Summary
- A big Roku OS update is coming soon with exciting new features for content discovery, sports highlights, and more.
- The Sports Zone is more customizable, full of highlights and scores, and expanding to more regions.
- Roku’s Backdrops feature turns TVs into works of art, and is expanding to Canada
Do you wish your Roku device had more features, like an expansive selection of sports highlights, a better mobile app, or easy-to-find movie trailers? If so, we have some good news. Along with launching two new streaming sticks this week, Roku announced several exciting new features coming to Roku OS.
In a blog post, Roku unveiled a bunch of changes it hopes will make the platform even better. While I already love Roku on my TCL TV, streaming sticks, or the Roku Ultra in my garage, all these new features should make anyone happy.
More Content and Better Discovery
The next big update for your Roku device will arrive automatically. Once it does, you’ll notice several new changes to help you discover and interact with live, upcoming, and on-demand entertainment. For starters, Roku has improved its content discovery algorithm, which should help serve up content you’re interested in viewing.
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You’ll notice a fun new “Coming Soon to Theaters” row on the home screen. Watch movie trailers or even add that big summer blockbuster to your save list, and Roku will alert you when it’s available to stream at home. Short-form content rows will also start appearing, letting you find bite-sized things to watch when you’re short on time.
More Sports Highlights on Roku
Roku knows most of us enjoy sports, too, which is why it’s taking another step to improve the already great sports and scores information. Fans will notice a new personalized highlights row in the Sports Zone, making it a breeze to follow your favorite NBA, NFL, NHL, and other sports teams.
Roku said in its blog post, “Sports fans, staying connected to your favorite teams and players has never been easier. The new personalized highlights row in the Sports Zone puts the best clips up front and center, all in one place—keeping you in the know about what matters most: your team.”
And that’s not all, either. The Sports Zone is going global. Starting with Mexico and slowly rolling out to more regions in the coming weeks, fans can find dedicated hubs with all the must-see games, highlights, and more, based on their team or specific region.
Roku Backdrops Turn TVs Into Art
Finally, Roku shared that along with improvements to the mobile app, it’ll be bringing the popular “Backdrops” feature to Canada, with more regions to follow. So, what are Backdrops?
Similar to the Roku City screensaver, Backdrops transform any TV your Roku device is connected to into a work of art. It’ll flip between stunning artwork, fun visuals, and other screensavers to spruce up your living room, garage, or bedroom. These are basically screensavers, but with a stylish flair. While backdrops are already available in the U.S., when enabled, other regions are finally getting in on the action.
Unfortunately, Roku didn’t share an exact date for all the changes and new features. Instead, saying that it’ll start rolling out to customers “in the coming months.”
In the meantime, Roku recently added better smart camera integration, the Roku OS is coming soon to projectors, and the company is preparing to release a new Roku Battery Camera and Battery Camera Plus for those looking to upgrade their smart home.
Source: Roku
