- Roku has launched a new paid-for streaming service
- Howdy was made available on August 5, 2025, in the US
- It costs $2.99 a month and is only accessible via the Roku platform for now
Roku has launched a new ad-free streaming service that lets you access 10,000 hours of movies and TV shows for just $2.99 per month.
The new service was made available to those in the US on August 5, 2025, and while Roku operates its free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) – The Roku Channel – in other regions around the world, it’s not yet clear whether the ad-free version will launch elsewhere.
The new streaming service is “priced at less than a cup of coffee,” Roku’s founder and CEO Anthony Wood said in a statement alongside the announcement, where he also clarified that although it’s cheaper than Netflix, Disney+, and other rivals, it’s “designed to complement, not compete with, premium services”.
Despite Wood’s comments, the aggressively cheap pricing of the ad-free platform does mean it technically does rival the best streaming services. With content from Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FilmRise, alongside select Roku Original titles, the new service does have a competitive offering at an attractive price point.
Of course, many can still access The Roku Channel to watch live TV channels, and its library of on-demand movies and shows via Roku-supported devices or the Roku app or website. As one of the best free streaming services, it is one of the most popular FAST services around. But Howdy offers a way to access this same content and more without having to put up with ads.
How to watch movies and shows on Howdy
Howdy will be accessible on the Roku platform at launch, which means if you have one of the best streaming devices or best TVs that support the Roku operating system (OS) then you’ll be able to access the new service.
Roku has said that it plans to roll out the service on mobile and additional platforms in the “near future,” but has not clarified how soon that might be, so for the moment, you’ll only be able to try it out on select devices.
I haven’t been able to try out the service yet myself to confirm what’s available to watch, but Roku has said that Howdy’s library will include some of its original content alongside movies and shows from Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FilmRise.
These include movies like Mad Max: Fury Road, which is only available to stream on Netflix in the US, and The Blind Side, which isn’t available to stream anywhere at the time of writing. Roku has also said that shows like Weeds and Kids in the Hall will also be streamable on Howdy – both of which are currently available on The Roku Channel.
Whether more titles from its FAST service will move over to Howdy is unclear, but it would make sense considering that the new service offers a way to watch these movies and shows without having to put up with ads.
Howdy’s library will also consist of “iconic rom-coms, medical dramas, ‘90s comedy, feel-good classics, and more,” according to Roku, so we can expect there to be quite a mix of genres in the catalog.
You’ll only be able to access Howdy by paying to sign up for the streaming service, as Roku has said that there will be no introductory or free trial offers, but you will be able to cancel at any time if you decide that it’s not right for you.
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amelia.schwanke@futurenet.com (Amelia Schwanke)
