Roku is discontinuing ALL non-certified channel apps (often referred to as "private channels"), not just Pornhub. These are the ones that are installed by entering a code via your Roku account at https://my.roku.com.
This has nothing to do with ethics and everything to do with money. Most of the adult private channels require a paid membership to access all content. PornHub has some free content but much of it requires a Premium membership. Since these are not official Roku apps, they circumvent Roku's ecosystem and therefore Roku makes no money off of the memberships. Netflix, Disney+, Hulu etc all have revenue agreements with Roku but these uncertified or private channels do not. This is the reason they are being removed. Expect this trend to continue. More and more non-revenue generating channels will be removed from the platform in the future. Roku is moving farther and farther away from a device company and trying to become a media company.
I’m very disappointed in this, this is suppose to be America where you have freedom of choice. I mean most people didn’t even know about private channels on Roku, so whats the point of removing them? If you like porn, you have the right to watch! In the privacy of your home…. I have a feeling Roku is going to see a big decline in biz… i mean whats the point of Roku now? Just as well get any streaming stick if you want to see Netflix.
WHy is ROKU acting as the morality police and cancelling PORNHUB? I am paying for a streaming service its not up to them what content i should be able to stream!
Please review the other threads about this. Roku is blocking ALL "private" channels. Not all are adult, as some also allow streaming of pirated material. That puts Roku at legal liability.
Roku,
Could / should add support for Adult Channels. That way they wouldn't have to be 'Private Channels'.
They also could/ should provide for Parental Controls for those channels.
I purchased my first Roku in 2013 and have purchased 8 Roku enabled devices since then.
I was moving away from Roku in favor of Chromecast, until Pornhub added a Roku channel.
I actually purchased 2 Roku devices because of this.
If Roku blocks Pornhub, I suspect I will again lose interest in Roku as my primary streaming device.
@adamcarp wrote:WHy is ROKU acting as the morality police and cancelling PORNHUB? I am paying for a streaming service its not up to them what content i should be able to stream!
Huh. The VidAngel crew says the same thing. Well, kinda. They think they are being targeted, and the PornHub crew thinks they are being targeted. You aren't. They aren't. Roku is simply dropping non-certified apps.
Now, I'm not a fan of that move by Roku, but you are really off-base here. VidAngel and PornHub are two very different, nearly opposite, services. But neither has a certified app. All non-certified apps are being removed, regardless of content.
DBDukes
Roku Community Streaming Expert
Note: I am not a Roku employee.
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Roku could indeed add multiple accounts, parental controls with pin protection etc, which is what adult channel support would need.
Often asked for, precisely zero interest from Roku to do this so far.
Many other cheap ways to stream adult content onto TV.
Used to be a big roku supporter. We have 11 roku devices in our home. Due to the arbitrary decision to censor content - we will be switching to a different platform. We wont be back.