Roku Developer Program

[OddScott]

Would a non-US developer of a channel consisting of 100% English-language content have to go through the Dishworld approval process to publish in the US?

[kc8pql]

Looks like it depends on the content to me:

B. The Content and Channel Application accessed, displayed and performed via your
Channel Application may not:

vii. contain foreign language or international Content generated outside of the US,
including but not limited to movies, sports, video on demand and/or news
services, without the prior written approval of Roku.

[OddScott]

The August 2012 version of the Developer Agreement that is displayed when logged into a developer account has slightly different language than Patrick's forum posting that you are quoting from:

http://forums.roku.com/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=50180 (Roku Forum, June 7, 2012):
B.vii. The Content and Channel Application accessed, displayed and performed via your Channel Application may not ... contain foreign language or international Content generated outside of the US, including but not limited to movies, sports, video on demand and/or news services, without the prior written approval of Roku.

http://www.roku.com/Libraries/Legal/Roku_Channel_Developer_Agreement.sflb.ashx (Developer Account, 2/5/2013):
8.c. All Content must be in the English language and originate in the United States unless otherwise agreed by Roku in writing, and Developer may not distribute any internationally produced (non-U.S.) foreign language (non-English) Content without Roku’s prior written consent.

So the critical phrase in the current version of the Developer Agreement, at least for English-language content, seems to be "originate in the United States". Does this mean that the content origin server used by a CDN or equivalent must physically reside in the US, does it mean that the content must have been created (filmed, recorded, photographed, etc) in the US, or does it mean something else entirely?

Would it be possible to get an official Roku clarification on this please?

[Anonymous]

Hi Scott,

We don't care where the files/streams reside or originate from (nor the location or nationality of the developer or content owner). Instead it's about the content production. That doesn't mean that something filmed in Italy would be considered international, but if it were produced by an Italian company, it likely would. The language in the Developer Agreement is broad so that we can take it on a case by case basis and make the determination. If you have any questions about something specifically, please contact us at partners@roku.com