Avails format, Roku Content Feed (MRSS/JSON) structure, technical specifications, and delivery workflow for the device-native FAST/AVOD platform pre-installed across 100M+ Roku streaming households worldwide.
The Roku Channel is the device-native FAST and AVOD surface built into every Roku device, reaching more than 100 million streaming households worldwide as of April 2026. For independent distributors, delivery into The Roku Channel runs through a licensed content deal with Roku's content-partnerships team, with ongoing asset and metadata delivery typically handled by a Roku-approved aggregator (Amagi, Wurl, and similar) using an MRSS or JSON feed that conforms to Roku's Content Feed specification. Note that the Roku Content Feed spec, the legacy self-service path, was sunset on January 12, 2024, and is no longer a content-intake mechanism. The deal structure is rev-share AVOD similar to Tubi, with a footprint across the US, UK, Canada, and Mexico. Molten Cloud, the rights management and royalties platform for film and television, automates Roku Channel avails generation, Roku Content Feed (MRSS/JSON) metadata creation from verified rights data, and ad-revenue royalty tracking across every territory.
Roku Channel's content strategy spans broad genres with particular strength in movies, TV series, news, and lifestyle content. The platform benefits from Roku's scale as a device ecosystem, content that performs well on Roku Channel reaches a massive installed base across multiple screen types.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Revenue Model | AVOD rev-share, distributor earns percentage of ad revenue based on content viewership hours |
| Deal Structure | Non-exclusive licensing (typically 1-3 year terms), content can be on other AVOD/FAST platforms simultaneously |
| Content Preferences | Movies, TV series (all genres), documentary, news, lifestyle, reality, classic films, family content |
| Territories | US (primary), UK, Canada, Mexico (4 territories total as of April 2026) |
| Minimum Catalog | No strict minimum; larger catalogs negotiate direct deals with The Roku Channel team, smaller catalogs route through a Roku-approved aggregator (Amagi, Wurl) |
| Exclusivity | Non-exclusive, Roku Channel rarely requires exclusive rights, making it stackable with Tubi, Pluto TV, and other AVOD/FAST services |
The non-exclusive, rev-share model makes Roku Channel a natural complement to other AVOD platforms. Distributors regularly license the same titles to Roku Channel, Tubi, Pluto TV, and Prime Video (with ads) simultaneously, maximizing ad-revenue across platforms from the same underlying rights without territorial exclusivity conflicts.
Roku Channel avails submission follows a content proposal and review process before a licensing deal with The Roku Channel team is finalized. Once approved, ongoing avails and metadata flow through a Roku-approved aggregator (Amagi, Wurl, and similar) via an MRSS or JSON feed built to Roku's Content Feed specification.
| Field | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Exact title as it should appear on platform | Must match metadata feed and artwork exactly |
| Content Type | movie, series, episode, shortFormVideo | Series require season and episode structure in feed |
| Territory | Available countries for licensing | Roku Channel operates in 4 countries, specify each separately |
| License Start / End | Availability window dates in ISO 8601 format | Windows flow through the aggregator's MRSS/JSON feed and are reflected on Roku on the next feed crawl |
| Genre | Primary and secondary genre using Roku taxonomy | Must use Roku's genre values, custom labels cause feed rejection |
| Content Rating | MPAA or TV rating per territory | Required for parental controls; TV-MA and R-rated accepted |
| Language / Captions | Original audio language + available caption tracks | English captions required for US distribution of non-English content |
| Rights Confirmation | Distributor confirms AVOD/FAST rights for each territory | Roku verifies against rights claims, conflicts delay or block ingestion |
Roku Channel's technical specifications are intentionally standard, accepting H.264 in MP4 containers, the same accessible profile used by Tubi and other AVOD platforms. This reduces transcoding complexity compared to premium platforms like Netflix or Apple TV+ that require MXF or proprietary packaging.
| Specification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Video Codec | H.264 (AVC) high profile for HD, H.265/HEVC for 4K deliverables on capable devices |
| Container | MP4 or MOV for flat files; HLS or DASH adaptive streams accepted and often preferred by aggregators |
| Resolution | 1920 × 1080 (HD), minimum 1280 × 720; 4K UHD accepted on capable devices |
| HDR (4K Titles) | Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HDR10+ supported on capable Roku devices |
| Frame Rate | 23.976, 24, 25, or 29.97 fps (constant frame rate required) |
| Video Bitrate | 8-20 Mbps for HD (higher preferred) |
| Audio Codec | AAC or AC-3 (Dolby Digital) |
| Audio Channels | Stereo (2.0) or 5.1 surround |
| Audio Bitrate | 192+ kbps (stereo) / 384+ kbps (5.1) |
| Captions | SRT or WebVTT, English required for non-English US content |
| Artwork | 16:9 landscape (1920×1080 min) + 2:3 portrait (800×1200 min) |
| Feed Format | MRSS or JSON built to the Roku Content Feed spec, hosted at a stable public URL and ingested by a Roku-approved aggregator (Amagi, Wurl) on the distributor's behalf |
Roku Channel delivery is contract-driven: a licensing agreement with The Roku Channel content-partnerships team, followed by asset and metadata delivery through a Roku-approved aggregator (Amagi, Wurl) via an MRSS or JSON feed built to the Roku Content Feed specification.
1. AVOD/FAST rights not confirmed per territory. Roku Channel requires AVOD and FAST distribution rights for each territory in the feed. Distributors who submit titles without verifying per-territory AVOD rights face ingestion blocks and rights conflict notices from Roku.
2. Feed URL instability. Roku and the approved aggregator crawl a hosted feed URL on a regular schedule. If the feed URL changes, goes offline, or returns errors between crawl cycles, content can be removed from the channel without warning. A stable, always-available feed URL is a production requirement, not an optional detail.
3. Using incorrect genre values. Roku's Content Feed specification (used by approved aggregators and SDK app developers) requires genre values from Roku's defined taxonomy. Submitting custom genre labels or values from other platform taxonomies (e.g., Tubi's genre list) causes feed validation failures.
4. Missing or malformed availability windows. License start and end dates in the feed must be in ISO 8601 format. Missing end dates or incorrect date formatting causes Roku to either reject the feed entry or ingest content without proper expiration handling, leading to content remaining live after license expiry.
5. Variable frame rate video. Roku Channel requires constant frame rate (CFR). Variable frame rate (VFR) content, common from consumer-grade encoders and screen-capture tools, triggers QC failure and asset rejection.
Molten Cloud connects rights data directly to Roku Channel's feed-driven delivery workflow:
Distributors deliver content to The Roku Channel through a licensing-first process: a content proposal is submitted to Roku's content-partnerships team for title selection and deal agreement. Approved titles are then delivered via an MRSS or JSON feed (built to Roku's Content Feed specification) ingested on the distributor's behalf by a Roku-approved aggregator such as Amagi or Wurl. the Roku Content Feed spec, the legacy self-service tool, was sunset on January 12, 2024 and is no longer a delivery path. Video assets (H.264 in MP4 or HLS/DASH, 1080p; H.265/HEVC for 4K), caption files (SRT/VTT), and artwork are hosted at URLs referenced in the feed. Roku and the aggregator re-ingest on a scheduled crawl cycle, so metadata updates and new titles are reflected automatically. The Roku Channel is primarily AVOD and FAST with non-exclusive licensing plus a Premium Subscriptions pass-through storefront, and distributors earn ad-revenue share on AVOD deals. Molten Cloud automates avails generation, Roku Content Feed (MRSS/JSON) creation, and ad-revenue royalty tracking from verified rights data.
Roku Channel accepts video in H.264 within MP4 containers (H.265/HEVC for 4K) at minimum 1280×720 resolution (1920×1080 preferred) and optionally HLS or DASH adaptive streams, with constant frame rate (23.976, 24, 25, or 29.97 fps). Audio must be AAC or AC-3 in stereo or 5.1 surround at 192+ kbps (stereo) or 384+ kbps (5.1). Caption files must be in SRT or WebVTT format; English captions are required for non-English content distributed in the US. Artwork requires 16:9 (1920×1080 minimum) and 2:3 portrait (800×1200 minimum). 4K titles with HDR (Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+) are supported on capable Roku devices. The distinguishing characteristic of Roku Channel delivery in 2026 is that metadata and asset references flow through an MRSS or JSON Content Feed ingested by a Roku-approved aggregator (Amagi, Wurl) on the distributor's behalf rather than through a self-service portal.
Yes. Roku Channel typically licenses content on a non-exclusive basis, meaning distributors can make the same titles available on other AVOD and FAST platforms simultaneously, including Tubi, Pluto TV, Prime Video (with ads), and others. This non-exclusive model makes Roku Channel an ideal platform for distributors maximizing ad-supported revenue across multiple services from the same catalog. License terms are typically 1-3 years with revenue-share compensation based on viewership-driven ad revenue. Molten Cloud manages non-exclusive AVOD/FAST licensing across multiple platforms from a single rights database, tracking territorial availability consistently and preventing rights conflicts across simultaneous platform deals.
Molten Cloud automates Roku Channel delivery through four core capabilities: AVOD/FAST-specific avails generation (quick export of titles with confirmed rights per Roku territory), Roku Content Feed generation (automated MRSS or JSON Content Feed creation from rights and metadata, formatted for ingestion by Roku-approved aggregators like Amagi and Wurl and maintained as windows change), ad-revenue royalty tracking (automated ingestion of Roku revenue reports with per-title, per-territory royalty calculations), and license window monitoring (automated alerts before Roku license expirations at 90, 60, and 30 days, with feed window updates applied automatically). Because Roku Channel is non-exclusive, Molten Cloud simultaneously manages the same content's avails, feeds, and royalties across other AVOD/FAST platforms, all from the same verified rights data, eliminating duplicated work across parallel platform relationships.
Molten Cloud generates Roku Channel-ready avails and Roku Content Feed (MRSS/JSON) output for Roku-approved aggregators from your rights data, and tracks ad-revenue royalties automatically, across The Roku Channel and every other AVOD platform.
See how AVOD delivery works in Molten Cloud
