Re: Roku no longer supporting VidAngel
I want to hear from Roku why it is restricting the viewing of a channel like Vidangel that allows us to filter garbage out of our TV. Is this a matter of money?
Forum Discussion
13 Replies
Replies have been turned off for this discussion
Hi Greg_masters
Thank you for the inquiry!Thanks for bringing this to our attention! Roku announced that last February 23, 2022, it will sunset all channels not available through its official store. This includes the current VidAngel channel. On that date, VidAngel and all other non-certified channels will be disabled across all Roku devices. Nevertheless, we appreciate for sharing the feedback, we'll also send your feedback to our team!
Warm Regards,
LiannaI guess we will get no real answer from Roku. Too bad. I have been a big fan and user of Roku since it came out with its first box.
Just open the manual loading process again. Not in your business plans? Just remember that things like this are the reason that Android TV, Firestick and others are becoming more popular.
Here is what Vidangel says:
So why isn't Vidangle in Roku's official store?
We’ve submitted the VidAngel channel for review multiple times over the years, including as recently as the fall of 2021. Each time, Roku declined to approve our channel and provided little insight regarding that decision. That’s why, in the past, users had to manually install our app onto their Roku device rather than downloading it from the official store.
We remain optimistic that they will reconsider in the future. In the meantime, we have refocused our efforts on expanding the number of devices and systems where you can watch VidAngel.
could you dumb that down a bit with the answer.
The answer is - they aren't going to say. The previous channel was what was known as a Private channel. These were unsupported by Roku, and provided the entire spectrum of content, from religious content, to porn, and video streams of dubious legality. But Roku announced well over a year ago they were going to cut off all private channels. There's potential legal liability that was one reason, and I'm certain there are others.
For whatever reason, Roku has not certified a version of the Vidangel channel. They will never provide that explanation to the public. Vidangel claims that Roku won't tell them either why they won't certify their channel. I'm not going to discuss who is or isn't telling the truth. We here have no way of ever knowing.
Bottom line: only channels certified by Roku are permitted in the channel store. They have some valid reasons for this, and it's the same thing Apple does with the iTunes store. I make no claim on if Roku has valid reasons for denying Vidangel certification, and I have no "dog in the fight", as I never used the channel previously and likely wouldn't bother with it anyway. But I support the desire of the users that would like to have it, for I completely understand the potential need for it.
Roku, why are you not providing a profanity, violence, and sexual content filter to the Roku app/stick and Roku TV? Many people are asking for this. Many people would be willing to pay extra for this please consider providing this service it so needed.
blessed59 wrote:Roku, why are you not providing a profanity, violence, and sexual content filter to the Roku app/stick and Roku TV? Many people are asking for this. Many people would be willing to pay extra for this please consider providing this service it so needed.
Roku can't do this because that is controlled by the app in use. They can't alter what the app is doing. Roku provides the platform, and can't alter what the 3rd party app does.
Dan's response doesn't sound accurate. Roku has to have some layer between the individual streaming services and your TV, as evidenced by the Roku home screen's ability to search for, & launch a stream directly from there, even though roku launches the streaming service in so doing. It is this lower layer where Roku should be able to provide "parental control" features or allow VidAngel to do so. Alternately, VidAngel could launch streams on other streaming services, routing the stream through VidAngel, just as you do on a laptop & just as Amazon launches FreeBee shows, Hallmark shows, etc., though that route likely would require contracts between VA & any streaming service that routed through VA.
