Roku brings casual gaming to its internet TV platform starting with Angry Birds this summer and Roku is hoping to cash in on the Angry Birds bonanza while the game is still hot and not just some big annoyance. Roku will be providing the full Angry Birds experience in a deal with its maker Rovio marking the first time the game has made it to the television set and the set-top box will soon feature three of the franchise’s video games (Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio)……..
Roku Inc., the leading Internet TV platform and Rovio, creator of the leading casual game Angry Birds announced that the companies have entered into a strategic partnership to bring the first Angry Birds experience to the TV. Roku will offer Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio video games; launch an Angry Birds video channel featuring Angry Birds animated shorts; and sell Angry Birds merchandise-all via the Roku Channel Store. The announcement today also marks Roku’s expansion of its successful Internet TV platform to include casual games. Although Rovio is the first partner that will bring popular casual games to Roku, the company is in talks with other casual game providers and aggregators, and will make additional announcements including availability details within the next few weeks. In addition, Roku continues to be an open platform allowing content owners of all sizes to have a channel that streams to the TV. “We are growing Angry Birds into a lasting global entertainment franchise and Roku’s strong platform enables us to introduce the full Angry Birds experience of games, videos and merchandise to the TV,” said Rovio Chief Marketing Officer Peter Vesterbacka. “It was an easy decision to partner with Roku. They are a small company like us, are easy to work with, and of course make the best-selling streaming player. We expect Roku and Angry Birds fans to be thrilled with the TV experience that we are bringing them.”
With its launch in May 2008 as the original Netflix streaming player, Roku became the first Internet TV platform to take hold with mainstream American consumers. In 2009, Roku added the Roku Channel Store, the first true app store and open development environment for long- and short-form streaming entertainment to the TV. Since then, Roku is the partner of choice for content owners who want to reach TV viewers directly. The simplicity of the Roku platform sets it apart-allowing developers to quickly deploy content with a variety of monetization options. With more than 250 entertainment channels, Roku players deliver the best collection of streaming entertainment available for the TV. Roku customers can choose from an enormous selection of movies and TV shows from Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video (NASDAQ: AMZN), Crackle and Revision3; live and on-demand sports from NBA Game Time, NHL GameCenter Live and Ultimate Fighting Championship; music from Pandora, MOG, Rdio and TuneIn Radio; photo and video sharing from Flickr and Facebook; plus news and entertainment from around the world-and soon, popular casual games like Angry Birds.
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