Hello there, customizable Photo Streams
By Catie Keck Mar 22, 2022, 9:00am EDTRoku device owners will soon have a whole host of new personalization features, including all-new ​​Photo Streams, with the Roku OS 11.

Firstly, when Roku OS 11 rolls out to users in the weeks ahead, they’ll be able to change their screensaver to display their own photography or images with Photo Streams. Not only will Photo Streams allow users to display photos from their desktop or mobile device on Roku, but users will also be able to share Streams with other Roku device owners as well. Once a Stream is shared, other Roku owners will be able to add to it, allowing everyone to collaborate on a shared album.

Roku OS 11 will also introduce a new “what to watch on Roku” menu, a personally curated hub added to the home screen menu that will suggest popular and recently released TV and movies.

Roku is rolling out a handful of other features as well. Voice-enabled keyboards — already supported on Roku — will be available in Spanish, German, and Portuguese with the OS 11 update in the US (and other supported markets). And Roku’s mobile app will display additional information about TV shows and movies, including more details about where to stream them for free or through existing paid accounts and images of cast and crew attached to a given title.

Lastly, Roku is introducing both a new automatic speech clarity setting for clearer dialogue as well as new sound modes for Roku streambars and speakers. Those sound settings include Standard, Dialogue, Movie, Music, and Night modes.

“We recognize not everyone interacts with their TV in the same way, so we are proud to offer a platform full of choice, while simultaneously providing our users an easy-to-use experience,” Gidon Katz, SVP of product and experience at Roku, said in a statement.

Roku OS 11 will begin rolling out to streaming devices in the coming weeks.

Lionsgate and Roku have struck a deal giving the studio’s feature films an exclusive streaming run on the free, ad-supported Roku Channel after they play on Starz.

The multi-year output arrangement covers theatrical releases starting this year.

Under the deal, the Roku Channel will have two windows for the Lionsgate titles — the first of which will follow their exclusive Starz stints and the second of which will be non-exclusive.

Bolstered by a suite of original episodic and film titles, the Roku Channel has continued to gain scale as Roku has surpassed 60 million active accounts. Founded in 2017, the Roku Channel includes more than 275 live, linear channels and 80,000-plus on-demand film and episodic offerings. As of the end of 2021, it was reaching households with 80 million people.

Films that will be part of the new distribution setup include the John Wick action franchise, Expendables 4 and Borderlands. Directed by Eli Roth, Borderlands stars Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jack Black. Other titles include Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret; a followup to 2017 hit Wonder, and this month’s Nicolas Cage release, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.