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We know News Corp is sinking a whole bunch of money into Roku, thus upping the stakes of the streaming media box war that’s brewing amongst companies such as Apple, Boxee, Western Digital, Microsoft and Sony. While all the boxes are similar, each has its own strengths and weaknesses, . Which one do you use? Which one do you think has the best shot at conquering streaming TV? More »

Roku will use a $45m investment round to develop new digital media devices and services, after securing the backing of News Corp., BSkyB and others to build out its streaming platform. A combination of cash and “business agreements” are included in the deal, with Roku intending to increase its international footprint and “increase engineering and production” with further pushes into advertising, games, transactional and pay-per-view video along with content packages.

Roku is known for its range of eponymous set-top boxes, which provide a straightforward way to supply internet-based media to a regular TV. Originally focused on Netflix, Roku expanded its platform with various other “channels” for other providers, adding in games and more. Next up – on the public roadmap, anyway – is the Roku Streaming Stick, which will provide a more discrete way of accessing Roku services.

“The streaming stick is Roku’s first step in expanding its platform from streaming players to Smart TVs and other devices connected to the TV” the company said today in a statement [pdf link]. “With the News Corporation and Sky strategic relationships, we are poised to further grow our leadership position and to become the TV distribution platform of the future.”

While the financial backing will undoubtedly help Roku keep its R&D labs running for a while longer, it’s the unspecified business agreements that could have the biggest impact. Exactly what has been promised as part of the new deal hasn’t been revealed, but with News Corp. running Fox, Sky Sports, National Geographic, and dozens of other TV services, not to mention film studios and digital content, it might mean a fresh flush of channels for Roku users.

Meanwhile, News Corp.’s chief digital officer Jon Miller will join the Roku board of directors as a side-effect of the deal.

Roku pals with News Corp. for $45m hardware and content investment is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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The little media streamer company that could, Roku, has gained some powerful friends in its latest round of financing, with $45 million in funds coming from the likes of BSkyB, News Corp and another partner who would prefer to remain nameless at this time, as well as previous investors Menlo Ventures and Globespan Capital Partners. While we leave you to ponder which company might be that unidentified source, Roku is simply continuing on, earmarking the money for use in building brand awareness, expanding internationally and much, much more. Also, that MHL-connected Roku Streaming Stick introduced at CES? It hasn’t gone away and is still on track for launch later this year, with an eye towards providing a “Roku Inside” bundled experience for otherwise dumb flat-panel HDTVs.

Roku’s alignment with BSkyB (which reported a $10m stake in its earnings this morning, as well as the option to distribute its own branded Roku hardware) makes sense after the pay-TV giant launched Now TV recently with the hockey puck as one of its supported platforms, while CEO Anthony Wood tells us the fruitful partnership with News Corp had its root in the Fox News, Wall Street Journal Live and X-Factor channels it launched last year. Wood cites plans to make Roku “the TV distribution platform of the future”, and this fifth round of financing — larger than all previous rounds combined — may help push it in this direction, check out a few more details in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Roku picks up financing from BSkyB, News Corp and more, keeps eye on the premium streaming crown

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Roku picks up financing from BSkyB, News Corp and more, keeps eye on the premium streaming crown originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 02:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Over on the Roku blog the company just announced it’s delivering a software 4.8 upgrade starting today. First up there’s a few new features included right away like support for Spanish and German in the UI, performance optimizations and playback improvement for channels like MLB.tv and GBTV. More interesting however is the prospect of what’s to come, as it also note “under the hood” preparations for new channels and features, promising upgrades for the iOS and Android remote apps soon. Like the last upgrade, the new version is getting pushed to Roku 2 and LT boxes now, while new HD boxes should see it next week.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Roku 2, LT and new HD boxes upgraded for more languages, future remote apps originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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