Why do the Roku Channels repeat only the same handful of episodes? We've been watching several of the channels (Doctor Who) within the Roku Live TV app and found that they only ever play the same episodes over and over. At this point there is practically no new content to watch on the app. Is there a reason for this, why show specific episodes on repeat?
Most likely that is what has been licensed for them to use. Some content gets restricted by the copyright owner/studios and held for use for their specific purpose or they only license certain content or in some cases what streaming services are willing to pay and have negotiated to utilize. Some content is in public domain and can be freely used, some syndicated, etc....it really just depends on the content. Missing episodes or only certain episodes are fairly common especially for free content/ad supported type channels, such as Pluto, Roku and others.
In many, if not most, cases, Roku doesn't actually run the channel. If it doesn't have the Roku name in it, it is run by a 3rd party, just like a cable TV channel. Roku just airs what they are given, and probably also sells ads on it.
