FOX, ROKU AND THE NEXT PHASE OF THE STREAMING WARS

"Roku will expand Fox’s streaming operation significantly. Its own FAST service, the Roku Channel, will give Fox a combined share of 11% of streaming viewership in America, overtaking Disney to claim third place behind YouTube and Netflix. Cable will remain Fox’s bread and butter. But streaming will now be a serious chunk of its business mix: Tubi and Roku will contribute about 30% of total revenue, estimates MoffettNathanson, a firm of analysts, which sees the deal as “a way to ensure [Fox’s] future as streaming overtakes traditional distribution in the years ahead”. The deal also demonstrates how advertising is becoming a battleground of the streaming wars. Subscription streamers such as Netflix, which initially shunned ads, have come to embrace them as they court members unwilling to shell out $20 a month for an ad-free plan. More than half of new streaming subscribers in America sign up for ad-supported plans, estimates Antenna, a research firm. Advertisers, for their part, are on the hunt for new places to sell their commercials, as viewership of traditional TV declines. FAST channels are where many are turning." The Economist - June 17, 2026