[1] customer of Roku I am tentatively extremely pessimistic. I have always been unhappy with Roku's decision to get involved in streaming content at all, because it could potentially cut into their service-agnostic architecture. Bad enough in my mind that they had in-platform ads instead of just charging for hardware, but way worse when they are actively competing with streaming services. And now it looks like it has happened -- a large content provider wants to buy the company, and while I hope that they can at least notionally continue to be service-agnostic, the temptation to cheat to favor your own services will always be there an when cost cutting and belt tightening is on the table, that is surely what will happen. [1] My order for the "Netflix Player by Roku": "CustomerID# 1162 Thank you very much for your Roku order. Your order number is 2472, placed 5/20/2008 at 10:01AM."
- WarmWash 4mo ago
  There is the long standing problem that if you build a road for others, and others get unfathomably rich using that road, you end up looking pretty dumb.
  - kbelder 4mo ago
    And yet, advancement of civilization depends on that.
    - account42 4mo ago
      In fact it used to be that we recognized the usefulness of roads and banded together to fund roads that are specifically there for others to use. Somehow the same is unthinkable for virtual roads.
- dylan604 4mo ago
  > Bad enough in my mind that they had in-platform ads instead of just charging for hardware I mean, of course they did. If you were running a company and had to choose between a one-time relatively small fee vs a life time of near constant ad driven income per user, which would you choose?
seobot_dk1289 4mo ago
[flagged]
baggachipz 4mo ago
Time for the 'Fox News' button on the Roku remote. Truth Social tweets on your screensaver.
- deleted 4mo ago
  [deleted]
- fred_is_fred 4mo ago
  Back when we had things like Dish and cable, I was able to put a "Parental Block" on channels. I used this to hide or remove channels I never watched, but I found it had a secondary benefit when my Texan in-laws visited -- "Sorry, our TV package doesn't include Fox News".
- giancarlostoro 4mo ago
  Actually, a more likely button might be "Sports" which would either open your preferred sports app (smarter way to do it) and default to Fox Sports, or a "Stream TV" type button that opens up Tubi which is already run by Fox, and surprisingly had decent content on it. I'm not surprised they're going this route, and would not be surprised if News becomes a drastically smaller piece of Fox over the coming years.
  - subroutine 4mo ago
    Why would this be more likely? The current remotes already have a Netflix button, a Hulu button, a Sling button and a Disney+ button. Roku sells dedicated buttons on their remotes to the highest bidder.
- yndoendo 4mo ago
  [flagged]
  - reagan83 4mo ago
    .
    - 4mo ago
pickleglitch 4mo ago
So now the same corporation that owns Fox News is going to own Roku? No thanks. Guess it's finally time to switch to a custom Android TV box or Apple TV. Or roll my own, but I've tried that and found it pretty difficult.
- IshKebab 4mo ago
  > Or roll my own, but I've tried that and found it pretty difficult. I agree, there seem to be no good options for this. You can use Kodi or whatever, but I want something that supports playing my ... totally legally acquired content... and Netflix/Disney/iPlayer/etc. In a package that's silent and low power. Doesn't seem to exist unfortunately. I guess the closest is Nvidia Shield. You can apparently still sideload APKs onto that... for now. I'll buy one when they release an update. I'm patient!
  - presbyterian 4mo ago
    If you’re already DIYing, set up a Jellyfin server and then any of the streaming boxes will work.
    - pickleglitch 4mo ago
      Jellyfin is great, but it is solving a different problem entirely.
      - presbyterian 4mo ago
        Not really. The person I'm replying to wants to watch streaming services and their own files. Grab any streaming box that supports the services, and it almost certainly has a Jellyfin app or a compatible one. Problem solved.
  - NetMageSCW 4mo ago
    Apple TV.
    - 4mo ago
jqpabc123 4mo ago
Thankfully, I am Roku free.
throwatdem12311 4mo ago
gross, is there any TV is that isn’t Google or Roku that is halfway decent? Bring back dumb TVs
- nosioptar 4mo ago
  I picked up an android TV box for $25 that works with LineageOS. It sucks because its android, but at least its degoogled. Edit: for a TV, I love my 30 year old Panasonic. Paid $20 for it at the Mormon goodwill. Only 720p, but has the best speakers of any TV I've owned.
- anderber 4mo ago
  You can get an off-brand Android TV and install a custom launcher like https://at4klauncher.com/ https://at4klauncher.com/
- Octoth0rpe 4mo ago
  I was dreading my most recent tv purchase (last fall) for exactly this reason, and ended up with TCL google tv. One can apparently setup a google tv as a dumb tv and never sign it into the internet. It acts exactly how I'd want a dumb tv to work now, simply auto uses the most recent hdmi device, or the active one if the most recent one isn't active. It has never connected to the internet, and it never will. My long term concern is that google will eventually put cell modems in their tvs, and then using my next tv as a dumb tv will no longer be an option. For now though, this is your best bet.
  - Induane 4mo ago
    You'll be able to stop the signal if they add cellular data. Still annoying though.
    - Octoth0rpe 4mo ago
      Hopefully? I mean, adding the cell modem is sort of hypothesizing about the future, and if we're already doing that then we might as well also hypothesize that such a future google tv will refuse to display anything from its hdmi inputs until it successfully phones home, and that that happens weekly.
thm 4mo ago
Gift link: https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/fox-roku-deal-f6e564f9?st=rs4QjN&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/fox-roku-deal-f6e564f9?st...
thebiglebrewski 4mo ago
So what are the alternatives? I have mostly Frame TVs and a projector. I always loved the Roku experience, it really felt like the best media player software, they just kept improving it, and having all TVs on the ecosystem made it even better. One app for virtual remotes, bluetooth listening, searching with your phone keyboard, etc. I don't want to go back to the Frame's software. I really like the Backdrops app and so many other features. But it just seems like this acquisition can only accelerate the ensh*tification of Roku. They already changed the default home screen a few weeks ago to show recommendations, SO MANY ads, etc and you change it in settings. But as other commentors have mentioned, now we'll probably have Fox News and Truth Social front and center whether we want it or not. So many apps have DRM that prevent you from running it yourself in any way. Is there another way that lets you run Netflix, Paramount+, HBO, all the majors without any trouble that is as integrated as Roku, or at least anything heading in that direction?
- hamburglar 4mo ago
  > I don't want to go back to the Frame's software It’s not really a viable option if you wanted to. I have two Frames and they both just keep deteriorating to the point they are pretty useless. I have added an appletv to one of them and it’s vastly improved the UX. Now the only thing I need to do with the Samsung software is the unreasonably slow task of switching inputs.
- gaws 4mo ago
  > So what are the alternatives? A dumb TV you can buy for cheap on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist with an Nvidia Shield or a similar streaming device running Android.
giancarlostoro 4mo ago
I never liked the idea of Roku since I always felt like they could "go away at any moment" since that is all they sold basically. Fun fact, Roku sells security cameras at Walmart, they're technically rebranded Wyze cameras (look just like them, same hardware) with Roku software on them. If you did buy one of those Roku cameras, maybe a good time to switch off to Wyze if you don't like this direction.
- SirFatty 4mo ago
  "I never liked the idea of Roku since I always felt like they could "go away at any moment" since that is all they sold basically." That's odd since they've been around for 23 years. I would understand that stance 20 years ago.
  - giancarlostoro 4mo ago
    I first heard of them in the early 2010s so it was not that odd back then.
    - IAmBroom 4mo ago
      But your claim was about "always" feeling that way, not "at first".
- xnx 4mo ago
  > rebranded Wyze cameras Is that even possible? IIRC Wyze cameras are whatever cheap Chinese OEM model thy find and can brand the firmware for. Seems as likely that Roku went to same OEM source.
  - giancarlostoro 4mo ago
    https://support.roku.com/article/do-roku-smart-home-devices-work-with-wyze-products https://support.roku.com/article/do-roku-smart-home-devices-...
pastor_williams 4mo ago
A year ago I started moving away from Roku. I think they've always had ads on the home screen which I blocked with a DNS blocklist but the seasonal ad sections that continued popping up in the menu despite my continually blocking them wore on me. I've upgraded to an nvidia shield using projectivy launcher which allows me to set a customized and very clean interface with the just the apps I use and nothing else. I definitely recommend it.
- blackjack_ 4mo ago
  No the Home Screen ads were added in an update 2.5ish years ago. I know this because that is when I decided to disconnect my Roku tv from the internet rather than see ads when I turn my tv on. I had been a pretty big Roku fan before that point as I had worked with them back in ~2017 and knew how locked down and sewn up they kept customer data, and only shared it in a very anonymized way. Obviously the situation has degraded in the recent years, and caused me to brick the functionality of a very expensive device. Seems like it’s impossible to have a smart tv now that actually respects privacy, so back to dumb tvs and connections to pcs?
  - nerdsniper 4mo ago
    I believe dumb TV’s are both more expensive and much harder to compare. I can’t find any dumb TV reviews on rtings.com for example. People usually suggest commercial TV’s but its not clear how to determine which have comparable HDR gamut as consumer units. So it’s hard to figure out exactly what the premium is. Is a $2,000 dumb/commercial TV equivalent to a $500 consumer TV or a $1600 one?
    - stvltvs 4mo ago
      Some of that extra cost is for the extra reliability the commercial displays offer, in case anyone wondered. They're designed to be on 24/7 for extended periods.
niko323 4mo ago
[dead]
whalesalad 4mo ago
As of 10am est their stock is down nearly 20%.
- josefritzishere 4mo ago
  It's a complete betrayal of the user base but I'm sure the CEO will get paid a big buyout so they'll go forward anyway.
  - cindyllm 4mo ago
    [dead]
- stock_toaster 4mo ago
  I've always wondered.. Why would a stock (roku in this case) trade below the acquisition price (currently showing around 141)? (160 in this case) Does the market think this sale won't be approved by the current administration for some reason?
  - 0cf8612b2e1e 4mo ago
    Sure seems like free money. In normal times, there is a chance this could get blocked, but a favored media outlet of the administration seems a lock. Also, look at the five day chart. Shot up from $120 on Friday. Bunch of insiders knew early.
    - stock_toaster 4mo ago
      Ah. I think I figured it out. > FOX is acquiring Roku in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $160.00 per ROKU share. FOX will pay $96.00 in cash and 0.9693 shares of FOX Class A common stock for each Roku Class A and Class B share outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger. So not a straight $160/share cash, but $96/share cash and some FOX shares. Roku trading below 160 means the fox stock is not considered worth (160-96) by the market.
dylan604 4mo ago
Ugh, Fox. I recently made the decision to not spend $10.99/month for their FoxOne app to stream World Cup matches. I decided to watch the Telemundo broadcasts instead, even though I don’t speak Spanish, just to not give Fox my money. If I were Roku user, this would definitely cause me to quit being a Roku user. I doubt I’d be the only one, but I also do not believe it will be enough total to be noticeable.
- kleiba2 4mo ago
  I could not handle the Spanish commentary, though. I know that that's a real cultural gap on my side, but Spanish soccer commentary is something I could never get accustomed to - way too much talking for my taste, and I especially cannot relate at all to the goal "celebrations".
  - dylan604 4mo ago
    I'd rather listen to that than give money to Fox. However, I'm learning that I understand a lot more Spanish that I would have thought. I know enough words that I can at least grasp what I think the topic is, but not the details. Almost like hearing parts of a conversation 3 groups down from you at the bar.
- carlosjobim 4mo ago
  Do you think people will throw away their perfectly functioning devices because of politics?
  - bigfishrunning 4mo ago
    Nah, they'll just put a "i bought it before elon went crazy" sticker on their brand-new cybertruck. People talk a big game, but really are unprincipled in general.
    - mschuster91 4mo ago
      > People talk a big game, but really are unprincipled in general. At least regarding cybertrucks, pretty much no one is buying them. People are principled - Tesla's brand image is in the gutters and it shows, they are continuously losing market share and SpaceX had to bail out Tesla by buying 131 millions of dollars worth of Cybertrucks.
crsv 4mo ago
Timed my move from Roku devices to Apple TV just right it appears.
- Noaidi 4mo ago
  Can you get PlutoTV on Apple TV?
  - sphars 4mo ago
    According to this[0], yes it's available [0]: https://support.pluto.tv/s/article/PTV-On-which-devices-can-I-watch-Pluto-TV?language=en_US https://support.pluto.tv/s/article/PTV-On-which-devices-can-...
- gaws 4mo ago
  Only a matter of time before enshittification comes for Apple TV.
SG- 4mo ago
I wonder how many TV brands that include Roku on their TVs will dump them going forward especially for the non-american markets.
- voakbasda 4mo ago
  Well, I certainly will never buy another one. I doubt I am alone. Sadly there are enough loyal fanatics that I can imagine they will continue to be sold indefinitely.
  - carlosjobim 4mo ago
    Wouldn't somebody who boycotts a company to boycott a different company to boycott a third company be the fanatic in this case?
    - kgwxd 4mo ago
      The companies become one after the purchase. That's how purchases work.
      - carlosjobim 4mo ago
        Shouldn't the animosity against Fox be reduced by 50% after the merger? Or is the hacker ethos to just shun everything and then shun shunning?
        kgwxd 4mo ago
        > Shouldn't the animosity against Fox be reduced by 50% after the merger? Do you ever wonder why no one takes you seriously?
deleted 4mo ago
[deleted]
voakbasda 4mo ago
If this happens, our Roku TV is going in the trash. They locked out their customers of their own devices by pushing updated firmware that forced agreement to new terms. They lost my trust during that episode, and this move shows that was the right decision. Meanwhile, Fox lost my respect decades ago. The idea that they could gain network level access to one of my devices cannot be reconciled with my need to feel secure and safe in my own home. Anyone wanna take the opportunity to share their favorite brands and models of dumb TVs?
- riahi 4mo ago
  Any but never connect it to the internet and use an appletv
- 999900000999 4mo ago
  I think I’m going with a Google TV. I already trust them on my phones anyway. If you want more control buy a pc monitor and some speakers or commercial display.
- gaws 4mo ago
  > Anyone wanna take the opportunity to share their favorite brands and models of dumb TVs? You can find them in your local Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist region.
- internet101010 4mo ago
  The closest thing you will fine to a dumb tv is a commercial display, which will not be available with the latest OLED, 120hz, etc. You have to buy a smart TV and disable the internet + external device like Apple TV or Nvidia Shield.
- ben4next 4mo ago
  [flagged]
  - Benlovescnn 4mo ago
    Why do you think reporting and telling the truth is such a bad thing?
HardwareLust 4mo ago
Ok, so now that Roku is dead, what alternatives do we have?
- 0cf8612b2e1e 4mo ago
  Also quite interested in this. I guess the best contenders are Apple TV, Nvidia Shield, or roll your own HTPC.
  - deleted 4mo ago
    [deleted]
- gaws 4mo ago
  A dumb TV you can buy for cheap on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist with an Nvidia Shield or a similar streaming device running Android.
1970-01-01 4mo ago
"Somehow, Roku to become even worse."
gdulli 4mo ago
I switched from Roku to Xbox for Plex because of how Roku has degraded, and not only did I get the primary benefit of being off Roku, but I found the Xbox Plex app has not been updated to the terrible new redesign so it was a double win.
- gaws 4mo ago
  With Xbox's planned "reinvention" under the new CEO, consider the Plex app's days on the console numbered.
- kpw94 4mo ago
  I did the opposite switch: In ~2015 got an Xbox one, as a media center it was an awesome experience: Kinect voice control to play/pause and other things way before Google home/Amazon echo ecosystem were mature. Free OTA channels via TV tuner and well designed OneGuide (with ability to pause and rewind). And of course all the Netflix and other apps, Plex server etc. But strategically it seems Microsoft decided they wanted to look more like Playstation, focused on gaming (at that time paid Xbox live subscription vs free Playstation) And as gaws points out, they seem to recently announce to double down on the gaming stuff. So when they discontinued OneGuide. I picked Roku since they seem to be focused on the media experience primarily... but unsure how I feel about this acquisition news.
josefritzishere 4mo ago
I'm going to assume now that Fox will ruin Roku. Any suggestions for replacement devices?
- gaws 4mo ago
  A dumb TV you can buy for cheap on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist with an Nvidia Shield or a similar streaming device running Android.
deleted 4mo ago
[deleted]
dkresge 4mo ago
Seems like an excellent startup opportunity? Build a clean, no-ads streaming stick with open source firmware upstream of the requisite DRM bits and who wouldn't buy one? Almost like what Roku used to be, and the reason we recommended it, for so many years.
- xnx 4mo ago
  This sounds great to me, but the mainstream market has shown they probably wouldn't pay even $5 more for such a device when something they think is good enough is built into the TV.
- jubilanti 4mo ago
  Because it will cost 2-4x compared to a Roku, Amazon Fire, or other device sold below cost and subsidized with ad/VC money. And in order to work on the DRMed streaming platforms, you have to play along with the industry. Can't just relabel a random box from Shenzhen, "upstream of the requisite DRM bits" makes no sense. The original NVIDIA Shield is more than 10 years old at this point and still sells used for around $100 and people are still paying $200 retail for a new 2019 Pro. Interestingly, that price has basically stayed flat at $200 from 2020 to 2026. You can install Lineage or whatever if you don't care about the DRM. It's exactly what HN people want, and that's how much it costs.
  - sciencejerk 4mo ago
    No ads on Nvidia shield?
  - 0cf8612b2e1e 4mo ago
    Can you clarify the DRM comment? Do streaming services not work or they get downscaled to some garbage resolution? I am looking for options and being able to sideload on a Shield is attractive, but if the experience is no different than a homemade Linux HTPC, I can save the cash.
- whywhywhywhy 4mo ago
  > requisite DRM bits This is full on Google Play Services certification and more. Ultimately to get the thing that can run/stream Netflix etc the amount of work just isn't viable for the price point people would pay for this. Also the truth is no investor would touch this on hardware sale income alone, needs some subscription plan at least. Roku was always a weird one, beloved by people who couldn't stand laggy built in TV interface but doesn't really offer much beyond what TVs come with anyway.
anon7000 4mo ago
Where is anti-trust in this country? Absolutely absurd the levels of media consolidation we’re seeing under billionaires right now.
- gaws 4mo ago
  You have the Trump administration and the Congressional Republicans to thank.
- kylemaxwell 4mo ago
  Media consolidation is actively encouraged by the current regime in the US because it lets them have more control.
- mike_bob 4mo ago
  Biden signed a few anti-trust acts into law and also issued executive order 14036 to try to reign in anti-competitive practices. Trump quite literally revoked every one of these within his first month returning to office, calling them "bad for business". Who is it actually bad for? The consumers. The new religious-linked GOP no longer believes in fairness or holding business accountable for anything, it's "God's will" or something...
jauntywundrkind 4mo ago
Also note that this gives Fox News viewership data for all Roku devices! Powell Memorandum (1971) intensifies, with corporate buy out of all society's core media functions by extremist conservatives radically racing ahead.
nrmitchi 4mo ago
I may be lambasted for saying this, but I do not believe that Fox (or any large media company, really) should be permitted to purchase direct access to the TV hardware of roughly 30-50% of american households.
- airstrike 4mo ago
  that law does not exist, probably because not enough people feel that way
  - thinkingtoilet 4mo ago
    Your reasoning does not stand at all. There are plenty of things that the majority of people agree upon in this country but it does not get done for a variety of reasons. For example, it's not as important as other issues so they can't prioritize it for voting, gerrymandering, etc...
    - jsrozner 4mo ago
      or, you know, lobbying and oligarchy. great at changing outcomes even when the folks agree.
    - airstrike 4mo ago
      It literally does? Things that people care strongly about get prioritized. I said others don't feel like the OP. Maybe they agree with the point if presented with the choice, but again, they don't feel the same way, so they don't think, protest, comment, demand it in the way the OP does.
      - toss1 4mo ago
        More accurately, they adwquately don't give politicians the money and exercise the power of wealth. An extensive study [0], showed "Basically, average citizens only get what they want if economic elites or interest groups also want it" They studied actual attitudes about issues, moneyed attitudes, and tracked what got implemented as laws. NONE of the 'thinking, protesting, commenting, of demanding' was effective. MONEY was. [0] https://www.vox.com/2014/4/18/5624310/martin-gilens-testing-theories-of-american-politics-explained https://www.vox.com/2014/4/18/5624310/martin-gilens-testing-...
donohoe 4mo ago
I used to love Roku. I even went through their early developer stuff to play with custom channels. It was clear many years ago that their shift form platform to ad provider was underway. Why can't a company always be amazing at something and just stick to that (looking at you Dropbox)? I have a Roku TV an dmy setup is simple: - Disable wifi on Roku TV - Add Apple TV and connect to router
murzynalbinos 4mo ago
[dead]
dhosek 4mo ago
I had to look to see whether this was NewsCorp Fox or Disney Fox. In the 00s I did some contract work at Fox Filmed Entertainment (the part of the company later bought by Disney) which was introduced during interviews as Fox Filmed Entertainment We Have Nothing To Do With Fox News.
- evan_ 4mo ago
  It's the Murdoch one.
- ben4next 4mo ago
  Whats the relevancy here of which Fox subsidiary you did contract work for as it relates to the Roku offer?
  - asveikau 4mo ago
    These aren't subsidiaries of each other. They're different companies with different ownership. So the name Fox is ambiguous.
    - ben4next 4mo ago
      If you read the comments here i think you can determine without a doubt which Fox we're talking about. The unhinged came out in full force.
      - Benlovescnn 4mo ago
        >The unhinged came out in full force. Ohhh, trust us, we know. You've made 10 trolling comments in the past 30 minutes with a 2 day old acct
        ben4next 4mo ago
        [dead]
      - asveikau 4mo ago
gertrunde 4mo ago
I can't really see this ending well for the end user, however well it does/doesn't end for the stakeholders. I thought Roku took off due to their focus on the streaming platform itself, and being agnostic to the streaming services that could be accessed via that platform. Having one specific content producer buy that platform feels like it destroys or devalues the USP of the platform, at least from the point of view of the consumer/end-user. Or is this just another step in the relentless enshittification of all services?
hvs 4mo ago
I used Rokus for years (happily) but they slowly began to degrade the experience with ads on their home screen (that were often not appropriate for children). Due to an unrelated project that required me to purchase an AppleTV I was quickly amazed at how much better their product was. Fast and clean. Never going back.
- sanex 4mo ago
  I feel the same about disney when they started adding hulu content to the main app.
nazgulsenpai 4mo ago
I bought a 42" Hisense Roku TV for like $120 with no prior research from Walmart a few years ago when my old plasma finally passed through to the great beyond. The interface was so clean and pleasant to use and there aren't ads stuffed everywhere. Went to a friend's house and he had a Roku Express player and his was littered with ads and the whole UI was Christmas themed. Moral of the story is pihole is OP.
- malfist 4mo ago
  That works until the ads are hosted from the same domain name
  - nazgulsenpai 4mo ago
    Then my little Celeron junker will also double as a router. Probably going to have do that anyway since YouTube on PS4 and Roku both serve adds from (what I assume are) hardcoded IP addresses.
    - tredre3 4mo ago
      How would a router help you in that scenario? Is your plan is to selectively MITM streaming services with a proxy running on that same machine?
holistio 4mo ago
I remember when Google buying YouTube for $1.6b sounded crazy. And then when then-Facebook Meta bought WhatsApp for 10 times that. $22b. Are there any companies left that are not in the decabillion range?
- TheCondor 4mo ago
  That's what I took notice of... About half their revenue is subscription and about half is advertising. 100m users. $220 per home? I would think that's high. They certianly have enough to ice the carriers out. I wonder what an HBOMax subscription will cost in a year, I bet a fair bit more.
- carlosjobim 4mo ago
  Yes, hundreds of thousands of companies, if you are interested. But you're here.
Seattle3503 4mo ago
Time for Graphene based streaming boxes?
asveikau 4mo ago
Should we expect the Roku apps for non-Fox content to break? That was kind of the selling point of Roku, that it was relatively streaming platform agnostic, not tied to one of the big players.
- carlosjobim 4mo ago
  What do you think? Does it make sense that Fox would invest the entire value of their own company for that end goal?
  - frollogaston 4mo ago
    The Amazon Firestick works with other services but heavily promotes Amazon stuff. I'd expect it to be like that.
  - asveikau 4mo ago
    It depends. If they have the foresight to know that alienating their existing install base is a bad thing, then maybe they will put in a shoestring budget to keep the lights on for the old stuff.
    - TheGrassyKnoll 4mo ago
      Fox owning Roku is alienating to me.
      - asveikau 4mo ago
        Yeah I agree. I own one of their devices but wouldn't buy another after this news.
Apocryphon 4mo ago
Wonder what they will do with Howdy, their paid service.
ritzaco 4mo ago
Are they just following the Succession plot line now?
LightBug1 4mo ago
WTF? .. yuck Well, it's been 5 years ... time to switch out my Roku for something better ... One of the great things about Roku is it's minimal expense ... which means I won't think twice to swap out for anything else.
VeninVidiaVicii 4mo ago
Looks like it’s time to cut my TCL-Roku TV off from the internet forever now.
- hoppyhoppy2 4mo ago
  FOX will still own all your viewing history (years?) to use for behavioral marketing, etc. even if they don't have your current watching preferences.
mikey_p 4mo ago
I've already been wanting to get rid of my Roku TVs and boxes for awhile now, they tend to be slow and buggy lately which requires ALOT of restarting. Before Roku I spent 2005-2018 on various TiVo systems including whole house with minis and the cable-card system. Was thinking of quitting that for awhile, but the Rovi/Macrovision acquisition was definitely the writing on the wall. Guess it's time to try an Apple TV as it seems like the only semi-premium option available.
alsetmusic 4mo ago
Great. Let’s further expand the Murdoch empire. Consolidate, consume, merge, absorb. This never ends poorly for the customer. /s
bilalq 4mo ago
The right wing takeover of media continues unchecked.
Fnoord 4mo ago
A company with the business practices of Fox News I will not buy services or products from. Same with regards to Oracle. I actually regret buying a Nvidia Shield TV. Yes, software support might be there. But what isn't there is the interface (without advertising, the cancer of the world) it came with. Thanks to Google. Thanks to Google, my children are now forced to see inappropriate advertising when the TV gets powered on.
- valicord 4mo ago
  It's very easy to block the Shield home screen ad with pihole
- tredre3 4mo ago
  I don't know why you blame Google, as if Nvidia wasn't the one who made the device, chose the software, and sold it to you. Were they held at gun point by Google? Is there a contractual obligation to not ship their own ads-free launcher instead of randomly switching back to Google's? Are they not the one packaging and distributing the software?
- telcal 4mo ago
  Install Projectivy Launcher. No more ads and you can customize everything.
fckgw 4mo ago
Roku's hardware business is only 10% of their revenue now. The vast majority of their income comes from their FAST streaming service, which they promote heavily on their devices. They haven't been platform agnostic for a while now. Swapping out one streaming owner for another really isn't going to move the needle much.
jm4 4mo ago
This is the next MySpace deal.
kgwxd 4mo ago
Everyone's finally about to learn why it's dumb as hell to let an app store be built into your display.
pm90 4mo ago
I moved away from Roku to a Google TV (as recommended by wirecutter). Its quite fast and remembers my history better. However it is Google so who knows how long it lasts. I don’t like the idea of Roku being owned by anyone, let alone Fox.
tiahura 4mo ago
Glad that at least one of the Amiga guys finally gets rich.
l72 4mo ago
As someone who has canceled all my subscriptions and just uses Jellyfin for 100% of my content, what are some good options besides a Roku? I would love to have hardware like Roku, but just run a jellyfin client, with no need to even have Internet, just access to my jellyfin server on my local network. It would need to be family approved as I don't need another project. I am not interested in AppleTV or a Google device (unless it can be 100% degoogled). Has anyone ever successfully gotten things like CoreELEC/LibreELEC to work well? I wish jellyfin would just sell some hardware, preloaded with a great jellyfin client. I'd pay a premium for it to help fund software development.
- fl4regun 4mo ago
  why not just keep an HDMI cable and a laptop near you and hook it up when you want to watch something? It can basically do everything these little tv boxes do and more, you probably already own a laptop capable of this and the hdmi cable, and you don't have to worry about ads. The toughest part might be if you have 4k videos to drive the display.
  - iAMkenough 4mo ago
    Usually comes down to convenience for my family members. Any recommendations on a voice remote control for a TV-connected PC? PC also needs to support TV power on/off and input switch via HDMI CEC, as well as a launcher to easily switch between the 2-3 streaming apps we use with our remote control.
- aidenn0 4mo ago
  Kodi has a decent Jellyfin client. I only switched away from it because streaming services would break periodically. I ran it with LibreELEC on a random ARM SBC at first, then switched to using a NUC with a standard linux distro. The Pulse8 CEC adapter is a must if you go the latter route. AppleTV with Infuse (note that Infuse is neither free as in "beer" nor "speech") is what I use now for Jellyfin and video content. I haven't found a good client for playing music with Jellyfin on AppleTV. Moonfin (libre, available for 10 platforms) is getting there, but still too buggy to daily-drive.
greenbit 4mo ago
When roku decided that Amazon was the rightful owner of my fastforward button about a year and a half ago, that nearly got it tossed, but since Netflix was still behaving, I still have my roku. But if (as I suspect) we're about to behold the power of this fully functional ad-server, it WILL go directly into the e-waste.
- Arainach 4mo ago
  > Amazon was the rightful owner of my fastforward button What do you mean by this? The back button is involved in system UI and apps should be limited in their ability to steal it, but fast forward is an action that makes no sense outside the context of an app
  - Benanov 4mo ago
    Can't skip ahead to sections of their content you want to view and instead are forced to watch it in sequence. Either that or can't skip ads, ala legal dvd playback
    - Arainach 4mo ago
      I'm still not seeing the part where this is Roku's fault at all. It's Amazon's app responding to the controls the way Amazon wants it. There's no platform with a standardized "fast forward" experience - Apple TV, Google TV, Fire Sticks, whatever are apps running on a device and those apps all implement their own navigation controls.
      - greenbit 4mo ago
        Pretty sure the big A had a problem with older versions of the OS. I'll climb way out on a limb and guess that the API for the apps didn't support embedding control codes in the stream to disable various user controls at points of the content owner's choosing. So yes, the APV app is driving whether to try to force ads on you, buy they couldn't write the app to do that prior to some version of the roku os. To be completely cynical about it, if APV hadn't demanded the os support, I think some other party probably would have.
wnevets 4mo ago
The last thing the world needs is even more media consolidation.
digital_voodoo 4mo ago
Such a good sign that my (very) old Roku 3 died just yesterday, out of the blue.
graphememes 4mo ago
so is it gonna be called the foku or foxu?
rambojohnson 4mo ago
[dead]
thunky 4mo ago
Used to have Roku. Switched to Google TV / Chromecast. So much better. Now when I see Roku it's like going back in time, like seeing an iPod.
yobid20 4mo ago
bye bye roku tvs. hello google.
ElijahLynn 4mo ago
Glad I didn't buy a Roku...
tonymet 4mo ago
i admire how fabulous Roku performance has always been, and how they continue to support older devices. i just updated an 8 year old Roku to the latest OS and it runs great. all the apps are fast. I looked at the hardware specs and it's at or below most of the competitors, but the software is just that great.
genxy 4mo ago
Pretty awesome that Fox now has access to all Roku user's watch history.
gxs 4mo ago
This sucks On the one hand - you’re happy for the entrepreneurs On the other, every single thing I hate as a consumer happens because of lack of competition and these acquisitions that old dinosaurs use to prop themselves up Every single one - I don’t think I’m exaggerating Not particularly heart broken about Roku at this point, but still bugs me to see
ramon156 4mo ago
If you're going to do shady shit, do it while the orange man is still in charge
kennywinker 4mo ago
If the US had even half-competent anti-trust enforcement, this wouldn’t be allowed to go thru.
sidcool 4mo ago
Waystar Royco and Gojo?
Mistletoe 4mo ago
Never more happy with my recent purchase of an Apple TV 4K. No ads ever, metal remote, amazing sound and video quality.
paulvnickerson 4mo ago
Thats interesting - I didn't know foxes watched TV.
ahmdnassir1 4mo ago
I use Apple TV on every TV and skip the TV's built-in apps entirely. Plex is my main app—reliable and predictable. YouTube is a close second despite having awful UI/UX.
zbikowski 4mo ago
People interested in jumping ship should consider a Google TV box (I have the onn. 4K from Walmart, I think I paid $40). In app-only mode (accessible deep in the settings,) there is only one advertisement on the homescreen, and it's quite responsive. Install apps such as Plex, Stremio, etc. without hassle. Programmable buttons on the remote, controls my Denon receiver just fine, very few complaints. Just my 2c. * THIS IS NOT A PAID ADVERTISEMENT *
- baggachipz 4mo ago
  I'm sure it will work fine until they abandon it in a year or two, like the preceding platform, and the one before that, and the one before that.
jordanpg 4mo ago
(simple, non-complicated consumer) Alternatives I'm aware of are: Amazon Fire TV Apple TV Smart TV built-ins Are there any others?
spprashant 4mo ago
The US really is just allowing all sorts of horizontal and vertical mergers. There is enough economic theory to suggest this is a net negative for consumers. We are powering through it anyway.
sirspacey 4mo ago
RIP Roku. Built our whole streaming life around it, guess that’s on a clock now.

Fox to buy Roku

360 points by thm 4mo ago

mmooss 4mo ago

[flagged]

frogperson 4mo ago
[flagged]

andrewla 4mo ago

Some alternative sources - Fox PR: https://www.foxcorporation.com/news/corp-press-releases/2026/fox-corporation-to-acquire-roku-inc/ https://www.foxcorporation.com/news/corp-press-releases/2026... - Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/fox-buy-roku-22-billion-deal-2026-06-15/ https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/fox-buy-roku-...

ChrisArchitect 4mo ago
- An important update about Roku https://www.roku.com/blog/roku-fox https://www.roku.com/blog/roku-fox

lenerdenator 4mo ago

Further proof that antitrust is dead in the US.

stogot 4mo ago
Does this violate US antitrust laws?
- ivanmontillam 4mo ago
  If the spirit of the antitrust law is to protect consumers from enshittification, then yes. But as written to the letter of the law, no, as this would not create a monopoly. More consolidation yes, but a monopoly technically not.
  - lenerdenator 4mo ago
    Given that the whole point is to prevent consolidation that is to the detriment of consumers, well, yeah.
    - ivanmontillam 4mo ago
      yeah, but who's to say Fox is gonna screw up this one? Like the government saying: "Sorry Fox, you cannot have this one, this one is too good for your dinosaur management." Since that's a very dangerous government hand meddling, I guess the correct move is to let it happen (to our liking or not).
      - lenerdenator 4mo ago
        > yeah, but who's to say Fox is gonna screw up this one? I mean... gestures widely

andrewla 4mo ago

As a long-time[1] customer of Roku I am tentatively extremely pessimistic. I have always been unhappy with Roku's decision to get involved in streaming content at all, because it could potentially cut into their service-agnostic architecture. Bad enough in my mind that they had in-platform ads instead of just charging for hardware, but way worse when they are actively competing with streaming services. And now it looks like it has happened -- a large content provider wants to buy the company, and while I hope that they can at least notionally continue to be service-agnostic, the temptation to cheat to favor your own services will always be there an when cost cutting and belt tightening is on the table, that is surely what will happen. [1] My order for the "Netflix Player by Roku": "CustomerID# 1162 Thank you very much for your Roku order. Your order number is 2472, placed 5/20/2008 at 10:01AM."

WarmWash 4mo ago
There is the long standing problem that if you build a road for others, and others get unfathomably rich using that road, you end up looking pretty dumb.
- kbelder 4mo ago
  And yet, advancement of civilization depends on that.
  - account42 4mo ago
    In fact it used to be that we recognized the usefulness of roads and banded together to fund roads that are specifically there for others to use. Somehow the same is unthinkable for virtual roads.
dylan604 4mo ago
> Bad enough in my mind that they had in-platform ads instead of just charging for hardware I mean, of course they did. If you were running a company and had to choose between a one-time relatively small fee vs a life time of near constant ad driven income per user, which would you choose?

seobot_dk1289 4mo ago

[flagged]

baggachipz 4mo ago

Time for the 'Fox News' button on the Roku remote. Truth Social tweets on your screensaver.

deleted 4mo ago
[deleted]
fred_is_fred 4mo ago
Back when we had things like Dish and cable, I was able to put a "Parental Block" on channels. I used this to hide or remove channels I never watched, but I found it had a secondary benefit when my Texan in-laws visited -- "Sorry, our TV package doesn't include Fox News".
giancarlostoro 4mo ago
Actually, a more likely button might be "Sports" which would either open your preferred sports app (smarter way to do it) and default to Fox Sports, or a "Stream TV" type button that opens up Tubi which is already run by Fox, and surprisingly had decent content on it. I'm not surprised they're going this route, and would not be surprised if News becomes a drastically smaller piece of Fox over the coming years.
- subroutine 4mo ago
  Why would this be more likely? The current remotes already have a Netflix button, a Hulu button, a Sling button and a Disney+ button. Roku sells dedicated buttons on their remotes to the highest bidder.
yndoendo 4mo ago
[flagged]
- reagan83 4mo ago
  .
  - 4mo ago

pickleglitch 4mo ago

So now the same corporation that owns Fox News is going to own Roku? No thanks. Guess it's finally time to switch to a custom Android TV box or Apple TV. Or roll my own, but I've tried that and found it pretty difficult.

IshKebab 4mo ago
> Or roll my own, but I've tried that and found it pretty difficult. I agree, there seem to be no good options for this. You can use Kodi or whatever, but I want something that supports playing my ... totally legally acquired content... and Netflix/Disney/iPlayer/etc. In a package that's silent and low power. Doesn't seem to exist unfortunately. I guess the closest is Nvidia Shield. You can apparently still sideload APKs onto that... for now. I'll buy one when they release an update. I'm patient!
- presbyterian 4mo ago
  If you’re already DIYing, set up a Jellyfin server and then any of the streaming boxes will work.
  - pickleglitch 4mo ago
    Jellyfin is great, but it is solving a different problem entirely.
    - presbyterian 4mo ago
      Not really. The person I'm replying to wants to watch streaming services and their own files. Grab any streaming box that supports the services, and it almost certainly has a Jellyfin app or a compatible one. Problem solved.
- NetMageSCW 4mo ago
  Apple TV.
  - 4mo ago

jqpabc123 4mo ago

Thankfully, I am Roku free.

throwatdem12311 4mo ago

gross, is there any TV is that isn’t Google or Roku that is halfway decent? Bring back dumb TVs

nosioptar 4mo ago
I picked up an android TV box for $25 that works with LineageOS. It sucks because its android, but at least its degoogled. Edit: for a TV, I love my 30 year old Panasonic. Paid $20 for it at the Mormon goodwill. Only 720p, but has the best speakers of any TV I've owned.
anderber 4mo ago
You can get an off-brand Android TV and install a custom launcher like https://at4klauncher.com/ https://at4klauncher.com/
Octoth0rpe 4mo ago
I was dreading my most recent tv purchase (last fall) for exactly this reason, and ended up with TCL google tv. One can apparently setup a google tv as a dumb tv and never sign it into the internet. It acts exactly how I'd want a dumb tv to work now, simply auto uses the most recent hdmi device, or the active one if the most recent one isn't active. It has never connected to the internet, and it never will. My long term concern is that google will eventually put cell modems in their tvs, and then using my next tv as a dumb tv will no longer be an option. For now though, this is your best bet.
- Induane 4mo ago
  You'll be able to stop the signal if they add cellular data. Still annoying though.
  - Octoth0rpe 4mo ago
    Hopefully? I mean, adding the cell modem is sort of hypothesizing about the future, and if we're already doing that then we might as well also hypothesize that such a future google tv will refuse to display anything from its hdmi inputs until it successfully phones home, and that that happens weekly.

thm 4mo ago

Gift link: https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/fox-roku-deal-f6e564f9?st=rs4QjN&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/fox-roku-deal-f6e564f9?st...

thebiglebrewski 4mo ago

So what are the alternatives? I have mostly Frame TVs and a projector. I always loved the Roku experience, it really felt like the best media player software, they just kept improving it, and having all TVs on the ecosystem made it even better. One app for virtual remotes, bluetooth listening, searching with your phone keyboard, etc. I don't want to go back to the Frame's software. I really like the Backdrops app and so many other features. But it just seems like this acquisition can only accelerate the ensh*tification of Roku. They already changed the default home screen a few weeks ago to show recommendations, SO MANY ads, etc and you change it in settings. But as other commentors have mentioned, now we'll probably have Fox News and Truth Social front and center whether we want it or not. So many apps have DRM that prevent you from running it yourself in any way. Is there another way that lets you run Netflix, Paramount+, HBO, all the majors without any trouble that is as integrated as Roku, or at least anything heading in that direction?

hamburglar 4mo ago
> I don't want to go back to the Frame's software It’s not really a viable option if you wanted to. I have two Frames and they both just keep deteriorating to the point they are pretty useless. I have added an appletv to one of them and it’s vastly improved the UX. Now the only thing I need to do with the Samsung software is the unreasonably slow task of switching inputs.
gaws 4mo ago
> So what are the alternatives? A dumb TV you can buy for cheap on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist with an Nvidia Shield or a similar streaming device running Android.

giancarlostoro 4mo ago

I never liked the idea of Roku since I always felt like they could "go away at any moment" since that is all they sold basically. Fun fact, Roku sells security cameras at Walmart, they're technically rebranded Wyze cameras (look just like them, same hardware) with Roku software on them. If you did buy one of those Roku cameras, maybe a good time to switch off to Wyze if you don't like this direction.

SirFatty 4mo ago
"I never liked the idea of Roku since I always felt like they could "go away at any moment" since that is all they sold basically." That's odd since they've been around for 23 years. I would understand that stance 20 years ago.
- giancarlostoro 4mo ago
  I first heard of them in the early 2010s so it was not that odd back then.
  - IAmBroom 4mo ago
    But your claim was about "always" feeling that way, not "at first".
xnx 4mo ago
> rebranded Wyze cameras Is that even possible? IIRC Wyze cameras are whatever cheap Chinese OEM model thy find and can brand the firmware for. Seems as likely that Roku went to same OEM source.
- giancarlostoro 4mo ago
  https://support.roku.com/article/do-roku-smart-home-devices-work-with-wyze-products https://support.roku.com/article/do-roku-smart-home-devices-...

pastor_williams 4mo ago

A year ago I started moving away from Roku. I think they've always had ads on the home screen which I blocked with a DNS blocklist but the seasonal ad sections that continued popping up in the menu despite my continually blocking them wore on me. I've upgraded to an nvidia shield using projectivy launcher which allows me to set a customized and very clean interface with the just the apps I use and nothing else. I definitely recommend it.

blackjack_ 4mo ago
No the Home Screen ads were added in an update 2.5ish years ago. I know this because that is when I decided to disconnect my Roku tv from the internet rather than see ads when I turn my tv on. I had been a pretty big Roku fan before that point as I had worked with them back in ~2017 and knew how locked down and sewn up they kept customer data, and only shared it in a very anonymized way. Obviously the situation has degraded in the recent years, and caused me to brick the functionality of a very expensive device. Seems like it’s impossible to have a smart tv now that actually respects privacy, so back to dumb tvs and connections to pcs?
- nerdsniper 4mo ago
  I believe dumb TV’s are both more expensive and much harder to compare. I can’t find any dumb TV reviews on rtings.com for example. People usually suggest commercial TV’s but its not clear how to determine which have comparable HDR gamut as consumer units. So it’s hard to figure out exactly what the premium is. Is a $2,000 dumb/commercial TV equivalent to a $500 consumer TV or a $1600 one?
  - stvltvs 4mo ago
    Some of that extra cost is for the extra reliability the commercial displays offer, in case anyone wondered. They're designed to be on 24/7 for extended periods.

niko323 4mo ago

[dead]

whalesalad 4mo ago

As of 10am est their stock is down nearly 20%.

josefritzishere 4mo ago
It's a complete betrayal of the user base but I'm sure the CEO will get paid a big buyout so they'll go forward anyway.
- cindyllm 4mo ago
  [dead]
stock_toaster 4mo ago
I've always wondered.. Why would a stock (roku in this case) trade below the acquisition price (currently showing around 141)? (160 in this case) Does the market think this sale won't be approved by the current administration for some reason?
- 0cf8612b2e1e 4mo ago
  Sure seems like free money. In normal times, there is a chance this could get blocked, but a favored media outlet of the administration seems a lock. Also, look at the five day chart. Shot up from $120 on Friday. Bunch of insiders knew early.
  - stock_toaster 4mo ago
    Ah. I think I figured it out. > FOX is acquiring Roku in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $160.00 per ROKU share. FOX will pay $96.00 in cash and 0.9693 shares of FOX Class A common stock for each Roku Class A and Class B share outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger. So not a straight $160/share cash, but $96/share cash and some FOX shares. Roku trading below 160 means the fox stock is not considered worth (160-96) by the market.

dylan604 4mo ago

Ugh, Fox. I recently made the decision to not spend $10.99/month for their FoxOne app to stream World Cup matches. I decided to watch the Telemundo broadcasts instead, even though I don’t speak Spanish, just to not give Fox my money. If I were Roku user, this would definitely cause me to quit being a Roku user. I doubt I’d be the only one, but I also do not believe it will be enough total to be noticeable.

kleiba2 4mo ago
I could not handle the Spanish commentary, though. I know that that's a real cultural gap on my side, but Spanish soccer commentary is something I could never get accustomed to - way too much talking for my taste, and I especially cannot relate at all to the goal "celebrations".
- dylan604 4mo ago
  I'd rather listen to that than give money to Fox. However, I'm learning that I understand a lot more Spanish that I would have thought. I know enough words that I can at least grasp what I think the topic is, but not the details. Almost like hearing parts of a conversation 3 groups down from you at the bar.
carlosjobim 4mo ago
Do you think people will throw away their perfectly functioning devices because of politics?
- bigfishrunning 4mo ago
  Nah, they'll just put a "i bought it before elon went crazy" sticker on their brand-new cybertruck. People talk a big game, but really are unprincipled in general.
  - mschuster91 4mo ago
    > People talk a big game, but really are unprincipled in general. At least regarding cybertrucks, pretty much no one is buying them. People are principled - Tesla's brand image is in the gutters and it shows, they are continuously losing market share and SpaceX had to bail out Tesla by buying 131 millions of dollars worth of Cybertrucks.

crsv 4mo ago

Timed my move from Roku devices to Apple TV just right it appears.

Noaidi 4mo ago
Can you get PlutoTV on Apple TV?
- sphars 4mo ago
  According to this[0], yes it's available [0]: https://support.pluto.tv/s/article/PTV-On-which-devices-can-I-watch-Pluto-TV?language=en_US https://support.pluto.tv/s/article/PTV-On-which-devices-can-...
gaws 4mo ago
Only a matter of time before enshittification comes for Apple TV.

SG- 4mo ago

I wonder how many TV brands that include Roku on their TVs will dump them going forward especially for the non-american markets.

voakbasda 4mo ago
Well, I certainly will never buy another one. I doubt I am alone. Sadly there are enough loyal fanatics that I can imagine they will continue to be sold indefinitely.
- carlosjobim 4mo ago
  Wouldn't somebody who boycotts a company to boycott a different company to boycott a third company be the fanatic in this case?
  - kgwxd 4mo ago
    The companies become one after the purchase. That's how purchases work.
    - carlosjobim 4mo ago
      Shouldn't the animosity against Fox be reduced by 50% after the merger? Or is the hacker ethos to just shun everything and then shun shunning?
      - kgwxd 4mo ago
        > Shouldn't the animosity against Fox be reduced by 50% after the merger? Do you ever wonder why no one takes you seriously?

deleted 4mo ago

[deleted]

voakbasda 4mo ago

If this happens, our Roku TV is going in the trash. They locked out their customers of their own devices by pushing updated firmware that forced agreement to new terms. They lost my trust during that episode, and this move shows that was the right decision. Meanwhile, Fox lost my respect decades ago. The idea that they could gain network level access to one of my devices cannot be reconciled with my need to feel secure and safe in my own home. Anyone wanna take the opportunity to share their favorite brands and models of dumb TVs?

riahi 4mo ago
Any but never connect it to the internet and use an appletv
999900000999 4mo ago
I think I’m going with a Google TV. I already trust them on my phones anyway. If you want more control buy a pc monitor and some speakers or commercial display.
gaws 4mo ago
> Anyone wanna take the opportunity to share their favorite brands and models of dumb TVs? You can find them in your local Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist region.
internet101010 4mo ago
The closest thing you will fine to a dumb tv is a commercial display, which will not be available with the latest OLED, 120hz, etc. You have to buy a smart TV and disable the internet + external device like Apple TV or Nvidia Shield.
ben4next 4mo ago
[flagged]
- Benlovescnn 4mo ago
  Why do you think reporting and telling the truth is such a bad thing?

HardwareLust 4mo ago

Ok, so now that Roku is dead, what alternatives do we have?

0cf8612b2e1e 4mo ago
Also quite interested in this. I guess the best contenders are Apple TV, Nvidia Shield, or roll your own HTPC.
- deleted 4mo ago
  [deleted]
gaws 4mo ago
A dumb TV you can buy for cheap on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist with an Nvidia Shield or a similar streaming device running Android.

1970-01-01 4mo ago

"Somehow, Roku to become even worse."

gdulli 4mo ago

I switched from Roku to Xbox for Plex because of how Roku has degraded, and not only did I get the primary benefit of being off Roku, but I found the Xbox Plex app has not been updated to the terrible new redesign so it was a double win.

gaws 4mo ago
With Xbox's planned "reinvention" under the new CEO, consider the Plex app's days on the console numbered.
kpw94 4mo ago
I did the opposite switch: In ~2015 got an Xbox one, as a media center it was an awesome experience: Kinect voice control to play/pause and other things way before Google home/Amazon echo ecosystem were mature. Free OTA channels via TV tuner and well designed OneGuide (with ability to pause and rewind). And of course all the Netflix and other apps, Plex server etc. But strategically it seems Microsoft decided they wanted to look more like Playstation, focused on gaming (at that time paid Xbox live subscription vs free Playstation) And as gaws points out, they seem to recently announce to double down on the gaming stuff. So when they discontinued OneGuide. I picked Roku since they seem to be focused on the media experience primarily... but unsure how I feel about this acquisition news.

josefritzishere 4mo ago

I'm going to assume now that Fox will ruin Roku. Any suggestions for replacement devices?

gaws 4mo ago
A dumb TV you can buy for cheap on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist with an Nvidia Shield or a similar streaming device running Android.

deleted 4mo ago

[deleted]

dkresge 4mo ago

Seems like an excellent startup opportunity? Build a clean, no-ads streaming stick with open source firmware upstream of the requisite DRM bits and who wouldn't buy one? Almost like what Roku used to be, and the reason we recommended it, for so many years.

xnx 4mo ago
This sounds great to me, but the mainstream market has shown they probably wouldn't pay even $5 more for such a device when something they think is good enough is built into the TV.
jubilanti 4mo ago
Because it will cost 2-4x compared to a Roku, Amazon Fire, or other device sold below cost and subsidized with ad/VC money. And in order to work on the DRMed streaming platforms, you have to play along with the industry. Can't just relabel a random box from Shenzhen, "upstream of the requisite DRM bits" makes no sense. The original NVIDIA Shield is more than 10 years old at this point and still sells used for around $100 and people are still paying $200 retail for a new 2019 Pro. Interestingly, that price has basically stayed flat at $200 from 2020 to 2026. You can install Lineage or whatever if you don't care about the DRM. It's exactly what HN people want, and that's how much it costs.
- sciencejerk 4mo ago
  No ads on Nvidia shield?
- 0cf8612b2e1e 4mo ago
  Can you clarify the DRM comment? Do streaming services not work or they get downscaled to some garbage resolution? I am looking for options and being able to sideload on a Shield is attractive, but if the experience is no different than a homemade Linux HTPC, I can save the cash.
whywhywhywhy 4mo ago
> requisite DRM bits This is full on Google Play Services certification and more. Ultimately to get the thing that can run/stream Netflix etc the amount of work just isn't viable for the price point people would pay for this. Also the truth is no investor would touch this on hardware sale income alone, needs some subscription plan at least. Roku was always a weird one, beloved by people who couldn't stand laggy built in TV interface but doesn't really offer much beyond what TVs come with anyway.

anon7000 4mo ago

Where is anti-trust in this country? Absolutely absurd the levels of media consolidation we’re seeing under billionaires right now.

gaws 4mo ago
You have the Trump administration and the Congressional Republicans to thank.
kylemaxwell 4mo ago
Media consolidation is actively encouraged by the current regime in the US because it lets them have more control.
mike_bob 4mo ago
Biden signed a few anti-trust acts into law and also issued executive order 14036 to try to reign in anti-competitive practices. Trump quite literally revoked every one of these within his first month returning to office, calling them "bad for business". Who is it actually bad for? The consumers. The new religious-linked GOP no longer believes in fairness or holding business accountable for anything, it's "God's will" or something...

jauntywundrkind 4mo ago

Also note that this gives Fox News viewership data for all Roku devices! Powell Memorandum (1971) intensifies, with corporate buy out of all society's core media functions by extremist conservatives radically racing ahead.

nrmitchi 4mo ago

I may be lambasted for saying this, but I do not believe that Fox (or any large media company, really) should be permitted to purchase direct access to the TV hardware of roughly 30-50% of american households.

airstrike 4mo ago
that law does not exist, probably because not enough people feel that way
- thinkingtoilet 4mo ago
  Your reasoning does not stand at all. There are plenty of things that the majority of people agree upon in this country but it does not get done for a variety of reasons. For example, it's not as important as other issues so they can't prioritize it for voting, gerrymandering, etc...
  - jsrozner 4mo ago
    or, you know, lobbying and oligarchy. great at changing outcomes even when the folks agree.
  - airstrike 4mo ago
    It literally does? Things that people care strongly about get prioritized. I said others don't feel like the OP. Maybe they agree with the point if presented with the choice, but again, they don't feel the same way, so they don't think, protest, comment, demand it in the way the OP does.
    - toss1 4mo ago
      More accurately, they adwquately don't give politicians the money and exercise the power of wealth. An extensive study [0], showed "Basically, average citizens only get what they want if economic elites or interest groups also want it" They studied actual attitudes about issues, moneyed attitudes, and tracked what got implemented as laws. NONE of the 'thinking, protesting, commenting, of demanding' was effective. MONEY was. [0] https://www.vox.com/2014/4/18/5624310/martin-gilens-testing-theories-of-american-politics-explained https://www.vox.com/2014/4/18/5624310/martin-gilens-testing-...

donohoe 4mo ago

I used to love Roku. I even went through their early developer stuff to play with custom channels. It was clear many years ago that their shift form platform to ad provider was underway. Why can't a company always be amazing at something and just stick to that (looking at you Dropbox)? I have a Roku TV an dmy setup is simple: - Disable wifi on Roku TV - Add Apple TV and connect to router

murzynalbinos 4mo ago

[dead]

dhosek 4mo ago

I had to look to see whether this was NewsCorp Fox or Disney Fox. In the 00s I did some contract work at Fox Filmed Entertainment (the part of the company later bought by Disney) which was introduced during interviews as Fox Filmed Entertainment We Have Nothing To Do With Fox News.

evan_ 4mo ago
It's the Murdoch one.
ben4next 4mo ago
Whats the relevancy here of which Fox subsidiary you did contract work for as it relates to the Roku offer?
- asveikau 4mo ago
  These aren't subsidiaries of each other. They're different companies with different ownership. So the name Fox is ambiguous.
  - ben4next 4mo ago
    If you read the comments here i think you can determine without a doubt which Fox we're talking about. The unhinged came out in full force.
    - Benlovescnn 4mo ago
      >The unhinged came out in full force. Ohhh, trust us, we know. You've made 10 trolling comments in the past 30 minutes with a 2 day old acct
      - ben4next 4mo ago
        [dead]
    - asveikau 4mo ago

gertrunde 4mo ago

I can't really see this ending well for the end user, however well it does/doesn't end for the stakeholders. I thought Roku took off due to their focus on the streaming platform itself, and being agnostic to the streaming services that could be accessed via that platform. Having one specific content producer buy that platform feels like it destroys or devalues the USP of the platform, at least from the point of view of the consumer/end-user. Or is this just another step in the relentless enshittification of all services?

hvs 4mo ago

I used Rokus for years (happily) but they slowly began to degrade the experience with ads on their home screen (that were often not appropriate for children). Due to an unrelated project that required me to purchase an AppleTV I was quickly amazed at how much better their product was. Fast and clean. Never going back.

sanex 4mo ago
I feel the same about disney when they started adding hulu content to the main app.

nazgulsenpai 4mo ago

I bought a 42" Hisense Roku TV for like $120 with no prior research from Walmart a few years ago when my old plasma finally passed through to the great beyond. The interface was so clean and pleasant to use and there aren't ads stuffed everywhere. Went to a friend's house and he had a Roku Express player and his was littered with ads and the whole UI was Christmas themed. Moral of the story is pihole is OP.

malfist 4mo ago
That works until the ads are hosted from the same domain name
- nazgulsenpai 4mo ago
  Then my little Celeron junker will also double as a router. Probably going to have do that anyway since YouTube on PS4 and Roku both serve adds from (what I assume are) hardcoded IP addresses.
  - tredre3 4mo ago
    How would a router help you in that scenario? Is your plan is to selectively MITM streaming services with a proxy running on that same machine?

holistio 4mo ago

I remember when Google buying YouTube for $1.6b sounded crazy. And then when then-Facebook Meta bought WhatsApp for 10 times that. $22b. Are there any companies left that are not in the decabillion range?

TheCondor 4mo ago
That's what I took notice of... About half their revenue is subscription and about half is advertising. 100m users. $220 per home? I would think that's high. They certianly have enough to ice the carriers out. I wonder what an HBOMax subscription will cost in a year, I bet a fair bit more.
carlosjobim 4mo ago
Yes, hundreds of thousands of companies, if you are interested. But you're here.

Seattle3503 4mo ago

Time for Graphene based streaming boxes?

asveikau 4mo ago

Should we expect the Roku apps for non-Fox content to break? That was kind of the selling point of Roku, that it was relatively streaming platform agnostic, not tied to one of the big players.

carlosjobim 4mo ago
What do you think? Does it make sense that Fox would invest the entire value of their own company for that end goal?
- frollogaston 4mo ago
  The Amazon Firestick works with other services but heavily promotes Amazon stuff. I'd expect it to be like that.
- asveikau 4mo ago
  It depends. If they have the foresight to know that alienating their existing install base is a bad thing, then maybe they will put in a shoestring budget to keep the lights on for the old stuff.
  - TheGrassyKnoll 4mo ago
    Fox owning Roku is alienating to me.
    - asveikau 4mo ago
      Yeah I agree. I own one of their devices but wouldn't buy another after this news.

Apocryphon 4mo ago

Wonder what they will do with Howdy, their paid service.

ritzaco 4mo ago

Are they just following the Succession plot line now?

LightBug1 4mo ago

WTF? .. yuck Well, it's been 5 years ... time to switch out my Roku for something better ... One of the great things about Roku is it's minimal expense ... which means I won't think twice to swap out for anything else.

VeninVidiaVicii 4mo ago

Looks like it’s time to cut my TCL-Roku TV off from the internet forever now.

hoppyhoppy2 4mo ago
FOX will still own all your viewing history (years?) to use for behavioral marketing, etc. even if they don't have your current watching preferences.

mikey_p 4mo ago

I've already been wanting to get rid of my Roku TVs and boxes for awhile now, they tend to be slow and buggy lately which requires ALOT of restarting. Before Roku I spent 2005-2018 on various TiVo systems including whole house with minis and the cable-card system. Was thinking of quitting that for awhile, but the Rovi/Macrovision acquisition was definitely the writing on the wall. Guess it's time to try an Apple TV as it seems like the only semi-premium option available.

alsetmusic 4mo ago

Great. Let’s further expand the Murdoch empire. Consolidate, consume, merge, absorb. This never ends poorly for the customer. /s

bilalq 4mo ago

The right wing takeover of media continues unchecked.

Fnoord 4mo ago

A company with the business practices of Fox News I will not buy services or products from. Same with regards to Oracle. I actually regret buying a Nvidia Shield TV. Yes, software support might be there. But what isn't there is the interface (without advertising, the cancer of the world) it came with. Thanks to Google. Thanks to Google, my children are now forced to see inappropriate advertising when the TV gets powered on.

valicord 4mo ago
It's very easy to block the Shield home screen ad with pihole
tredre3 4mo ago
I don't know why you blame Google, as if Nvidia wasn't the one who made the device, chose the software, and sold it to you. Were they held at gun point by Google? Is there a contractual obligation to not ship their own ads-free launcher instead of randomly switching back to Google's? Are they not the one packaging and distributing the software?
telcal 4mo ago
Install Projectivy Launcher. No more ads and you can customize everything.

fckgw 4mo ago

Roku's hardware business is only 10% of their revenue now. The vast majority of their income comes from their FAST streaming service, which they promote heavily on their devices. They haven't been platform agnostic for a while now. Swapping out one streaming owner for another really isn't going to move the needle much.

jm4 4mo ago

This is the next MySpace deal.

kgwxd 4mo ago

Everyone's finally about to learn why it's dumb as hell to let an app store be built into your display.

pm90 4mo ago

I moved away from Roku to a Google TV (as recommended by wirecutter). Its quite fast and remembers my history better. However it is Google so who knows how long it lasts. I don’t like the idea of Roku being owned by anyone, let alone Fox.

tiahura 4mo ago

Glad that at least one of the Amiga guys finally gets rich.

l72 4mo ago

As someone who has canceled all my subscriptions and just uses Jellyfin for 100% of my content, what are some good options besides a Roku? I would love to have hardware like Roku, but just run a jellyfin client, with no need to even have Internet, just access to my jellyfin server on my local network. It would need to be family approved as I don't need another project. I am not interested in AppleTV or a Google device (unless it can be 100% degoogled). Has anyone ever successfully gotten things like CoreELEC/LibreELEC to work well? I wish jellyfin would just sell some hardware, preloaded with a great jellyfin client. I'd pay a premium for it to help fund software development.

fl4regun 4mo ago
why not just keep an HDMI cable and a laptop near you and hook it up when you want to watch something? It can basically do everything these little tv boxes do and more, you probably already own a laptop capable of this and the hdmi cable, and you don't have to worry about ads. The toughest part might be if you have 4k videos to drive the display.
- iAMkenough 4mo ago
  Usually comes down to convenience for my family members. Any recommendations on a voice remote control for a TV-connected PC? PC also needs to support TV power on/off and input switch via HDMI CEC, as well as a launcher to easily switch between the 2-3 streaming apps we use with our remote control.
aidenn0 4mo ago
Kodi has a decent Jellyfin client. I only switched away from it because streaming services would break periodically. I ran it with LibreELEC on a random ARM SBC at first, then switched to using a NUC with a standard linux distro. The Pulse8 CEC adapter is a must if you go the latter route. AppleTV with Infuse (note that Infuse is neither free as in "beer" nor "speech") is what I use now for Jellyfin and video content. I haven't found a good client for playing music with Jellyfin on AppleTV. Moonfin (libre, available for 10 platforms) is getting there, but still too buggy to daily-drive.

greenbit 4mo ago

When roku decided that Amazon was the rightful owner of my fastforward button about a year and a half ago, that nearly got it tossed, but since Netflix was still behaving, I still have my roku. But if (as I suspect) we're about to behold the power of this fully functional ad-server, it WILL go directly into the e-waste.

Arainach 4mo ago
> Amazon was the rightful owner of my fastforward button What do you mean by this? The back button is involved in system UI and apps should be limited in their ability to steal it, but fast forward is an action that makes no sense outside the context of an app
- Benanov 4mo ago
  Can't skip ahead to sections of their content you want to view and instead are forced to watch it in sequence. Either that or can't skip ads, ala legal dvd playback
  - Arainach 4mo ago
    I'm still not seeing the part where this is Roku's fault at all. It's Amazon's app responding to the controls the way Amazon wants it. There's no platform with a standardized "fast forward" experience - Apple TV, Google TV, Fire Sticks, whatever are apps running on a device and those apps all implement their own navigation controls.
    - greenbit 4mo ago
      Pretty sure the big A had a problem with older versions of the OS. I'll climb way out on a limb and guess that the API for the apps didn't support embedding control codes in the stream to disable various user controls at points of the content owner's choosing. So yes, the APV app is driving whether to try to force ads on you, buy they couldn't write the app to do that prior to some version of the roku os. To be completely cynical about it, if APV hadn't demanded the os support, I think some other party probably would have.

wnevets 4mo ago

The last thing the world needs is even more media consolidation.

digital_voodoo 4mo ago

Such a good sign that my (very) old Roku 3 died just yesterday, out of the blue.

graphememes 4mo ago

so is it gonna be called the foku or foxu?

rambojohnson 4mo ago

[dead]

thunky 4mo ago

Used to have Roku. Switched to Google TV / Chromecast. So much better. Now when I see Roku it's like going back in time, like seeing an iPod.

yobid20 4mo ago

bye bye roku tvs. hello google.

ElijahLynn 4mo ago

Glad I didn't buy a Roku...

tonymet 4mo ago

i admire how fabulous Roku performance has always been, and how they continue to support older devices. i just updated an 8 year old Roku to the latest OS and it runs great. all the apps are fast. I looked at the hardware specs and it's at or below most of the competitors, but the software is just that great.

genxy 4mo ago

Pretty awesome that Fox now has access to all Roku user's watch history.

gxs 4mo ago

This sucks On the one hand - you’re happy for the entrepreneurs On the other, every single thing I hate as a consumer happens because of lack of competition and these acquisitions that old dinosaurs use to prop themselves up Every single one - I don’t think I’m exaggerating Not particularly heart broken about Roku at this point, but still bugs me to see

ramon156 4mo ago

If you're going to do shady shit, do it while the orange man is still in charge

kennywinker 4mo ago

If the US had even half-competent anti-trust enforcement, this wouldn’t be allowed to go thru.

sidcool 4mo ago

Waystar Royco and Gojo?

Mistletoe 4mo ago

Never more happy with my recent purchase of an Apple TV 4K. No ads ever, metal remote, amazing sound and video quality.

paulvnickerson 4mo ago

Thats interesting - I didn't know foxes watched TV.

ahmdnassir1 4mo ago

I use Apple TV on every TV and skip the TV's built-in apps entirely. Plex is my main app—reliable and predictable. YouTube is a close second despite having awful UI/UX.

zbikowski 4mo ago

People interested in jumping ship should consider a Google TV box (I have the onn. 4K from Walmart, I think I paid $40). In app-only mode (accessible deep in the settings,) there is only one advertisement on the homescreen, and it's quite responsive. Install apps such as Plex, Stremio, etc. without hassle. Programmable buttons on the remote, controls my Denon receiver just fine, very few complaints. Just my 2c. * THIS IS NOT A PAID ADVERTISEMENT *

baggachipz 4mo ago
I'm sure it will work fine until they abandon it in a year or two, like the preceding platform, and the one before that, and the one before that.

jordanpg 4mo ago

(simple, non-complicated consumer) Alternatives I'm aware of are: Amazon Fire TV Apple TV Smart TV built-ins Are there any others?

spprashant 4mo ago

The US really is just allowing all sorts of horizontal and vertical mergers. There is enough economic theory to suggest this is a net negative for consumers. We are powering through it anyway.

sirspacey 4mo ago

RIP Roku. Built our whole streaming life around it, guess that’s on a clock now.