Roku Channel to Add ‘Premium Subscriptions’ Option Starting Late January

Roku is adding a “premium subscriptions” option to the Roku Channel, enabling viewers to watch either free ad-supported content or paid premium programs through a single interface, said the company Wednesday. Subscriptions will be available from more than 25 content providers, including Epix, Showtime and Starz, through a single monthly bill and “simple account management,” it said. Customers will be able to start a free trial or subscribe to new premium programs “with one click using their existing Roku account information once they visit the subscription page,” it said. A newly updated Roku mobile app for iOS and Android will soon enable users to watch the Roku Channel on their smartphones or tablets, it said: “Users will be able to start a video on a Roku player or Roku TV and pick up from where they left off while on the go.” Roku plans a “phased rollout” of the premium subscriptions feature starting in late January, around the same time the updated app becomes available, it said.