Roku just launched a new $3 ad-free streaming service

Summary

Roku launches a budget-friendly streaming service called Howdy, which costs $3 a month.
Howdy is ad-free, and has nearly 10,000 hours of content on it from Roku, Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Filmrise.
Howdy is available now on Roku streaming devices and TVs, and will launch on other platforms in the “near future.”

Roku’s streaming catalog is about to expand even more thanks to the launch of its new budget-friendly streaming service, called Howdy.

Howdy, which is ad-free, costs $3 a month and launches in the US on August 5. It will feature a variety of content, with Roku stating it will offer “nearly 10,000 hours” of entertainment. Roku has secured deals with Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Filmrise to include some of their content on the platform, along with “select Roku original titles.” Some movies available on Howdy include Mad Max: Fury Road, The Blind Side, Weeds, and Kids in the Hall.

“Priced at less than a cup of coffee, Howdy is ad-free and designed to complement, not compete with, premium services,” said Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood in a press release. “We’re meeting a real need for consumers who want to unwind with their favorite movies and shows uninterrupted and on their terms.”

Howdy’s $3 price is here to stay

What’s most appealing about Howdy is no doubt its low $3 monthly cost, which is extremely affordable in today’s world of rising streaming costs. For reference, Netflix’s basic ad plan starts at $8 a month, so Howdy is a few bucks cheaper and ad-free.

Roku even pointed out that the $3 price tag is supposedly here to stay, and is “not an introductory or trial price.” If Roku can maintain this price for Howdy, I’ll be impressed, considering how frequently streaming services have increased costs in the past few years.

At launch, Howdy will only be available on Roku’s streaming devices and TVs. Roku says it has plans to roll out “on mobile and additional platforms in the near future.” Roku is well known for its free-ad-supported television (FAST) channels, so it will be interesting to see how it builds out Howdy, a paid service. This isn’t Roku’s first subscription video on-demand (SVOD) service either. Earlier this year, Roku acquired Frndly TV, which streams Live TV channels for as low as $7 a month.

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