Channels & viewing

[StreamerUser]

@JoachimSchrader 

Unfortunately Disney decides what locations the Disney+ app is available for, and often that isnt going to be countries where Roku itself isnt supported.  So, if Roku itself isnt supported in a country/region, then app/service providers arent going to support their app/service there either.

[atc98092]

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@JoachimSchrader wrote:

Living in Norway/Europe, just bought an roku streaming stick+ and no Disney+. 

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Roku is not officially supported in Norway. In Europe only the UK and France are supported countries. That isn't to say that you can't use a Roku elsewhere, but channel support will be limited, and even if providers such as Disney are officially available somewhere that doesn't mean that their service will be available on Roku devices. And unfortunately there's nothing Roku themselves can do to change the provider's settings. That is under complete control of the channel providers, in this case Disney.

[JoachimSchrader]

I do understand that channel providers (like Disney and Amazon) don't support regions on Roku that Roku themselves don't support, but why won't Roku support Northern Europe (Scandinavia). I understand that it's not a big marked, but we are big users of technology and willing to spend money on it. The situation now is that AppleTV and Google Chromecast can divide the marked between them, and the Chinese companies are moving in. Where are Roku?

[JoachimSchrader]

I understand, but I believe there is something Roku can do - and that is to expand their support to the rest of Europe and not limiting their service to England and France...
It's no problem for me, I can buy an AppleTV or Chromecast, but I wanted to try something else. Something others find useful, with a fast and user friendly interface. Too bad that's not Roku.

[atc98092]

I have no idea what is involved for a company to sell a product within a particular market. It might simply be a matter of cost vs. expected revenue, or there might be legal issues that they don't want to deal with. Pure guesswork on my part, as I simply have no idea. 

[pete-w]

I spoke today with Disney+ and they confirmed it is a content legal issue - where the usual hack is geo-fencing - and unfortunately "rest of world" is too big an area to open up. They are working with Roku to add more specific regions and also with legal over digital rights fluff.

Until they sort it the best workaround is to cast from your PC or mobile to the Roku cast app (or just multi-screen directly)

[anonymouse_oOOo]

Well, if it's a "content legal issue" how come Disney+ is available in my region as an app on my PS4, on my chromecast, on my mobile and computer - and not on my Roku... I don't understand it. Actually I think it's a financial issue and that all the above have an agreement with Disney+. Either are Disney+ paying the distributors to include their player in different regions or that the distributors are paying Disney+ to include their platform.... 
Same issue with Amazon Prime Video, and the irony is that I bought the Roku stick on Amazon...

[atc98092]

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@anonymouse_oOOo wrote:

Well, if it's a "content legal issue" how come Disney+ is available in my region as an app on my PS4, on my chromecast, on my mobile and computer - and not on my Roku... I don't understand it. 

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That is a Disney decision. Their app developers have to authorize their channel in the Roku channel store for each geographical location they wish it to be available, and it seems they sometimes forget to do that when they open up a new location. I agree it's dumb, but it's something that only Disney can alter. 

[anonymouse_oOOo]

Yes, I agree - but it's only Roku and it's customers that have to live with it... I'm going this way now, and as you see they support both Disney Plus and Prime Video 🙂

[atc98092]

See the post above. Roku supports Disney+, same as the Fire TV. But it is up to Disney to make it available on Roku devices within certain geographic areas. Roku themselves have no control over channel availability for 3rd party channels. And except for The Roku Channel and Roku Media Player, they are all 3rd party channels.