Streaming hardware maker Roku has landed the exclusive U.S. distribution rights to X Games Aspen, the companies announced on Wednesday.
Starting next year, X Games Aspen events will be available to stream for free via The Roku Channel, where the competition will be offered via a dedicated free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel called X Games TV FAST Channel. Additionally, Roku says Aspen X Games events will be available via a dedicated X Games Zone menu option on Roku smart TVs and streaming devices.
The distribution rights also extend to a forthcoming X Games event that will be announced later next year. While details about the upcoming event were not released on Wednesday, a Roku spokesperson confirmed to The Desk via email that the company’s deal with X Games extends to the recently-announced X Games Sacramento. That tournament will take place in August.
“This partnership with X Games is the perfect marriage between content and distribution—more than half of The Roku Channel’s monthly FAST audience are between the ages of 18 and 49, and the X Games have built a lifestyle brand that sits right at the intersection of sports and youth culture,” Joe Franzetta, the Head of Sports at Roku Media, said in a statement. “We look forward to using the reach of Roku to make these competitions — and the athletes at the heart of it all — accessible to millions of viewers for free.”
“As the new CEO of X Games, I’m thrilled to announce this partnership with Roku, a platform that shares our commitment to delivering the best possible experience for our athletes and fans,” Jeremy Bloom, the CEO of the X Games, said on Wednesday. “This collaboration ensures that the world’s premier action sports events will reach a broader audience, while celebrating the brilliance, creativity, and passion of the incredible athletes who make the X Games the ultimate stage for action sports.”
X Games Aspen will take place between January 23 and January 25, while X Games Sacramento will occur between August 22 and August 24.
The Roku Channel is installed by default on all modern Roku smart TVs and streaming devices, including the Roku Streaming Stick, Rokul Ultra and Roku-powered TVs made by TCL, Hisense, Onn and Westinghouse. The Roku Channel is also available as a free download for Amazon Fire TV and Android TV (Google TV) devices.
