If you have a Roku TV or streaming player, here’s what to expect under Fox’s ownership:
To get approval from the Justice Department, Roku agreed to four conditions, two of which are directly consumer-related:
- Roku devices will continue to carry non-Fox content for at least three years.
- Fox will “not discriminate against non-Fox content” in search results, and will allow users to rearrange apps on their home screens.
- Roku will keep Fox from accessing competitors’ sensitive data—things like what people click on and watch in rival streaming apps—for at least three years.
- Roku will continue to offer data products to third parties.
The first commitment is the most amusing, because it’s pointless. Roku was never going to stop carrying content from other companies, because that’s where most of its money comes from and it’s why people seek out Roku TVs and streaming players to begin with.
The real impact will be subtler, as you can expect Roku to pre-install more Fox apps and recommend more Fox content on the home screen. Roku founder Anthony Wood, who will now co-chair Fox’s digital platforms, said in a June investor call that Roku will “obviously include Fox properties” in the spaces where it promotes its own content. The second commitment doesn’t change any of that. It merely ensures that users will retain some level of home screen customization, and that search results won’t be weighed entirely in Fox’s favor.
And while the Justice Department believes that Roku “will remain an open and neutral content partner post-merger,” it extracted no specific concessions on that front. Besides, Roku hasn’t been a neutral party for years, and it has a history of sacrificing openness in pursuit of its business goals. Don’t expect that to change under Fox.
Tubi and the Roku Channel remain separate (for now)
Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said in June that he expected Roku’s and Fox’s respective ad-supported streaming services to remain separate. Now, Fox seems to be making good on that plan by placing Tubi and the Roku Channel under different management. As noted in a company memo, Tubi will become part of Fox’s Direct-To-Consumer business led by CEO Pete Distad, while the Roku Channel will remain under Roku’s purview, led by CEO Mustafa Ozgen.