ROXi, a free music streaming app, has launched on major US smart TV platforms, with integrated voice and search capabilities ready for LG smart TVs at launch.
Starting in the first quarter, the streaming music video app will be available on over 90% of smart TVs in the US, including Samsung, LG, Vizio, Roku, Comcast, Sony Bravia, NVIDIA Shield TV, TCL, HiSense, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV and Android TV.
UK-based ROXi itself isn’t a new service, having launched in 2017 with support from Simon Cowell, Kylie Minogue, Sheryl Crow and more, but it was previously available through the ROXi Music System, which is a dedicated streaming device that requires an HDMI port to access connected TVs and includes a remote that doubles as a microphone for sing-along features. The music service and karaoke features were also previously made available through an integration with Sky in 2020. With the latest announcement, it marks its US expansion through integrated smart TV access.
The ROXi service boasts access to 100 million music videos, hundreds of curated music video channels, music video karaoke and music games. Whether it is included in the relevant free streaming TV (FAST) services supported by smart TV platforms, or simply available as a smart TV app, was not clear from the publication. StreamTV Insider has contacted ROXi and will update with additional information.
Notably, the music video app has entered into strategic partnerships with smart TV manufacturers that will integrate its catalog of 100 million original and virtual music videos into global search and voice command functions, meaning users can search and play music similar to what they do for movies and television programming.
Get familiar first, as voice and search partners are LG and Comcast’s Sky.
“This is the beginning of a great partnership between ROXi and LG. LG TVs will offer an audio-visual alternative to the traditional audio-only smart speaker experience,” Matthew Broughton, LG’s director of European smart TV content and services, said in a statement. “ROXi’s full catalog of 100 million original and virtual music videos will be integrated directly into the search function of all new LG TVs from 2024, allowing LG TV users to search for music as well as TV and movies.”
The press release also said voice and search partner announcements will include “other major smart TV and pay TV providers,” without naming names. A spokesman for ROKi did not immediately respond to an inquiry by STV.
A statement from ROXi CEO Rob Lewis said the app’s “partnerships with the world’s largest smart and pay TV companies provide free and instant voice-controlled access to ROXi’s 100 million music videos on tens of millions of TVs.”
The ROXi service also features curated music video channels from celebrity endorsers including Cowell, Minogue, Crowe and Robbie Williams.
The service appears to be working to help establish the smart TV as the audio device of choice in the living room, with ROXi citing its own independent research that 60% of US consumers would switch home music listening from audio-only smart speakers to full music videos playing on the TV.
“The TV will overtake the Smart Speaker as the preferred music player in the home, not only because the audio-visual experience is better in the home than just audio, but also because the TV provides a much better browsing experience,” Lewis added.
Earlier research from Hub Entertainment Research found that smart TV users are increasingly using their devices for activities other than watching TV. The most used non-TV feature was music and audio streaming, which grew significantly from 27% in 2020 to 49% in 2023. In August, Hub Entertainment senior consultant Dave Tice told StreamTV Insider that smart TV growth shows the long-term promise as the technology focal point of the home, while the firm sees the trend of connecting smart speakers to smart TVs as firmly stable.
Others are taking advantage of the music and audio entertainment potential of smart TVs. This includes Fubo, which last November launched Fubo Radio with partner Super Hi-Fi, featuring 10 fully branded free music channels powered only by AI. Separately, Amazon launched three FAST channels from its Wondery podcast arm on the Freevee service, which in addition to audio include a mix of animation and visual podcast works designed for mobile and TV screens.
And ROXi isn’t the first music video service to enter CTV streaming. Long-running music video network app Vevo is available on a wide variety of CTV platforms as well as channels in FAST service bundles. In November, Vevo teamed up with Publica from Integral Ad Science to open up programmatic opportunities for its connected TV ad spots.
