Roku Developer Program

[sberner]

Personally I think it's a good idea to get people to set up accounts on install as it get it out of the way while people are thinking about how everything works. Later they might not want to deal with it. We are developing channels to make money and not for the fun of it so whatever steps are needed to make it easier for people to make purchases the better.

We think this billing system is a great addition to the platform, thanks Roku!

[jbrave]

I agree from one perspective it is good that cutomers have credit cards on file, I just think this could be off-putting for some people and impossible for others, and since first impressions when you buy a product are important, avoiding hassle for brand new customers would be better than nailing them on the cc when they sign up.

-Joel

[kbenson]

I think a good compromise would be something like this in the account signup (anthropomorphized):

Roku: Please enter your credit card so you can use the built in Roku app store.

User: No thanks.

Roku: Are you sure? If you don't link a card, you can't use our store, not even for free channels. This will limit you to only the Netflix, MLB and Amazon channels.

User: That's okay, I'd rather not.

Roku: Okay, we'll create your account now without a CC. Whenever you attempt to add a channel in the channel store, we'll send you a gentle reminder that you need to set up a CC to access all these wonderful things. (But we'll still let you look at them all!) Have fun with your new Roku!

[gonzotek]

"kbenson" wrote:
I think a good compromise would be something like this in the account signup (anthropomorphized):

Roku: Please enter your credit card so you can use the built in Roku app store.

User: No thanks.

Roku: Are you sure? If you don't link a card, you can't use our store, not even for free channels. This will limit you to only the Netflix, MLB and Amazon channels.

User: That's okay, I'd rather not.

Roku: Okay, we'll create your account now without a CC. Whenever you attempt to add a channel in the channel store, we'll send you a gentle reminder that you need to set up a CC to access all these wonderful things. (But we'll still let you look at them all!) Have fun with your new Roku!

+1

[krazy]

So basically now, say

1. if someone uses roku for selling paid channels it is 70/30 approx (30% going to roku )
2. can the provider still can sell on his own with codes etc.. and not lose that 30% ?

[kbenson]

"krazy" wrote:

2. can the provider still can sell on his own with codes etc.. and not lose that 30% ?

I don't see anything stopping you from using some alternate authentication mechanism to try to limit running of your channels, such as some login system you set up. The 30% cut is really for management and tracking of the installation and the whole billing infrastructure. If you think you can set up and maintain something equivalent and make more money doing that, more power to you (that's how Netflix works).

[krazy]

paypal is a payment processor and they charge like 3% only not comparing both but, the infrastructure should be lesser than what owned by paypal
what i think is 30% is very very huge , there will be nothing left to the distributor especially in video content business at this rate

[Anonymous]

70/30 is standard for application/channel stores across the industry for on-time purchases. For subscription, contact us (partners@roku.com)

Even still, we think the increased ease of purchase plus increased exposure should add up to a better ROI than running your own service on the backend.

[destruk]

I was looking for documentation on this feature - did I miss it?

[retrotom]

I was wondering if the subscription model has multiple levels or options. For instance, will be able to say "$X monthly", "$X every 6 months", and "$X annually"? Many subscription models allow for this and give certain discounts for longer renewal rates.