My Theory:
I believe Playon currently reduced their lifetime membership, because they knew these channels would eventually be made available by ROKU. Even Windows 8 has free Filmon, ABC, CBS and other apps. It looks like ROKU will be adding channels such as PBS, A&E, History, Lifetime, etc very soon.
ROKU News Release:
LAS VEGAS – Jan. 7, 2013 – With its selection of streaming entertainment growing daily, Roku® Inc. today announced it has surpassed 700 channels on the Roku platform, offering consumers more made-for-TV entertainment than any other streaming device. As these new channels become available, consumers will be able to choose from the best brands and services in streaming video, music and casual games including Amazon Cloud Player, Big Fish, Blockbuster On Demand, FOX NOW, iHeartRadio, PBS, Spotify and VEVO. In other news today, Roku also announced "Roku Adds New Roku Ready Partners for 2013."
"When we launched the first Roku player in 2008, it was the very first device to stream Netflix to the TV and offered just that one channel. Today, the content universe is vastly different with many content producers and owners embracing delivery over the Internet and recognizing the broad appeal and strength of the Roku platform," said Steve Shannon, general manager of content and services, Roku. "We're excited to say we have more entertainment choices on Roku today – 700 channels – and more importantly, we have the best brands in streaming entertainment."
New channels on Roku span video, music and casual games including:
New Video
Blockbuster On Demand –With thousands of movies and new releases to rent, Blockbuster On Demand boasts a catalog filled with HD titles – including hand-selected movies with the highest ratings from Rotten Tomatoes®. New release rentals will be available for as low as $3.99, and Roku customers will be able to elect to receive special promotions for even greater deals. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
Dailymotion – Bringing more than 30 million videos, 10,000 premium content providers and unique content for free, Dailymotion features a wide array of genres and original material from comedy to sports, music and more. Expected to be available in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Republic of Ireland in Q1 2013.
DISHWorld – The exclusive International TV content partner to Roku recently launched three new East Asian languages – Cantonese, Filipino, and Vietnamese. DISHWorld expands on the service of its parent company DISH, the leader of international programming for more than a decade. TV packages start as low as $14.99/month. DISHWorld also delivers programming in Arabic, Bangla, Brazilian, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Available now in the U.S.
Flingo – More than 70 new channels, including brands like TMZ, A&E, History Channel, Lifetime, Transworld, Warren Miller, Fitness Magazine, and CollegeHumor. Select channels are available now. New channels will launch every month.
FOX NOW – Features all-new full-length episodes of hit FOX shows like NEW GIRL, FAMILY GUY, GLEE and BONES as well as bonus features and content including behind-the-scenes interviews, episode descriptions and more. Expected to be available in Q1 2013 to customers in the U.S. who subscribe to a participating TV provider.
PBS – More than 1000 videos, including full-length episodes from new programs as well as the PBS archives, with new content updated daily. Programming includes AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Masterpiece, Nature, Nova, Secrets of the Dead, and more. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
PBS KIDS – More than 1,000 videos from PBS KIDS television series including Curious George, The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That!, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Dinosaur Train, SUPER WHY!, Wild Kratts, and Sesame Street. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
Syfy – Brings exclusive access to all episodes of the digital series Riese: Kingdom of Falling and Nuclear Family. Additionally, webisodes, clips and behind-the-scenes videos from popular shows including WAREHOUSE 13, BEING HUMAN and FACE OFF are available for screening. Available now in the U.S.
VEVO – Features more than 50,000 HD music videos, exclusives premieres, select live performances and original music programming from more than 11,000 artists. Available now in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Republic of Ireland.
New Music and Audio
Amazon Cloud Player – Amazon's music service lets customers access their music collection, including any music purchased from Amazon's library of more than 22 million audio tracks, on their TVs. Available now in the U.S.
iHeartRadio – Clear Channel's all-in-one digital radio service provides access to more than 1,500 radio stations and allows users to create commercial-free custom stations inspired by a favorite artist or song. With iHeartRadio, listeners can browse radio stations by music genre and location. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
Spotify – Available with a premium Spotify subscription, the award-winning digital music service provides instant access to more than 20 million songs, top tracks and albums, and the ability to listen to and manage playlists. Available now in the U.S., U.K. and Republic of Ireland.
New Casual Games; Available Exclusively for Roku 2 XS and the Roku Streaming Stick
Big Fish Unlimited – Features a growing catalog of games – 150 today with new games added every week – from every casual genre, including Hidden Object, Puzzle Adventure, Match 3, Time Management, and more. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
Danger Derby – This race track driving game features three game modes – Arcade, Challenge, and Mirror – and can be played by one or two players. Available now in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Republic of Ireland.
Family Solitaire – The most relaxing and easy-to-play version of Solitaire available on TV today, Family Solitaire is based on the Klondike Solitaire rules, probably the best-known and most played Solitaire in the world today. Available now in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Republic of Ireland.
To view all channels currently available on the Roku platform, visit www.roku.com/channels.
The award-winning Roku streaming players and the Roku Streaming Stick are renowned for their ease of use, selection of content and affordability. Roku players start at $49.99 and the Roku Streaming Stick is $99.99. Both can be purchased from Roku.com as well as from major retailers. The Roku Streaming Stick is also bundled with some products including the 3M Streaming Projector and select Smart TVs from Roku Ready® partners.
I believe Playon currently reduced their lifetime membership, because they knew these channels would eventually be made available by ROKU. Even Windows 8 has free Filmon, ABC, CBS and other apps. It looks like ROKU will be adding channels such as PBS, A&E, History, Lifetime, etc very soon.
ROKU News Release:
LAS VEGAS – Jan. 7, 2013 – With its selection of streaming entertainment growing daily, Roku® Inc. today announced it has surpassed 700 channels on the Roku platform, offering consumers more made-for-TV entertainment than any other streaming device. As these new channels become available, consumers will be able to choose from the best brands and services in streaming video, music and casual games including Amazon Cloud Player, Big Fish, Blockbuster On Demand, FOX NOW, iHeartRadio, PBS, Spotify and VEVO. In other news today, Roku also announced "Roku Adds New Roku Ready Partners for 2013."
"When we launched the first Roku player in 2008, it was the very first device to stream Netflix to the TV and offered just that one channel. Today, the content universe is vastly different with many content producers and owners embracing delivery over the Internet and recognizing the broad appeal and strength of the Roku platform," said Steve Shannon, general manager of content and services, Roku. "We're excited to say we have more entertainment choices on Roku today – 700 channels – and more importantly, we have the best brands in streaming entertainment."
New channels on Roku span video, music and casual games including:
New Video
Blockbuster On Demand –With thousands of movies and new releases to rent, Blockbuster On Demand boasts a catalog filled with HD titles – including hand-selected movies with the highest ratings from Rotten Tomatoes®. New release rentals will be available for as low as $3.99, and Roku customers will be able to elect to receive special promotions for even greater deals. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
Dailymotion – Bringing more than 30 million videos, 10,000 premium content providers and unique content for free, Dailymotion features a wide array of genres and original material from comedy to sports, music and more. Expected to be available in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Republic of Ireland in Q1 2013.
DISHWorld – The exclusive International TV content partner to Roku recently launched three new East Asian languages – Cantonese, Filipino, and Vietnamese. DISHWorld expands on the service of its parent company DISH, the leader of international programming for more than a decade. TV packages start as low as $14.99/month. DISHWorld also delivers programming in Arabic, Bangla, Brazilian, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Available now in the U.S.
Flingo – More than 70 new channels, including brands like TMZ, A&E, History Channel, Lifetime, Transworld, Warren Miller, Fitness Magazine, and CollegeHumor. Select channels are available now. New channels will launch every month.
FOX NOW – Features all-new full-length episodes of hit FOX shows like NEW GIRL, FAMILY GUY, GLEE and BONES as well as bonus features and content including behind-the-scenes interviews, episode descriptions and more. Expected to be available in Q1 2013 to customers in the U.S. who subscribe to a participating TV provider.
PBS – More than 1000 videos, including full-length episodes from new programs as well as the PBS archives, with new content updated daily. Programming includes AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Masterpiece, Nature, Nova, Secrets of the Dead, and more. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
PBS KIDS – More than 1,000 videos from PBS KIDS television series including Curious George, The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That!, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Dinosaur Train, SUPER WHY!, Wild Kratts, and Sesame Street. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
Syfy – Brings exclusive access to all episodes of the digital series Riese: Kingdom of Falling and Nuclear Family. Additionally, webisodes, clips and behind-the-scenes videos from popular shows including WAREHOUSE 13, BEING HUMAN and FACE OFF are available for screening. Available now in the U.S.
VEVO – Features more than 50,000 HD music videos, exclusives premieres, select live performances and original music programming from more than 11,000 artists. Available now in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Republic of Ireland.
New Music and Audio
Amazon Cloud Player – Amazon's music service lets customers access their music collection, including any music purchased from Amazon's library of more than 22 million audio tracks, on their TVs. Available now in the U.S.
iHeartRadio – Clear Channel's all-in-one digital radio service provides access to more than 1,500 radio stations and allows users to create commercial-free custom stations inspired by a favorite artist or song. With iHeartRadio, listeners can browse radio stations by music genre and location. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
Spotify – Available with a premium Spotify subscription, the award-winning digital music service provides instant access to more than 20 million songs, top tracks and albums, and the ability to listen to and manage playlists. Available now in the U.S., U.K. and Republic of Ireland.
New Casual Games; Available Exclusively for Roku 2 XS and the Roku Streaming Stick
Big Fish Unlimited – Features a growing catalog of games – 150 today with new games added every week – from every casual genre, including Hidden Object, Puzzle Adventure, Match 3, Time Management, and more. Expected to be available in the U.S. in Q1 2013.
Danger Derby – This race track driving game features three game modes – Arcade, Challenge, and Mirror – and can be played by one or two players. Available now in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Republic of Ireland.
Family Solitaire – The most relaxing and easy-to-play version of Solitaire available on TV today, Family Solitaire is based on the Klondike Solitaire rules, probably the best-known and most played Solitaire in the world today. Available now in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Republic of Ireland.
To view all channels currently available on the Roku platform, visit www.roku.com/channels.
The award-winning Roku streaming players and the Roku Streaming Stick are renowned for their ease of use, selection of content and affordability. Roku players start at $49.99 and the Roku Streaming Stick is $99.99. Both can be purchased from Roku.com as well as from major retailers. The Roku Streaming Stick is also bundled with some products including the 3M Streaming Projector and select Smart TVs from Roku Ready® partners.
