Apple TV joins Roku’s ‘Premium Subscriptions’ lineup
Source: 9to5Mac
With a big March premiere lineup ahead, Apple TV has just struck a deal to join Roku’s ‘Premium Subscriptions’ lineup. Here’s what that means.
Apple strikes new deal with Roku to boost Apple TV subscribers on third‑party platforms
Back in October 2024, Apple partnered with Amazon to let users subscribe to Apple TV right inside Prime Video. By joining Prime Video’s channels lineup, Apple made it easier for existing Amazon users to try out Apple TV with no separate app or new account required.
Now, a similar partnership has been announced between Apple and Roku. According to Deadline, Apple TV is joining the roster of “premium subscriptions” available on Roku.
There are now more than 70 individual services available through Roku’s subscription offering, which leverages the market power of both Roku and the Roku Channel to drive discovery and adoption. Along with Amazon, Roku is a major streaming gatekeeper in the U.S., with its reach poised to exceed 100 million households this year.
Apple TV has been available as an app on Roku since its launch in 2019. Roku’s interface is on roughly one‑third of all smart TVs in North America as well as on connected‑TV devices, offering a comprehensive array of free and subscription streaming outlets. Many of the most prominent services, including Netflix, are available there, but the 70‑plus services in the premium lineup receive greater prominence and promotional support. Roku also participates at a higher level in the revenue share with those partners.
Roku and Amazon are both popular streaming aggregators, and thanks to these partnerships, Apple TV becomes more accessible to a broader audience.
Apple previously tried to build its own aggregator business through “Apple TV Channels,” which launched in 2019 but never gained traction due to a limited number of streaming partners joining the platform.
The rollout of enhanced Roku support comes ahead of Apple TV’s big March lineup, which includes the F1 season kickoff and many other new offerings.
Apple TV is available for $12.99 per month, or you can get it discounted through the Apple One bundle.