The Roku Channel expansion is basically confirmed

Roku essentially confirmed its plans to bring its free, ad-supported “The Roku Channel” streaming service to a wide number of non-Roku hardware platforms, with an update to its Privacy Policy. As first spotted by Variety, the new policy has users agreeing to or opting out of being served personalized ads on “non-Roku OTT devices” (over-the-top devices) like “third-party Smart TVs, set top boxes, media streaming devices, and gaming consoles.”

The company’s plans to start streaming The Roku Channel to other devices had already been reported, but not officially confirmed. Those plans became real last month, when Roku announced it would launch The Roku Channel on select Samsung Smart TVs this summer. However, Roku didn’t confirm then what other platforms, if any, would also gain access to the channel in the months ahead.

But clearly, it’s going to be quite a few – including, potentially, those from its hardware competitors who also make their own “media streaming devices.”

Roku still isn’t confirming which devices or when, but did admit the privacy policy is a hint of what’s to come.

“We don’t have any announcements right now regarding further distribution of The Roku Channel,” a Roku spokesperson said. “We updated privacy policy in anticipation of activities,” they added.

The idea with The Roku Channel is to create another revenue stream for the company that’s not tied to hardware sales.

This is a direction Roku has been heading for some time, by increasing its focus on its software platform. It has been licensing out its OS to other TV manufacturers – like Insignia, which sells its Roku TVs at Best Buy. (That happens to be the same retailer that just teamed up with Amazon to sell its Fire TV Edition sets, too.)

The Roku Channel ships with the Roku OS, but it can also be broken off and distributed on its own.

Currently, The Roku Channel aggregates the free content on Roku, alongside TV and movies from deals Roku has done itself with studios like Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Brothers. Just this week, Roku added live news to its channel, too, via partnerships with Cheddar, PeopleTV and a brand-new streaming news service called ABC News Live.

With The Roku Channel, Roku is no longer just a media player platform – it’s a streaming service, as well.

The ad-supported channel could find traction on other hardware devices, where users today turn to free apps like Vudu (Vudu Movies on Us), Crackle, and Tubi TV to find free content.

Roku’s pitch to advertisers is its ad personalization technology, but users are able to opt out of this targeting through the form here, it seems.

The relevant part of the new privacy policy is below:

Roku may show you personalized ads on non-Roku OTT devices such as third party Smart TVs, set top boxes, media streaming devices, and gaming consoles. To opt out of receiving personalized ads from Roku on third party OTT devices at the IP address listed below, click Submit. We associate your opt out choice with the IP address you are currently using; if you access third party OTT devices from a different IP address and wish to opt out, you will need to opt out while connected to that different IP address.

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2FkwbTo
via IFTTT

The Silent Revolution of On-Device AI: Why the Cloud Is No Longer King

Introduction For years, artificial intelligence has meant one thing: the cloud. Whether you’re asking ChatGPT a question, editing a photo with AI tools, or getting recommendations on Netflix — those decisions happen on distant servers, not your device. But that’s changing. Thanks to major advances in silicon, model compression, and memory architecture, AI is quietly migrating from giant data centres to the palm of your hand. Your phone, your laptop, your smartwatch — all are becoming AI engines in their own right. It’s a shift that redefines not just how AI works, but who controls it, how private it is, and what it can do for you. This article explores the rise of on-device AI — how it works, why it matters, and why the cloud’s days as the centre of the AI universe might be numbered. What Is On-Device AI? On-device AI refers to machine learning models that run locally on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or edge device — without needing constant access to the cloud. In practi...

Apple’s AI Push: Everything We Know About Apple Intelligence So Far

Apple’s WWDC 2025 confirmed what many suspected: Apple is finally making a serious leap into artificial intelligence. Dubbed “Apple Intelligence,” the suite of AI-powered tools, enhancements, and integrations marks the company’s biggest software evolution in a decade. But unlike competitors racing to plug AI into everything, Apple is taking a slower, more deliberate approach — one rooted in privacy, on-device processing, and ecosystem synergy. If you’re wondering what Apple Intelligence actually is, how it works, and what it means for your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you’re in the right place. This article breaks it all down. What Is Apple Intelligence? Let’s get the terminology clear first. Apple Intelligence isn’t a product — it’s a platform. It’s not just a chatbot. It’s a system-wide integration of generative AI, machine learning, and personal context awareness, embedded across Apple’s OS platforms. Think of it as a foundational AI layer stitched into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and m...

Max Q: Anomalous

Hello and welcome back to Max Q! Last week wasn’t the most successful for spaceflight missions. We’ll get into that a bit more below. In this issue: First up, a botched launch from Virgin Orbit… …followed by one from ABL Space Systems News from Rocket Lab, World View and more Virgin Orbit’s botched launch highlights shaky financial future After Virgin Orbit’s launch failure last Monday, during which the mission experienced an “anomaly” that prevented the rocket from reaching orbit, I went back over the company’s financials — and things aren’t looking good. For Virgin Orbit, this year has likely been completely turned on its head. The company was aiming for three launches this year, but everything will remain grounded until the cause of the anomaly has been identified and resolved. It’s unclear how long that will take, but likely at least three months. Add this delay to Virgin’s dwindling cash reserves and you have a foundation that’s suddenly much shakier than before. ...

Best Tech News Site

Search This Blog