Roku introduced a new streaming service on Tuesday, priced at $3 per month, and it’s completely ad-free. It’s called Howdy and will offer thousands of movies and TV shows from familiar entertainment companies such as Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery and FilmRise, along with Roku Originals.
Rolling out across the US today, the service is aimed at viewers looking for a budget-friendly option during a year when customers are seeing price hikes among the major streamers. Howdy’s library will provide roughly 10,000 hours of programming that it calls “comfort fare,” and you’ll find movies and shows like Nikita, Weeds, Dirty Dancing, Reservoir Dogs and Elvis. Subscribers can binge — without commercials — and watch older and newer content that includes nostalgic TV, rom-com movies, thrillers, true crime, medical dramas and more genres.
“Priced at less than a cup of coffee, Howdy is ad-free and designed to complement, not compete with, premium services,” Roku CEO Anthony Wood said in a statement. “We’re meeting a real need for consumers who want to unwind with their favorite movies and shows uninterrupted and on their terms. Howdy is a natural step for us at Roku, extending our mission to make better TV for everyone, by making it affordable, accessible, and built for how people watch today.”
You can sign up or cancel Howdy whenever you want, but the platform is accessible only in the US on Roku devices, the Roku app and via its website.
The addition of Howdy is one of Roku’s latest moves to expand its foothold in streaming TV. In May, the company announced its acquisition of Frndly TV, a live TV streaming service with plans ranging from $8 to $12 a month.
