Roku Loses All Fox Apps Ahead of the Super Bowl

Roku users, your Super Bowl night just got way less super. Beginning today, January 31, Fox channels will no longer be available to stream on Roku devices. According to The Verge, the sudden shift is the result of a carriage dispute between Fox and Roku. Their current distribution deal expires today, and unless they reach a new agreement by Sunday, fans looking to watch Super Bowl 2020 on Roku will be SOL.

This week, Roku emailed customers alerting them that “all standalone Fox channels will no longer be available on Roku streaming devices” as of January 31. “You can still watch FOX channels through these services: FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV and other live TV services, many of which offer free trials,” the email reads. “If you have a Roku TV, you may be able to receive Fox over the air with an antenna.”

Roku’s email makes no mention of the Super Bowl (or “the big game,” as it’s commonly referred to for trademark reasons), but savvy customers immediately recognized that this would impact their ability to stream the Kansas City Chiefs-San Francisco 49ers matchup. When one user reached out to Roku on Twitter to ask if Fox Sports channels will also disappear, the company explained that the removal is due to a contract dispute. “Our distribution contract with FOX Corp is set to expire on Jan. 31 so FOX channels were removed from the Roku Channel Store,” replied Roku Support.

The Verge’s Sean Hollister reports that Roku and Fox are locked in a heated carriage disagreement. “We offered Fox an extension… if an agreement is not reached, we’ll be forced to remove the channels,” said a Roku spokesperson.

However, Fox disputes this account, and the company told The Verge that deleting the streaming channels was Roku’s decision. “Roku’s threat to delete FOX apps from its customers’ devices is a naked effort to use its customers as pawns,” said Fox in a statement to The Verge. “To be clear, FOX has not asked Roku to remove our apps, and we would prefer Roku continue to make them available without interruption. Roku’s tactics are a poorly timed negotiating ploy, fabricating a crisis with no thought for the alarm it generated among its own customers.”

As of now, the following Fox channels are no longer available via Roku devices:

Fox Now
Fox Sports
Fox News
Fox Business
Fox Soccer
Big Ten Network
Fox Nation

However, Roku users won’t be completely shut out of watching Super Bowl LIV. As the company notes in their email, fans can access Super Bowl 2020 through a variety of other services, including FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, and SlingTV, all of which are available to download through the Roku Channel Store. These SVOD platforms charge customers by the month, but each offers a free trial, so you can sign up and then cancel immediately after the Super Bowl.

For more ways to stream Super Bowl 2020, head to Fox Sports.