Quibi Titles Removed From Roku Channel Amidst Cutbacks; What Could Cuts Mean for Future of the Platform?
The removal of content from a streaming platform has become a tried-and-true method of cutting costs for those platforms. It’s happened across the streaming industry in the last year, with platforms like Max, Disney+, and Paramount+ shedding titles to attempt to reverse their financial fortunes.
Now, it’s The Roku Channel’s turn. Janko Roettgers writes in his digital publication Lowpass that Roku is removing titles that it acquired from Quibi when that streamer folded in 2020, including titles like Idris Elba’s “Elba vs. The Block,” “Memory Hole” starring Will Arnett, and many others.
The title removals come the same week that Roku announced it was laying off 10% of its staff. According to NextTV, the company is also consolidating office space and pulling back on new hires, signaling that cost-cutting efforts are going to affect essentially every aspect of the company.
It’s fair to wonder if more content cuts or other changes are coming to The Roku Channel as its parent company turns over cushions in search of more revenue. Could its slate of originals be next? The inherited titles from Quibi were billed as Roku Originals, but the company has even more ambitious plans for future original series, including titles produced by Jessica Alba, Sofia Vergara and others. Those shows could be on the chopping block next if Roku doesn’t see the results it wants from this round of budget cuts.
The pursuit of live sports by Roku could slow down, as well. The company inked its first live sports rights deal this summer, agreeing to stream 11 Formula E races in the upcoming season. Live sports are some of the most expensive content a streamer can chase, and it’s a good bet the Formula E agreement is the last sports deal Roku will sign for a while.
More ads could also be in the cards for Roku Channel viewers. The company introduced shoppable ads in July that allow customers to buy products with the click of a remote button. Ad revenues will certainly be boosted the more users buy items they find advertised on The Roku Channel, so the addition of more of these types of ads to the Roku interface would make sense.
There are plenty of options available to Roku to help it cut losses and build revenue, and it will likely try all of them if the recent content and staff cuts aren’t producing the numbers its budget crunchers want to see. Former Quibi titles are bearing the brunt as of now, but they could be just the beginning.
Roku Channel
The Roku Channel is a free live TV streaming service that provides 350+ live linear streaming channels and more than 80,000 free movies and TV shows. The library contains entertainment from several different decades, including some major hits.