Roku Adds First Cable Channel With WealthTV Subscription
Cable has come to Roku, though don't expect content miracles; as of today, WealthTV is available on the set-top streamer. Priced at $2.99 per month, the streaming cable channel includes world travel, cars, food, fashion, news and movie programming, together with an on-demand catalog.
Roku has already announced that its users watch around 10hrs of streaming content per week, and this appears to have been the motivating factor for the privately-owned WealthTV channel. New content was one of Roku's pushes for 2011, and we're guessing this is only the first stage in that expansion.
Press Release:
WealthTV Enriches Roku UsersWealthTV deploys its 24/7 'Cable' Feed Over-the-Top on Roku
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — WealthTV, the premier luxury lifestyle and entertainment network, today announced that its 24/7 linear high definition feed, along with numerous video on demand titles, is now available on the award-winning Roku streaming player. The launch of WealthTV's service marks the first deployment of a broadcast quality, high definition national cable network delivered over-the-top to Roku users on a 24/7 live streaming basis. WealthTV's live streaming feed gives Roku viewers a "cable-like" watching experience that is augmented by a robust on-demand library of content as well. Roku users can now enjoy a wide range of programming offered by WealthTV including world travel, outrageous cars, culinary delights, top fashion, international news, movies and much more.
"WealthTV fans that can't get our network from their local video provider can now enjoy our vicarious living programming lineup via Roku," said Robert Herring, Sr., founder and CEO of WealthTV. "We've received a large volume of consumer requests to expand our distribution to connected devices and this deployment will let us gauge the acceptability and viability of alternative distribution methods for our traditional cable feed."
"WealthTV delivers not only highly entertaining content, but also incredible HD picture quality," stated Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Roku, Inc. "With Roku surpassing one million units sold last year and with Roku customers averaging over 11 hours of programming on Roku a week, it's logical for national programming services to make their content lineup available to our growing user base."
WealthTV's family-friendly, educational programming lineup allows Roku users to vicariously live in the lap of luxury from the comfort of their living room. The service, which rolled out on Roku at a price point of $2.99 per month on a subscription basis, allows Roku users to experience the American Dream for less than a dime a day. WealthTV launched its high definition programming services in June of 2004 making it one of the oldest high definition national programmer networks.