Channels & viewing

[VancoD]

Since I can't send a message to Roku support (should tell you all you need to know about where Roku is going as a company) I'm simply making a self-service forum post. 

Roku's baseless decisions to stop allowing side-loaded channels virtually without warning has insured that I will never buy another Roku product again in my life.  I've got 4 now, and they'll all be getting replaced. 

Way to support your customers, Roku. Hope whatever cash-grab this was based on works out for you. 

[DBDukes]

@VancoD 

Roku doesn't prevent the side loading of apps.

Unless, of course, you have loaded an app that breaks certain rules, such as piracy. Then they'll stop you from loading apps via a code. Might that be what happened?

[VancoD]

Roku has deleted all "non-certified" channels - and if the stories in various other posts here are to be believed, they're simply not "certifying" anyone that's requested it. 
https://bgr.com/tech/if-you-have-a-roku-youre-losing-these-channels-today/

I am sure it's because they can't leverage ad revenue from said channels.  There's literally no good reason to do what they did - when you add a sideloaded channel it warns you explicitly that you're taking the support of your Roku into your own hands. 

The 2 channels I lost (Twoku and a Florida-local ABC news channel) are not engaged in either piracy or pornography. And in fact, one of the MOST POPULAR side-loads that they've now removed without warning was a tool actually used to remove violent and sexually-oriented scenes from streaming content. 

It's a cash grab, and it's BS. 

[DBDukes]

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@VancoD wrote:

... I am sure it's because they can't leverage ad revenue from said channels. ...

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Yes, exactly.

Roku is in business to make money. Every business is in business to make money. Including Twoku and that TV station.

All apps in the Channel Store must hook into Roku in two ways. If the service for the app offers sales or subscriptions, the app must allow Roku Pay to be used to make that transaction. The user doesn't have to use Roku Pay -- I don't -- but it must be an option. If the app isn't coded to allow that, the app is rejected.

If the service is ad-supported, the app must tie in with Roku's ad program in some way. I'm less familiar with this, but my understanding is that at least some ads must either be by Roku (allowing Roku ad revenue) or revenue from ads must be shared with Roku. However it works, the end result is Roku gets a cut. If it's not coded that way, the app is rejected. At least, that's my understanding.

So, why didn't those two apps move to the Channel Store? They have to be coded to standards -- there's more than just financial tie-ins, to include the way the apps interact with the system and how certain user functionality is implemented -- and then has to be submitted.

If the app was already coded to standards, all they had to do was submit. If it wasn't coded to standards, they had to code, or recode, the apps. Then they would submit.

So, if I lost some apps due to Roku's revamp of the app system, I would be asking the app developer why, when Roku gave a public notice in October 2021, why they didn't code and submit during those 120 days (the length of time an app can now be in the non-certified library).

[renojim]

@VancoD, you have your terminology confused.  Sideloading is what a developer does when developing a channel/app.  That hasn't been removed, but it's really only for development purposes.  Sideloading something you found on the Internet will almost assuredly result in your Roku's developer mode being permanently disabled.  What you're referring to used to be referred to as private channels and then got renamed as "uncertified" channels and required you to enter a code on the website to install.  Those have been eliminated and somewhat replaced by beta channels with significant limitations.  They still require a code to install, but they're limited to 120 days and 20 users.

[makaiguy]

@VancoD 

The developers of non-certified channels for Roku were notified in advance that Roku was going to be implementing a new system for channel development and that all non-certified channels running on the then-current system were going to be dropped.  Although these channels ran on the Roku platform, they were really outside the standard Roku channel store system. 

I know this notification went out at least 4 months ahead of time, but I'm not a developer and don't know if anything went out to developers earlier than that. 

This is hardly "without warning".  The developers had time to get their channels certified and moved to the regular Roku system.  Those that did not knew their Roku channels were going to go away and largely failed to notify their users.  Many claimed they were being censored due to the nature of their content -- this is not the case.

[joetech]

I tried to load a channel I've had before and the site does nothing on the first try and redirects to a 404 page on the second attempt.  The process I use is this:

1. log in

2. Go to https://my.roku.com/account/add?channel=uzzu

3. Click OK on the warning page

4. Click the "Yes, add channel" button (nothing happens in the UI, though I see network activity)

5. Click the "Yes, add channel" button again (get a 404 page)

On step 4 above, I watch the network traffic and see a 500 error with a "x-cache: Error from cloudfront" response header on the api request to https://my.roku.com/account/api/v1/user/channels

Given there's no useful error like "This channel is not certified" or "The channel requested is not allowed", I'm led to assume this is a problem with the Roku site.

Can someone confirm one way or the other?  And if it's a channel I'm not allowed to add, can we update the user experience to reflect that so users don't have to search the web to figure out what's happened?

Thanks!

[Emissary35]

Everyone upset that they won't let you add private channels anymore there isn't much you can do, Roku doesn't care. But the best thing you can do is choose NOT to purchase any Roku products in the future and try to encourage other Roku users you know to do the same. I won't be buying any more Roku devices unless they reverse course and allow us to add private channels again. That was something that made Roku great, now the product is worse and the customer support is a joke!

[VancoD]

So a bit of follow up - 

I've been using these for some months now - absolutely could not be happier.  Every channel I could possibly want (including, or course, the now removed side-loaded channels that birthed this thread), plus full web browsers to play all the streaming radio stations I listen to with ease.  AND - many of the streaming services I pay for have download options I can now take advantage of, so I can download a movie and watch it off-line at a friends house. 

Frankly. I wish I'd have moved over sooner. 

Good luck, Roku - you're gonna need it. 

[renojim]

Yep, boxes like that are just made for people that want to pirate content.