British public service broadcaster ITV will bring four free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels to The Roku Channel in North America later this month.
The streams will include a marathon channel for “The Graham Norton Show,” the popular BBC comedy talk program, which will be available to users in the United States and Canada, along with channels for “Ninja Warrior,” “River Monsters” and “The Hotel Inspector” that will roll out between mid-December and early 2025.
“We’re incredibly excited to expand our relationship with Roku across the US and Canada and see these four much-loved brands reach new audiences and existing fans alike in the coming months,” Graham Haigh, the Executive Vice President of Global Digital Partnerships at ITV Studios, said in a statement. “What better way to end the year as we launch Zoo 55 in 2025 and look to continue growing our FAST presence in these markets and beyond.”
Zoo 55 refers to ITV’s standalone digital business unit that the broadcaster announced in October. When Zoo 55 debuts next year, ITV hopes it will help take their studio business to new heights by inking global distribution deals for original content and licensed programs. Zoo 55 has plans to launch more than 140 owned-and-operated YouTube channels, 18 FAST content streams across 17 countries, and more than 100 platform feeds around the world.
“We strive to curate a broad selection of channels to meet the many needs of our viewers and look forward to bringing our streaming households in the US and Canada a fantastic assortment of FAST channels from ITV Studios,” Jennifer Vaux, the Vice President of Content Acquisitions and Programming at Roku Media, said on Thursday. “With a strong IP-portfolio, including the iconic Graham Norton, we know our viewers will love these channels!”
In addition to ITV, The Roku Channel in the United States offers linear content streams from Fox Corporation (including Fox News Media and Fox Television Stations), the Walt Disney Company (ABC News, ABC-Owned Television Stations), Comcast’s NBC Universal (including NBC News), Paramount Global (including Pluto TV and CBS News), Lionsgate and FilmRise, among others.
The Roku Channel is available by default on all modern Roku streaming devices and Roku-powered smart TVs.
