Showtime said its new standalone streaming service will be viewable on Roku devices, signaling its intention to go broader than the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) device universe that confined its closest competition, HBO Now, at launch two months ago.
Showtime also said it will distribute the new $10.99-a-month streaming service through Sony's Vue OTT-based pay-TV platform.
The Showtime service will be timed to the July 12 premieres of original Showtime series Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex. It's a similar strategy to the one Time Warner Inc. deployed in April when it connected the launch of HBO Now to the season premiere of Game of Thrones.
When Showtime announced the service last week, it appeared its distribution strategy would also be similar to that of HBO Now, which was only viewable on Apple iOS mobile devices and Apple TV at launch.
Both Roku and PlayStation Vue "have distinct and loyal audiences and together they will build on our service and greatly expand the number of homes that will have access to the Showtime service over the internet," said Matthew Blank, chairman and CEO of Showtime. "This is fundamental to Showtime's strategy of putting the choice in the hands of the consumers regarding how, when and on what unique devices they watch our programming."
For more:
- read this Showtime press release
Related articles:
Report: Dish's Sling TV now counts 250,000 paying customers
CBS' Showtime OTT service to launch in July with $11-a-month price tag
Moonves: There's a 'strong possibility' that Showtime will go a la carte