Key Points
- Apple TV subscriptions are now available through Roku’s Premium Subscriptions marketplace within The Roku Channel, eliminating the need for a separate app download.
- The integration includes Apple’s live sports slate, timed with the new Formula 1 season, which streams exclusively on Apple TV in the U.S.
- The move expands Apple’s third-party distribution strategy, following a similar Prime Video Channels deal, as it seeks broader reach beyond its own ecosystem.
Apple is expanding the reach of its streaming television service by selling subscriptions through Roku’s streaming marketplace within The Roku Channel, the companies announced on Tuesday.
The integration means Roku users with an active Roku Pay account can purchase a subscription to Apple TV within The Roku Channel and stream Apple’s library of shows, movies and documentaries without downloading a separate app.
The Apple TV experience within The Roku Channel will also include Apple’s slate of live sports programming — the launch was timed to coincide with the start of Formula 1’s new season, whose races will be exclusively offered through Apple TV in the United States.
“The addition of Apple TV to Premium Subscriptions on The Roku Channel is a win for all – our viewers, our platform experience, and our partners at Apple,” said Gil Fuchsberg, the President of Subscriptions, Partnerships & Corporate Development at Roku. “Through the scale and power of Roku’s platform, we’re able to drive viewer engagement and discovery of premium services like Apple TV while increasing choice and flexibility in how viewers access great subscription content. We’re excited to keep expanding the Premium Subscription options for our viewers with more content partners, new collaborations, and compelling promotions.”
Despite being backed by a major tech company, Apple TV is one of the smaller streaming services on the market. The company doesn’t disclose regular subscriber counts or streaming-related revenue specific to Apple TV, but counts the service as part of its overall subscriptions business. Last October, Apple executive Eddie Cue said Apple TV has “significantly more” than 45 million streaming customers, which still puts it behind global behemoths like Paramount Plus and Warner Bros Discovery’s HBO Max and well behind services like Prime Video and Netflix that are operated by peer tech companies.
As Apple pursues more premium content and live events, the company has worked to make its service available beyond its own ecosystem. At launch, Apple TV (formerly Apple TV Plus) was exclusive to Apple’s own phones, computers, tablets and smart TV devices. Over the past few years, Apple has built dedicated apps for other platforms, including Roku, Amazon’s Fire TV, Android TV (Google TV), Comcast’s X1 and Xumo boxes and smart TVs made by Xumo, Samsung, Vizio and LG.
In late 2024, Apple further evolved its distribution strategy by inking a deal with Amazon to sell subscriptions to Apple TV within the Prime Video Channels marketplace, allowing Prime Video app uses to watch Apple’s shows and movies without the Apple TV app itself. The price of Apple TV sold through Prime Video Channels is the same as what it costs when purchased through Apple’s own app.
Apple and Roku have long enjoyed a mutually-beneficial partnership: The Roku platform was one of the first beyond Apple’s own ecosystem to support its Apple TV app, and some newer-model Roku devices include a dedicated Apple TV button on their remote controls. Roku also integrates Apple’s slinging protocol AirPlay 2, which allows iPhone, iPad and Mac users to send audio and video content to their Roku devices wirelessly.
