The Roku Channel Adds New Linear Channels to Lineup

SAN JOSE, Calif.- Aug. 17, 2021 - Roku, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROKU) today announced its linear lineup has expanded to more than 200 channels, with a total of 17 all-new channels launching this week on The Roku Channel. Starting today, users will be able to watch 16 linear channels spanning across a wide variety of genres. Additionally, as a special treat for streamers, a new linear channel dedicated to The Wiggles will go live on August 19, in celebration of Kids & Family’s second anniversary. 

“Roku is rooted in creating better streaming experiences for our users, using our brand pillars of ease, value and choice to guide us,” said Ashley Hovey, Director, The Roku Channel AVOD. “The demand for free, quality programming continues to be of importance to our streamers. We’ve seen linear streaming explode over the last year and we’re very excited to offer an all-new lineup of great channels with some of the most-recognized franchises to our users.” 

The Roku Channel first launched live/linear programming in 2018 and today it is a core part of The Roku Channel experience. Since its launch in 2019, Kids & Family experience on The Roku Channel has seen exponential growth. In Q2 2021, Kids & Family programming on The Roku Channel was streamed by more households than any other AVOD kids and family stand-alone channel on the Roku platform. 

New Free Live/Linear Channels  

The Roku Channel now features more than 200 linear AVOD channels spanning a broad range of free content including news, sports, kids and family, lifestyle, Spanish language entertainment, and more, will be available to users in August. Starting today, the new linear channels available on The Roku Channel include: 

• AccuWeather Now

• Baywatch

• CBC News

• El Rey

• Estrella Games

• Filmrise Horror

• FimRise Kids

• FilmRise True Crime

• IGN

• Mega Noticias

• RCN Más

• Real Madrid TV

• So...Real

• The Only Way Is Essex

• Tribeca Channel

• The Wiggles powered by Loop Media, Inc.

• Vivaldi

Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel is the home for free entertainment on America’s No. 1 TV streaming platform based on hours streamed (Hypothesis Group, April 2021). The Roku Channel saw robust growth with streaming hours more than doubling year-over-year in Q2 2021. The Roku Channel licenses and distributes content from more than 175 partners and features an expansive library of 40,000+ free movies and television programs. In addition to Roku devices, The Roku Channel is available on Web, iOS and Android devices, Amazon Fire TV and select Samsung TVs and can be accessed internationally in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. 

For more information, visit https://therokuchannel.roku.com.  

About Roku, Inc.  

Roku pioneered streaming to the TV. We connect users to the streaming content they love, enable content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and provide advertisers with unique capabilities to engage consumers. Roku streaming players and TV-related audio devices are available in the U.S. and in select countries through direct retail sales and licensing arrangements with service operators. Roku TV™ models are available in the U.S. and in select countries through licensing arrangements with TV brands. Roku is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. U.S.A. 

This press release contains “forward-looking” statements that are based on our beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to us on the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements include but are not limited to the content, benefits, features, timing, and availability of the live linear lineup and Kids & Family programming on The Roku Channel; trends related to TV streaming; and the features, benefits, growth and reach of The Roku Channel and the Roku platform. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially are detailed from time to time in the reports Roku, Inc. files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on Roku’s website and are available from Roku without charge. 

Roku is a registered trademark of Roku, Inc. in the U.S. and in other countries. Trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies appearing in this press release are the property of their respective holders. 

U.S. media contact: 
Roku, Inc. 
Abby Reyes 
[email protected]   

IGN’s Summer of Gaming Reaches 141+ Million Viewers

Los Angeles, CA, July 20, 2021 - Last year, many media outlets and influencers rallied to fill the void left by the first cancellation of the annual E3 Expo since its inception in 1995. Despite a pandemic locking people down in their homes across the globe, there were still video games to show off and reveal, and developers who didn’t want to miss out on their chance to communicate directly with the fans. With that in mind, IGN produced a very successful multi-day reveal event with Summer of Gaming, bringing a familiar mix of game reveals, developer showcases, and in-depth developer interviews in a less familiar, all-digital format.  Based on the huge success, Summer of Gaming returned in 2021– with some major new additions.

IGN’s 2021 Summer of Gaming was the Presenting Media Partner of the ESA for E3 2021 with showcases from top gaming companies including Microsoft, Nintendo, Capcom, Square Enix and more. IGN also partnered with Geoff Keighley’s 2nd Annual Summer Games Fest which aired on June 10, followed by IGN Expo with exclusive announcements, game reveals, and gameplay reveals on June 11.

Over 141 million viewers tuned into IGN’s Summer of Gaming content on IGN’s platforms from June 10-23rd, with more than 1.5 billion impressions on YouTube and 588 million impressions on social media.

IGN’s digital events season continues with more showcases, more game reveals, and more exclusive content throughout July and August – with comprehensive coverage of EA Play, Comic-Con @ Home, plus our IGN Premiere slate of entertainment exclusives from some of the biggest entertainment and streaming partners. IGN is excited to be partnering with gamescom again this year as the official English-language media partner, kicking off on August 25. 

IGN’s Summer of Gaming 2021 is sponsored by Duracell, Metro by T-Mobile, and USAA.

About IGN

IGN Entertainment is one of the leading Internet media companies focused on video games and entertainment. IGN reaches more than 288 million monthly users around the world, and is followed by more than 51MM social and YouTube followers. With an extremely engaged audience, watching over 566MM minutes of content monthly. IGN also publishes daily content on 34 platforms including TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat Discover.  Established in 1996, IGN is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Sydney and London. IGN content is localized in 25 languages and 112 countries and hosted on websites and native applications on mobile, connected TV, and Xbox and PlayStation platforms.  For more information, visit IGN.com and follow @IGN on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

IGN is producing the English-language gamescom studio and gamescom: Awesome Indies

From our partners:

gamescom 2021: The world’s largest gaming event all digital once again

Koelnmesse and game – The German Games Industry Association have decided to hold gamescom 2021 as an all-digital event. This decision was made after extensive discussions with partners and exhibitors. Thus, the organizers take into account the current situation, in which too many companies are unable to participate in physical events this year due to the still difficult development. In this way, they also meet the partners' strong need for planning security. This means that gamescom 2021 will be held exclusively digitally and free of charge for all gamescom fans. In 2020, gamescom celebrated numerous successes: Over 100 million video views across all formats and channels, more than 50 million unique users from 180 countries, and 370 partners from 44 countries. Building on this success, the digital offering is now being expanded further.

Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse says: “Together with game – The German Games Industry Association, we have put all our energy into making gamescom 2021 in a hybrid format possible for fans and industry alike. However, even though the hybrid concept was very well received by the partners, we had to recognize that gamescom still comes too early for many companies in the industry due to the required planning reliability. One thing is absolutely clear: All those involved now need planning reliability. That's why we're going for a purely digital gamescom again this year and, with sufficient lead time, will be able to offer the gaming community an even stronger online event at the end of August 2021. gamescom 2020 and other trade fairs such as DMEXCO @home 2020 and h+h cologne @home 2021 are proof that we can do this. All partners can book their participation starting immediately.”

Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association comments: “We, as the game industry, also want to use gamescom to show that innovations and bold developments are the best way to deal with such crises. With this in mind, the gamescom team has been hard at work for months on gamescom 2021, especially on the digital elements. Next year will be the first time that we will be able to implement many of the new concepts for the hybrid format of gamescom. For digital gamescom 2021, our focus is to provide even more games and reach as well as a heightened community atmosphere. We are therefore introducing a completely new concept called gamescom epix, which sends the community on a joint quest journey in social media even before gamescom begins. What we want to do with this is transfer even more of the unique gamescom atmosphere to the digital world. Together with our numerous partners, we want to make gamescom the world’s biggest gaming event again in 2021.”

With gamescom 2021, Koelnmesse and game – The German Games Industry Association want to build directly on the success of last year’s online event. gamescom will once again be kicked off by the spectacular gamescom: Opening Night Live with Geoff Keighley. The gamescom now content hub is being completely relaunched in a more attractive design with numerous additional features for fans and partners. Also new is gamescom epix, a community campaign that allows fans to playfully immerse themselves in the gamescom universe on the road to gamescom. Starting with gamescom: Opening Night Live on Wednesday evening (August 25) to Friday evening (August 27), gamescom fans can look forward to a full program, with some of the highlights and promotions also running over the weekend.

devcom, the first go-to source for developers and their ecosystem, will also feature an extensive online program and provide the games industry with a central business platform. Several full-day business matchmaking events, such as the popular "Indies meet Investors and Publishers" format devcom Pitch it! or special matchmaking and pitching events with devcom's international community stands, will be significantly expanded. Another new feature is devcom's clear focus on content and the extensive conference program on the first two days, while Wednesday to Friday will be all about business, networking and devcom's popular digital expo. However, the launch of the new online B2B platform gamescom biz will be postponed by one year because its features can only be fully rolled out in a hybrid concept. The gamescom congress, Europe's leading conference on the social, economic and cultural potential of games, will once again take place only digitally on Thursday, August 26, 2021.

In the slightly adjusted schedule for digital gamescom 2021, gamescom week will start with devcom as usual on Monday, August 23. gamescom: Opening Night Live will take place on Wednesday, August 25, with the main days of gamescom on Thursday and Friday, August 26 and 27. Some of the offers will continue to be available over the following weekend. You can find gamescom 2021's weekly schedule here:

https://www.gamescom.global/press-creator/multimedia/image-database/images-gamescom/

gamescom: Opening Night Live, a show full of superlatives

In 2020, gamescom: Opening Night Live in collaboration with Geoff Keighley captivated more than 2 million live simultaneous viewers in front of their screens. World premieres and the latest news about the most hotly anticipated game titles were presented during the big opening show. This year as well, Geoff Keighley and his team are producing gamescom: Opening Night Live and preparations are already in full swing. The show will be moved by one day this year to Wednesday, August 25, 2021.

Geoff Keighley: “Gaming fans worldwide can already look forward to this year's gamescom: Opening Night Live. After last year's great success, the interest of developers is huge to be able to present their world premieres in the ONL this year and thus become an important part of gamescom 2021.”

As in previous years, other, international gamescom shows such as gamescom studio and the 2020 premiere of gamescom: Awesome Indies will also be produced by IGN once again.

Peer Schneider, IGN's Chief Content Officer: “Whether in person in Cologne or in digital form, gamescom is an annual highlight for our team! The entire IGN crew is excited and ready to bring the gaming community exciting game reveals, news, creator interviews, and hours of new gameplay this August. There will be no better way to celebrate the biggest games of the year — and beyond — than gamescom 2021.”

gamescom partners have the opportunity to become part of the shows with their games and content. For indie developers, there will be a wide range of offerings in collaboration with Indie Arena Booth Online, which will be integrated as an interactive game in gamescom now as a central platform.

https://www.ign.com/events/gamescom

IGN's Summer of Gaming 2021 Announced / IGN Partners With E3

IGN’s Summer of Gaming is returning this year, and E3 2021 will be a part of the event.

Just like last year, our summertime event will include exclusives, trailers, gameplay demos, and developer interviews – but unlike last year, we’re partnering with E3 to present the world’s most famous games event as part of our summer celebration. That means, from Saturday, June 12 to Tuesday, June 15, you’ll be able to check out the first ever all-digital E3 right here on IGN.

E3 will be free in 2021, and feature announcements and showcases from Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games, Koch Media. Organiser, the ESA promises that E3 2021 will include “major publisher showcases, press conferences, thrilling reveals, extended livestreams and special guest appearances, available free online for all attendees.”

The whole of E3 has been redesigned as a digital event that, alongside the usual mixture of announcement events, will include an online portal, charitable initiatives, and more. “We are focused on ensuring that E3 continues to be the most innovative and collaborative event in the video game industry, so enlisting some of the industry’s biggest media partners to help deliver the highly-anticipated news, reveals and more is crucial to a successful showcase,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, President & CEO of organisers, the ESA.

Joining us in 2021 as the Official Battery Sponsor, Duracell Optimum batteries will be powering IGN’s Live Summer of Gaming – literally. Duracell batteries will be featured and used throughout IGN’s tech from controllers and keyboards to production equipment.

Expect announcements and exclusives you won’t see anywhere else, and more brand new additions to our line-up.

If you need a reminder, last year’s Summer of Gaming included brand new game reveals, interviews with some of the industry’s biggest developers, celebrity Animal Crossing island tours, an awards show, and much more, set over the course of a month.