Roku’s New Venture: Launches Ad-Free Subscription Streaming Service ‘Howdy’

The globally renowned streaming platform Roku has launched a new subscription-based streaming service called Howdy. For just $2.99 per month, users can enjoy nearly 10,000 hours of ad-free content.

The service features popular movies and shows from major studios like Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FilmRise, along with some original content produced by Roku itself.

What you can watch on Howdy includes:

• Mad Max: Fury Road
  
  

• The Blind Side
  
  

• Weeds
  
  

• Kids in the Hall
  
  

Additionally, the platform offers romantic comedies, medical dramas, and popular comedy shows from the 1990s.

Anthony Wood, Roku’s founder and CEO, said in a press release, “Howdy is an ad-free service and is not intended to compete with premium streaming services but rather to complement them.”

This move by Roku comes just two months after acquiring the streaming service Frndly TV for $185 million, which offers live TV, on-demand videos, and cloud-based DVR functionality.

Howdy will be integrated with The Roku Channel, Roku’s free ad-supported (FAST) streaming service. Recent reports show The Roku Channel is now the most popular FAST service, surpassing competitors like Tubi and Pluto TV.

Roku claims over 120 million active users daily on its platform and that earlier this year it reached over 90 million streaming households.

Roku’s Q2 earnings report revealed a 15% revenue growth exceeding expectations and that streaming hours on its platform rose to 35.4 billion hours — up 5.2 billion hours from the same period last year.

With the launch of Howdy, Roku takes another step to strengthen its position in the global streaming market.