Roku‘s low-priced, commercial-free movie streaming service Howdy has rolled out a stand-alone mobile app.
The subscription streamer, which launched last summer, is a somewhat counter-intuitive move for the ad-revenue-focused Roku. The premise of the service, which offers library film titles without ad breaks, is that viewers can be enticed to include it in their consideration set due to its $2.99 monthly price, which is well below the going rate for the vast majority of streamers.
Before Tuesday’s mobile launch, which makes Howdy available in the iOS and Android app stores, Howdy had been available via the Roku Channel and recently added distribution via Amazon Prime Video. The service is a strategic fit with Frndly TV, the 7-year-old, low-cost pay-TV bundle acquired by Roku last year for $185 million.
Howdy offers 10,000 hours of film content from FilmRise, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros. Discovery, along with select Roku Originals.
The mobile rollout of Howdy furthers Roku’s objective of growing platform revenue and expanding its roster of third- and first-party subscriptions across its platform, which reaches more than 125 million people in U.S. households each day.
“At a time when most things are getting more expensive, Howdy is designed to make premium, ad-free streaming more affordable and accessible for all viewers,” said Gil Fuchsberg, president of subscriptions, partnerships and corporate development at Roku. Launching the mobile app “enables us to continue growing the service beyond the Roku platform, bringing Howdy’s unique value and quality entertainment to even more viewers.”