Roku’s Howdy Streaming Service Set to Expand Beyond Its Platform
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026, Anthony Wood, Roku’s founder, chairman, and CEO, unveiled plans to broaden the reach of the company’s latest streaming service, Howdy. Launched in August 2025, Howdy offers subscribers ad-free access to a vast library of content for just $2.99 per month. This move comes at a time when many streaming services are increasing their prices and incorporating more advertisements into their platforms.
Wood highlighted the current landscape of the streaming industry, noting that as services become more expensive and ad-heavy, the original appeal of affordable, ad-free options has diminished. The opportunity for Howdy was — if you just look at what’s going on in the streaming world with streaming services, they’re getting more expensive. They keep raising prices, and they keep adding larger and larger ad loads, Wood explained at the Variety Entertainment Summit at CES. And so, the part of the market where it actually started — low-cost and no ads — is gone now. There’s no streaming services that address that portion of the market.
Initially available exclusively to Roku users, Howdy is poised to extend its availability to a wider audience. Wood stated that while the service began on Roku devices, the company plans to take it off-platform as well. When pressed for specifics about potential platforms such as mobile apps or web access, Wood indicated that Roku aims to distribute Howdy everywhere, suggesting future availability across various devices and platforms.
While exact subscriber numbers for Howdy remain undisclosed, Wood expressed confidence in the service’s potential growth. I think if I just look at the market, it’s going to be a big streaming service, he remarked during his CES presentation.
