In the streaming wars, Fox has a new asset in Roku.On Nov.6, Fox Corporation successfully completed its $22 billion acquisition of Roku, Inc., which came well ahead of the previously projected 2027 date.
Roku will now fall under Fox Digital Platforms, a new division that includes Roku, Tubi, Fox One, Red Seat Ventures, and other digital products and services.Add How-To Geek on Google Add as Preferred Source Follow on Google Discover To compare this move to a cinematic moment, it's similar to when Thanos gained the Space Stone in .It didn't complete the Infinity Gauntlet, but it made Thanos stronger.
Fox has gained a powerful streaming asset in Roku.However, the move begs the question of whether Fox will utilize Roku's best strength or remove it and become a Fox-centric platform.We have the answer in the short term, but I worry about Roku's future down the road.
Fox bolsters its streaming lineup with Roku Fox must be taken more seriously in the streaming wars Close Do you have Fox One? While Fox One has not released official subscriber numbers, it did get a boost in subscribers to the tune of 2.8 million sign-ups in June 2026 thanks to the World Cup, per Antenna.Even with that surge, I'd still bet that not many of you reading this had Fox One before the World Cup.Unless you're a die-hard Fox News fan or love watching reruns of , there isn't much reason to subscribe to Fox One, especially if you don't watch sports.
The Roku acquisition dramatically changes Fox's streaming outlook.I don't think people realize how big of a reach Roku has.According to the Fox announcement, Roku's open-connected TV platform reaches "more than 100 million households." With Roku comes The Roku Channel, a free ad-supported TV service that features an impressive library of movies and shows along with over 500 live TV channels (a FAST service).
Speaking of Fox's free ad-supported television business, the company already owns Tubi, which captured 1.9% of total TV viewership in August, per Nielsen.Combined with The Roku Channel's 2.9%, the two services accounted for 4.8% of streaming viewership in August.That would put them behind YouTube (15.8%) and Netflix (7.7%), while matching Disney's streaming (4.8%).
If those viewership numbers still don't make sense, I'll simplify it into a sentence or two.With the addition of Roku, Fox is now a much bigger player in the streaming world.It's not YouTube, Disney, or Skydance just yet, but Fox must be taken more seriously after this acquisition.
Roku's biggest advantage has been streaming neutrality An arms-dealer approach Before the Fox purchase, Roku took what's called an "arms-dealer approach" to its platform, meaning Roku is open for business with every studio and network.Roku tends to not give special treatment to Netflix, Skydance, and the other major services on its platform.If those companies are willing to spend the money, Roku will supply the hardware and bandwidth to promote the content.
Think about other TV services that people use.Amazon is going to push Prime Video and its other services on Fire TV.The same can be said for Google with Google TV.
Roku decided not to pick a side, instead remaining neutral.In pop culture terms, Roku chose to be Switzerland.The decision worked, as Roku accounted for 44% of total streaming hours via connected-TV devices in 2025 Q4, according to Comscore.
In an age of tribalism, when studios keep projects on their own streaming services, it's refreshing to have a streamer that doesn't pick sides.If I open The Roku Channel right now, I can watch Sony's Warner Bros.'s , and A24's That's three movies from different studios, all under one umbrella at no cost to the consumer.It's almost too good to be true.
I'm worried about Roku's future under Fox How long will Fox keep its promise? In an ideal world, Roku remains streaming neutral by keeping its arms-dealer approach.But this isn't an ideal world, and the Fox acquisition complicates things down the road.In the immediate future, nothing will change.
Fox has committed to keeping Roku's platform neutral by carrying non-Fox content for at least three years.This good-faith approach helped pave the way for the DOJ to close its antitrust investigation into the deal.Fox "will not discriminate against non-Fox content in search results," and Roku users can reconfigure the application on the home screen.
You can read the entire statement from the DOJ, but the gist of it boils down to this sentiment: Roku will continue to operate under the same practices for at least three years.Related Your Roku can do more than streaming, here are the hidden features most people miss Most people use their Roku just to stream shows, but it has features that can make it easier, more flexible, and even save you money.Posts 7 By Rich Hein After three years, will Fox reconsider Roku's commitment to content neutrality? As someone who uses Roku, I'm worried about what will happen to the service after three years.
Fox could—and probably should—drop some of Roku's neutral practices to favor its own content.What would that look like? Fox could push Roku users toward its other services, like Fox One, Fox Sports, and Tubi, through preferential placement on the home screen.Fox could also have exclusive promotional material on that homepage to sway users to sign up for its services.
In a crowded streaming ecosystem, the last thing consumers need is another service where they feel manipulated.Roku feels like a true independent service.Removing that would make me consider switching from Roku to another service.
I get enough promotional content on streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+.I don't need more of it on my Roku home screen.The streaming ecosystem will look drastically different in 2027 Things are about to look a lot different in streaming next year.
Fox buying Roku isn't even the biggest acquisition of the year.That distinction belongs to Skydance, which merged with Warner Bros.Discovery and Paramount.
With two legacy studios under Skydance control, expect some consolidation in the future, especially when it comes to Paramount+ and HBO Max.
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