Fox has announced that it’s acquiring Roku outright, in a deal that values the streaming company at $22 billion.
The deal will see Fox’s TV networks and Tubi streamer combine with Roku’s network of streaming devices, smart TV software, and The Roku Channel. The companies say in a statement that by combining they’ll become the third-largest player in the US TV industry by viewing share.
It doesn’t sound like the plan is to build Roku and Fox into a walled ecosystem. The two companies are “committed” to keeping Roku an open-platform that works with other content providers, and to the “continued ubiquitous distribution” of Fox’s own content.
”This is a defining moment for Fox, and a natural extension of the deliberate and focused strategy we have been executing for nearly a decade,” Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch says. “Today, we take the next step: bringing together the most valuable live content portfolio in video consumption with the preeminent streaming platform through which America watches it.”
“Over the past two decades, we’ve built Roku into the leading TV streaming platform, reaching more than 100 million households globally and reshaping how people discover and enjoy entertainment,” says Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood, who will stay on in the company and join Fox’s board of directors. “I’m incredibly proud of what our team has built, and the combination with Fox is an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate our vision, scale faster and innovate more aggressively for viewers, partners and advertisers.”
The deal remains subject to regulatory approval, which in the current climate seems unlikely to pose a problem in the US.