Redbox taps You.i TV to rebuild VOD streaming app on Roku

Redbox today announced it brought on user interface/user experience (UI/UX) specialist You.i TV to revamp its Redbox on Demand video streaming app for the Roku platform.

The companies will use React Native’s open source, JavaScript application framework and the You.i TV SDK to build a codebase for Roku that Redbox can in turn use to update its apps on other platforms including Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire devices, Xbox One and smart TVs like Samsung Tizen and LG.

“With Redbox On Demand, we want to make our great content available to as many viewers as possible on as many devices as possible,” said Lowell Bike, director of product management at Redbox, in a statement. “You.i TV’s technology makes it easier for Redbox to innovate. It enables us to provide the same great user experience from mobile to living room, regardless of where our viewers are watching, without the constraints of native development for every device.”

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You.i TV said this will be the first React Native app running on the Roku platform. React Native was developed by Facebook, and has been used to build applications for Android and iOS.

But, You.i TV has been working on extending the use of React Native for more than a year now. At CES 2018, the company demonstrated React Native applications on Roku, which has become one of the most important platform for streaming and OTT services and applications.

After an unsuccessful streaming video play with Verizon, Redbox in 2017 launched Redbox on Demand, a transactional VOD service that allows customers to rent or purchase movies and TV shows. Last year, the company hired former Dell executive Chris Yates as general manager of Redbox on Demand.