"Westworld"
Warner Bros. Discovery Launching FAST Channels on Roku AVOD Platform
January 31, 2023
Roku and Warner Bros. Discovery Jan. 31 announced the signing of a groundbreaking deal to bring Warner Bros. branded free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels to The Roku Channel. Channels are devoted myriad original Warner Bros. Television content, including “Westworld,” “The Bachelor,” “Cake Boss,” “Say Yes to the Dress” and “F-Boy Island,” among others.
The FAST channels are part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s inaugural move to diversify distribution of original content across AVOD channels. The deal includes about 2,000 hours of on-demand library programming from HBO, HBO Max, Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC and Warner Bros. Pictures.
“As FAST continues to explode in popularity amongst cord-cutters, we’re seeing content players increasingly shift their focus towards capturing this audience,” Rob Holmes, Roku’s outgoing VP of programming, said in a statement.
The news builds on The Roku Channel’s significant enhancement of its FAST offering over the past year, with deals that added programming from AMC Networks, NBCUniversal, WMX (Warner Music Experience), and the National Hockey League, among other content sources.
“Their innovative platforms provide us with new ways to bring our content to fans across the country,” said David Decker, president of content sales for Warner Bros. Discovery.
The Roku Channel claims to be the No. 1 TV streaming channel by hours streamed in the country, and was a top five channel by both active account reach and streaming hour engagement in the third quarter of 2022. The channel also ranked first in reach amongst AVOD/FAST services in the U.S., according to TiVo’s most recent quarterly Video Trends Report.