Roku inks deal to add Warner Bros. branded FAST channels to its offering

Roku has just announced it has signed a new partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to bring branded FAST channels to The Roku Channel. Besides adding popular premium content such as Westworld, The Bachelor, Cake Boss, Say Yes to the Dress, and F-Boy Island, which will all be coming in spring 2023, Roku will also add about 2000 hours of on-demand library programming to its offering.

The library will include hundreds of TV series and movies from Warner Bros. Discovery, including HBO, HBO Max, Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television, and more. All content will be available for Roku users for free on The Roku Channel.

Roku, alongside Tubi, is one of the first partners for Warner Bros. Discovery’s new free, ad-supported streaming channels, also known as FAST. The deal follows Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to remove a bunch of great shows from HBO Max, such as Westworld, Raised by the Wolves, Legendary, The Nevers, and others, and find them a new home by licensing them to other companies like Roku and Tubi.

We’re not sure how many FAST channels Roku will add to its portfolio, but here is a list of more than a dozen Warner Bros. Discovery has available:

• WB TV Series: premium TV shows series including “Westworld,” “Raised by Wolves,” “The Nevers,” and “The Time Traveler’s Wife”
• WB TV Reality: unscripted TV series including “Legendary,” “FBoy Island” and “Finding Magic Mike”
• WB TV Family: collection of “family-friendly” series including “Head of the Class”
• WB TV Sweet Escapes: baking competition shows including “Cake Boss,” “Extreme Cake Makers” and “Cake Wars”
• WB TV Paws & Claws: pet shows including “Dogs 101” and “My Cat from Hell”
• WB TV Slice of Life: series following people from “all corners of the world” including “Extreme Couponing,” “Breaking Amish” and “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding”
• WB TV Welcome Home: Real estate and interior design shows including “Caribbean Life,” “Buying Hawaii,” and “Bahamas Life”
• WB TV At the Movies: Selection of classic films from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s
• WB TV How To: “curiosity-inspiring” series including “How It’s Made,” “How to Build Everything” and “How the Earth Works”
• WB TV Supernatural: shows including “Ghost Brothers,” “Paranormal Lockdown” and “Ghost Asylum”
• WB TV Crime Series: shows including “Murder Chose Me,” “A Crime to Remember,” and “Murder Comes to Town”
• WB TV Mysteries: shows like “Mysteries at the Museum,” “Mysteries at the Monument” and “Off Limits”
• WB TV Love & Marriage: shows including “Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta,” “Four Weddings” and “A Wedding Story”
• WB TV Family Rules: series about real-life families including “Long Lost Family,” “The Little Couple” and “My Five Wives”
• WB TV Keeping It Real: Reality shows including “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” “Bachelor in Paradise,” “Finding Magic Mike” and “Fboy Island”
• WB TV All Together: shows with “characters who feel like family” including “Eight Is Enough,” “Better With You” and “Head of the Class”

It appears that both parties are happy with the deal, as Rob Holmes, Roku’s VP of programming was quoted saying that “the rapid expansion of premium content on FAST is a win for both the viewer and content owner, as well as advertisers looking to reach these audiences through well-known programming.” On the other hand, David Decker, President of Content for Warner Bros. Discovery said that his company loves “working with world-class, cutting-edge partners like The Roku Channel. Their innovative platforms provide us with new ways to bring our valuable content to fans across the country.”

Roku continues to expand its FAST offering as a way to provide customers with a plethora of choices when it comes to entertainment content. Last year, The Roku Channel inked deals with multiple streaming services that added programs from AMC Networks, NBCUniversal, WMS (Warner Music Experience), the National Hockey League, among others.