Crisis averted: Roku and Fox make good before Super Bowl (Update)

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Streamers almost had to punt

Fox channels almost left Roku before Super Bowl 2020.
(Image credit: Eduardo MunozAlvarez/VIEWpress/Getty Images)

Editor's note: At the end of the day, on Jan. 31, Roku announced it reached an agreement with Fox, and the Fox channels are staying on Roku devices and TVs for the Super Bowl. This article, as it was originally published, continues below:

The Friday before the big game, Roku is poised to drop Fox's "standalone" channels from its platforms. Last night, Roku (according to The Input) sent an email to subscribers, stating that after January 31 (today), Fox's channels won't be available on its streaming devices and TVs.

A Roku statement announced that the company "offered Fox an extension" to the companies' existing contract, and "if an agreement is not reached, we’ll be forced to remove the channels." 

And, yes, this might just be a case of bad timing and companies playing chicken. The Roku Support account on Twitter explained that the "Our distribution contract with FOX Corp is set to expire on Jan. 31." Considering how bad this would look for both companies, it's not far-fetched to expect them to resolve things well before Sunday morning.

Roku’s distribution agreement with FOX Corp is set to expire on Jan. 31. We offered FOX an extension so that Roku can continue to bring a large and valuable audience to FOX. If an agreement is not reached, we will be forced to remove FOX channels from the Roku platform.

Henry T. Casey
Henry T. Casey

Henry was a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.