Q: Roku keeps adding more religious channels. There are already too many religious channels and I want more free movies and free television shows. Why is Roku adding so many religious channels?
A: It's true that there are a lot of religious channels on Roku. With 97 public channels currently available in the Roku Channel Store, Religion & Spirituality is by far the largest channel category on the Roku. That's nearly double the number of channels under Movies & TV (54) and under Internet TV (also 54). But I doubt that there is any conspiracy amongst Roku management to turn the Roku DVP into a tool for broadcasting only ultraconservative right-wing Christian doctrine... despite the accusations made in some of the e-mails received at RokuGuide.com. And besides, less religion doesn't mean more free movies - it's not an either/or situation.
Here is how Roku channel development works: With the exception of international channels, which are now subject to third-party approval by DishWorld, Roku is an open device. As long as you own the content or have the right permissions to distribute it, you can create a Roku channel to broadcast it. And if it's not adult-oriented content, you can have that channel publicly posted in the Roku Channel Store. Roku (the company) has entered into partnerships with large media companies such as Disney, Hulu, and Amazon to encourage those companies to bring content to the Roku device, but the vast majority of Roku channels are created by independent producers and developers.
Take a quick look through the Religion & Spirituality channels and you'll find that a large number of those channels stream services from local churches. There is no religious conspiracy, it's just that churches are discovering the Roku as an inexpensive and convenient way to reach out to their congregations by offering live and on-demand video streams to their members who can't attend services in person, or who want to listen to past sermons again.
A large number of other channels provide content from televangelists, megachurches, and religious networks. Some of the shows, and even entire channels, are also available through cable and satellite providers like Comcast and DirecTV. These media-savvy religious content providers are using the Roku to reach the cordcutters who no longer have access to their shows through traditional means. I've received e-mails from people who have threatened to disconnect their Roku devices because of all the religious channels and instead get their entertainment through "more diverse media". Well, those people will have to find media other than cable, satellite, or the Internet, as a lot of the religious shows found on the Roku are also found on those other services.
And finally, for those of you who see a conservative, right-wing, Christian conspiracy, let's not forget that Roku also carries Jewish, Mormon, Buddhist, and Muslim channels.
