Roku is set to remove tons of unpopular movies and shows – we just hope it’s not these 3
Don’t worry, the big hits are safe. We’re not so sure about Swamp People: Serpent Invasion though…
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We’ve said before thatRoku has too many free TV channels, because it makes finding something worth watching a slog. And it seems thatRokufeels the same. According toVariety, Roku is going to start removing “select” content from its streaming platform.
It’s not because of our pleas, though. It’s a money saving exercise. As Variety reports, the firm is “looking to rein in spending” amid its third round of layoffs and has told investors that it will be “removing select existing licensed and produced content from company-operated services on its TV streaming platform”.
Which Roku content is up for the chop?
Roku isn’t saying. However, a well-placed source told the magazine that “the purge will target Roku original TV shows and movies that are unpopular – specifically, titles that may have been popular initially but are not attracting new viewers.” Variety points to the Quibi library of short films as one area that might be cut. Despite a few breakout shows – Kevin Hart’sDie Hartand Chrissy Teigen’sChrissy’s Court– other former Quibi shows “presumably haven’t scored as well”.
Roku isn’t the first service to prune its offerings.Netflix,Disney Plus,Hulu,MaxandParamount Plushave all recently been doing it too. Plus, as Variety says, writing off content on the balance sheet “can lower their tax bill” as a further incentive to remove less successful shows and movies.
Whatever Roku decides to chop, you can be pretty confident thatYellowjackets, Billions, Outlanderand other big hits will remain: they’re halo shows that make people want to use the channel. It’s the low hanging fruit that Roku’s likely to target instead.
Roku’s plan is clearly intended to remove the stuff that isn’t so popular – so if we were the stars ofThe Dog Rescuers, Aussie Salvage Squad, Cake HuntersorSwamp People: Serpent Invasionwe might be worried. But unless you’re very into very obscure shows, chances are you won’t even notice the catalog cull.
We’re probably talking shows of the calibre of the six-season “discover your DNA” family tracing showRelative Race, the seven-season Lauren Lake’sPaternity Courtand the fossilised late-seventies comedy-dramaEight Is Enough.
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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.
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