When you think of Roku, you probably think of the company’s line of streaming players and TVs. Hardware is still the priority, but Roku has recently invested heavily in the production of original content as well. To that end, The Roku Channel greenlit three unscripted projects on Monday. Like Roku’s other originals, they will be free to watch.
Roku orders 3 original reality shows and movies
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Roku has ordered the following three projects: To Paris for Love: A Reality ‘Rom Com’, The Marriage Pact, and Match Me in Miami. They will soon join all of the TV shows and movies Roku acquired from Quibi after its demise.
Brian Tannenbaum, head of alternative originals at Roku, said the following:
Our latest Roku Original productions, To Paris for Love: A Reality ‘Rom Com, The Marriage Pact and Match Me in Miami offer up fun, fresh and innovative spins on the dating and relationship genres. As we continue to build our Roku Originals slate, it’s a privilege to partner with the incredible production teams behind these projects to deliver premium, original series to The Roku Channel.
The first project is the most intriguing. To Paris for Love is a 90-minute, unscripted film from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Zoe Saldana’s Cinestar which follows “three single friends, ready for the journey of a lifetime in the City of Lights.” They will spend two weeks in Paris looking for true love. They’ll visit iconic locations such as the Luxembourg Gardens and the Champs-Élysées on their first dates. And none of it will be scripted.
The other two projects are more traditional reality TV fare. Up first is The Marriage Pact. The series follows “long-time, single friends who must fulfill or break a promise from the past: a pact to marry if both are still single by a certain age.” Viewers will follow these new couples as their relationships are put to the test over an eight-episode season.
Finally, Match Me in Miami is about a matchmaking agency in Miami. The agency claims to be able to match Miami’s “most eligible” singles in a matter of weeks. Much like The Marriage Pact, Roku has also ordered eight episodes of Match Me in Miami.
The Roku Channel vs. Netflix
Netflix might be losing subscribers, but it’s still the most popular streaming service on Earth. One of the many reasons that Netflix has been on top for so long is because it never stopped adapting. For years, Netflix has been pumping out unscripted content that viewers can’t help but watch. Dating shows, competition shows, makeover shows — more reality content floods Netflix every week. And no matter how ridiculous it looks, people watch it.
The Roku Channel isn’t exactly trying to compete with Netflix, but Roku does want more people to tune in. As a free, ad-supported TV (FAST) service, The Roku Channel makes money with ads. So while viewers will have to sit through ads while watching Roku reality shows, they won’t have to pay anything to access the service. If you want to watch some of the current Roku Originals, you can do so right now on The Roku Channel in your browser.
More Roku coverage: For even more Roku news, visit our Roku guide.
