Charter will offer their channel line-up through an app on the Roku streaming platform. The Charter Roku app is available now and can be accessed on any TV connected to a Roku device, including STBs, streaming sticks and Roku powered TVs. Charter joins Time Warner Cable, who also features a Roku app with TV Everywhere access.
“We are excited to bring our customers greater flexibility and choice by enabling them to use their Roku devices to access television content through the Spectrum TV App,” said Tom Rutledge, President and CEO of Charter Communications in a press release. “We will continue to add greater functionality to the channel on Roku devices, including On Demand, and plan to make Spectrum TV available on additional consumer electronic set-top boxes and screens.”
Charter Roku App
By adding their channel line-up to the Roku platform, Charter gives customers more options for viewing their pay-tv content, even integrating it with Roku’s vast OTT content library. The Charter Spectrum TV app is also currently available on iOS and Android platforms as well, offering access to about 160 channels and 9,000 VOD titles.
Cable companies like Charter have an added incentive to move to the app model on third-party platforms. In addition to removing the burden of placing additional STBs, cable companies are pushing an agenda with the FCC, who is currently reviewing the availability of STBs through their Report of the Downloadable Security Technical Advisory Committee (DSTAC) process.
One possible outcome is to mandate more retail availability of STBs or other video access devices that will work on cable networks. The cable industry is arguing such mandates are unnecessary and point to the widening availability of apps, the Charter Roku app as one example, on existing platforms as supporting evidence.
