No more light bulbs, more games: Five predictions for Roku’s future

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When Fox announced that it will acquire Roku at the beginning of this week, the executives of both companies were quick to promise that they will not change much in the near future. Indeed, getting its hands on Roku will help Fox become a major player in streaming, and surpass Netflix’s viewership in the United States when you combine Fox’s TV channels. But Roku will remain open to all streaming services, and Fox will still sell its programming to anyone, he promised.

Of course, that doesn’t mean everything will be the same. I expect that this deal will have a big impact on both companies, and that Roku owners will see a big change after it closes. Here’s what I believe is in store for Roku’s future:

The Roku Channel will be exclusive to Roku

One of the questions analysts had on Fox and Roku’s joint call earlier this week was: What does this deal mean for the future of Tubi and The Roku Channel, the streaming services operated by the two companies? Diplomatic response: These services are complementary, Tubi usually delivers movies and TV shows on demand while The Roku Channel has more eyes on free channels, supported by ads (also known among industry insiders as FAST channels).

It is true, to some extent. Tubi’s management initially did not believe in the potential of streaming services and instead focused heavily on being a free alternative to Netflix. Roku, on the other hand, had its apps heavily integrated into smart TVs and knew that it could create a replacement for cable if it got into the cable channel.

At the same time, Tubi and The Roku Channel compete strongly with other platforms such as Fire TV, Google TV, and Samsung, where consumers can download any program to get free programming. Roku expanded its platform a few years ago, but that expansion has been causing confusion for consumers. Most of them simply I can’t to understand therefore the Roku app they downloaded on their Samsung TV or Fire TV does not give them the same experience as the Roku device.

Another disappointment: Roku offers its device owners the option to subscribe to third-party content such as HBO Max and Paramount Plus through the Roku Channel. But when they turn on The Roku Channel on their Samsung TV in their living room, paid subscribers and MIA.

To make things easier, I predict that Fox will decide to make The Roku Channel exclusive to Roku, and bet on Tubi as the only app to watch ads on third-party devices.

Roku will discontinue its IoT services

Over the years, Roku has tried many things to build a ecosystem of devices around its platform. There was an optimized mesh router that didn’t start, and smart speakers that are set aside in recent years.

Recently, Roku has been betting big on affordable cameras, light bulbs, and alarms. All this made sense as the company tried to go it alone and compete with the likes of Google and Amazon. The fear was that consumers would opt for competing products if they couldn’t afford to access their security cameras on their Roku TV.

For Fox, IoT is just a distraction. The margins are very low, and there are easier ways to get people to watch a Fox show than to launch another smart plug. That’s why I predict that Roku will ditch its IoT devices and instead embrace the Matter standard to easily work with third-party devices.

Howdy will be an unexpected hit

Fox has become the most famous of the advertising wars. Companies like Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery has spent billions of dollars to build a pay-per-view service to catch up with Netflix. The Murdoch empire instead waited on the sidelines and bet on Tubi as a free transfer option.

Fox Nation aside, the company’s first pay-per-view service has been Fox One, a sports show launched less than a year ago. The wait-and-see strategy is very similar to Roku, which has long emphasized advertising driven by paid subscriptions. Roku’s first in-house paid service is What a great, low price catering to the budget conscious consumer.

At $2.99 ​​a month, Howdy is unlikely to be Fox’s biggest money maker. However, I predict that Fox may treat Howdy like a credit card bet: another way to monetize its content and a good chance to needle and undercut the competition. With that approach, and with access to Fox’s huge lineup of popular TV shows, I predict that Howdy could be an unexpected hit with consumers wary of commercials.

Roku will double down on international growth

Fox abandoned its international ambitions when it sold its stake in Sky to Comcast in 2018 and shed other assets abroad when Disney bought 21st Century Fox the following year.

Since then, Fox has worked to expand internationally with Tubi, which is now available in Canada, Australia, and Latin America. These are the markets that Roku has been looking to expand globally, and successfully: Roku. they claim to be The first streaming platform in Canada and Mexico, and hardware partners now sell Roku TVs in more than 15 countries.

However, at its core, Roku, like Fox, is still a US-centric business. In his own 2025 annual reportThe company says that more than 90 percent of its equipment revenue comes from the United States. The same is true of advertising and service spending, and the report said that “we are currently making the most money in the United States.”

Roku has been careful to increase its international expansion, especially in Europe, where Amazon has a strong presence with Fire TV, to reduce costs. With Fox’s support, I expect aggressive moves into foreign markets along with Tubi. Both Roku and Tubi could help expand Fox’s efforts. Fox can capitalize on these efforts once it has millions of subscribers with free programming and low-cost television.

Gaming will be front and center on Roku

It’s hard to ignore Fox One’s sports coverage these days, especially if you’re trying to follow the World Cup. I expect Fox to double down fast and tightly integrate Fox One with Roku. This does not mean that Fox One will be Roku only. Instead, you’ll find gaming apps, and deep links to streaming services, everywhere, including Roku’s home screen and interface. Divisions of Sports.

In other words: Don’t be surprised to see Fox build an arena in Roku City.