Updated Sep 18, 2020 - Economy & Business

Roku, Comcast reach distribution deal

Photo illustration: Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Comcast, NBCUniversal's parent company, and Roku struck an agreement on a video distribution deal, a Roku spokesperson confirmed to Axios on Friday evening.

Why it matters: The deal means that all of NBCU's apps, its 11 network apps, 12 NBCU local station apps and 23 Telemundo-owned local station apps, won't go dark on Roku. It also means that Peacock will be available to Roku customers.

  • The firms have for months been at an impasse over Roku carrying NBCUniversal's apps, including its new streaming service Peacock.

What they're saying: “We look forward to offering these new options to consumers under an expanded, mutually beneficial relationship between our companies that includes adding NBC content to The Roku Channel and a meaningful partnership around advertising," a Roku spokesperson said in a statement.

Details: Sources say that the two companies had been at odds over the advertising piece of the deal. Roku wanted to integrate its ad tech and have ad inventory to sell within NBCU's apps, and NBCU didn't like the structure of that deal.

The big picture: Spats between TV distributors and networks that grew out of the cable and satellite era are beginning to spill over into the streaming world. Other streamers and streaming providers, like AT&T and Amazon, have also had carriage disagreements.

What's next: An official statement on the deal is expected over next few days.

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