Okay so you got a Internet TV channel or maybe you just have an idea for one? Either way you want to broadcast your channel on Roku and have no idea how. Or maybe you are familiar with Roku and may know a little about the process but you dont know the ins and out. Well the wonderful thing is that no matter what your situation there is a very economical solution to getting on Roku. However before I get into the ins and outs of having a channel on Roku lets first discuss some basics.
For some of you reading this article you may already be familiar with some of this content. However this article is written for those that really have no idea how to proceed with starting a Internet TV channel and getting their channel on Roku. With that said lets start with the fundamental basics. Obviously if you are starting a channel you need content. I am going to assume that you already have a library of content, or you are planning on obtaining your video content and you already are moving in that direction. No video content then no channel. This may seem elementary to most but none the less it must be said.
Next you need to decide if your new channel will only be on Roku or will it also be on the internet? In other words will you have a Internet TV channel that will also broadcast on Roku. Many people do this because they also want to self brand their channel. They do not want to “only be on Roku”. In other words you can also have your own domain name and Internet TV channel that you can schedule your video content on and make your playlists. This is a great promotional and marketing tool. I do highly suggest you do both. This will give you more visibility and credibility when it comes to future opportunities.
So what type of equipment is needed? First of all if you use one of our packages you will not need any equipment. We have a built in scheduler so that you can upload and schedule video to play like a real TV channel. This is also interfaced with Roku so that once we create your Roku channel you can use our scheduler. You may also choose to use your own equipment if you are wanting graphic overlays such as stock quotes and so forth. At the moment it is not possible to overlay graphics on a live internet stream without some actual physical hardware to do so. So if you plan to do this then you need to have the budget for it.
Typically to broadcast on Roku you would need a CDN, a playout server, playout software to schedule your videos and a delivery method to send your channels to Roku. However we have combined all of this into one product called our Channel Manager. In fact if your looking to start your own Roku channel (or for that matter any connected TV device such as FireTV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, and more) then check out our article on “3 Easy steps to start your online TV Network” and you can get started quickly.
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