• Roku reinstates Fox channels ahead of Super Bowl
  • New carriage deal issues with no terms disclosed
  • “We are delighted that we reached and agree with Fox,” says Roku

Superbowl LIV (EQRoy shutterstock)

Superbowl: Roku and Fox reach agreement 

Source: EQRoy / Shutterstock

In the wake of the Super Bowl 2020, Roku and Fox reached an agreement to distribute Fox channels on the Roku platform after viewers took to Twitter to share outrage over a potential loss of service. 

The last-minute agreement was announced late Friday ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl, which saw the Fox channels reinstated on the online streaming platform to ensure fans could watch the match between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.

In a statement, Roku said: “We are delighted that we reached an agreement with Fox to distribute Fox channels on the Roku platform.

“Roku customers can stream the Super Bowl through Fox Now, Fox Sports and NFL in addition to other ways.”

Roku’s distribution deal with Fox Corp was set to expire on 31 January and the duo was unable to reach a new agreement, resulting in Roku pre-emptively removing all the broadcaster’s apps from the Roku Channel Store.

The two companies worked to hammer out a deal, but the exact terms were not disclosed.

The new agreement enabled customers to watch the game and access the Super Bowl LIV broadcast and Fox channels that are again available on the Roku Channel Store include Fox Now, Fox Sports, Fox News Channel and Fox Nation, Fox Business, Fox Soccer, and Big Ten Network.

The standoff was fuelled from a carriage dispute with each side not backing down as the push and pull played out in the public eye. Angry fans took to Twitter saying they would not be able to watch the game unless

Roku tried to redirect customers to watch the game through other apps including NFL, Fubo TV, Sling TV, and Xfinity, while, Fox put pressure on its Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham to rile up their audiences directly, according to The Verge.

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