Saturday, November 25, 2017

Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #246





Hi, everyone !!



If you've been following the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels for this blog, then you will know that the annual "holiday" in the U.S. which precedes the 'Black Friday' weekend (better known as 'Thanksgiving' by those who celebrate it) came and went on Thursday 23rd October and, to mark the occasion, Roku created another of their featured themes... as evidenced by the screenshot below:-





HINT: Please CLICK on the above images TO ENLARGE THEM for easier viewing !!



However, before you go rushing to your television(s) to see whether this latest 'Happy Thanksgiving' theme has been applied to the background of your Roku device(s), I'm saddened and disappointed to report that Roku have YET AGAIN decided not to extend their theme to Roku users in the UK... meaning there was NO 'HAPPY THANKSGIVING' THEME FOR UK ROKU DEVICES despite many U.S. expats, overseas U.S. Military personnel, plus U.S. Citizens visiting the UK on business (or, perhaps, on vacation) and any other diaspora from the United States (that, for whatever reason, found themselves in the United Kingdom on that day) who may still have wished to celebrate the occasion while on foreign soil... but, were unable to enjoy of free 'Happy Thanksgiving' theme on their Roku device because in their infinite (lack of) wisdom the streaming device manufacturer did not spare a thought for their fellow Americans who could not be in the USA. Quite why Roku appears to treat the UK with such disdain is beyond me... this latest snub by Roku followed similar incidents (earlier in the year) which meant that (not for the first time) we had no "Happy Halloween" theme in the UK... and, likewise, no "Happy Valentine's Day" theme in the UK, plus no "Happy Mother's Day" theme in the UK as well as no "Happy Father's Day" theme for Roku users this side of the pond. So, "THANKS, ONCE AGAIN, ROKU!"... FOR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING !! :-/ :-(



Speaking of "absolutely nothing"... that's precisely what we got in terms of new channel additions to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store this week, on account of Roku having shut down their entire certification process in observance of the 'Thanksgiving' holiday. As they have done in years gone by and will (no doubt) continue to do so in future... what normally happens, under these circumstances, is that any Roku channels which are submitted by developers during the “blackout” period will not get published until the conclusion of the blackout. For the record, the current “blackout” period began on Monday 20th November 2017 and is set to continue until Sunday 26th November (i.e. tomorrow) and will effect Roku users in all regions - not just the United Kingdom. So, if you're wondering why there has been no increase in the number of apps available in the channel store during the last seven days, it is because there have been no new channels, nor updates to existing channels, in that time. Roku have stated, in a related announcement made via the Roku Developer Blog back in August, that those apps (i.e. channels) which are submitted during a publishing blackout (such as we are currently experiencing) will be deferred and queued for review on a “first-come, first-served” basis according to the order in which they were originally submitted. They also assured developers that, once the blackout period has ended, the queue will be addressed as quickly as possible. Even so, if you happen to be one of the developers whose channel publication is deferred, it's worth bearing in mind that it could take a few extra days for the channel to be published, depending on it's position in the queue!


While we're on the subject, there is another scheduled publishing "blackout" set for the festive period at the end of next month. Since this will be for a longer amount of time (roughly 3 weeks in all) I've decided it would be best to give everybody a "heads-up" about it now. So please be advised that from Friday 15th December 2017, through until Wednesday 3rd January 2018, there will (again) be no new channels published (nor updates to existing channels) during that time frame. Hopefully we'll all be far too busy celebrating, for one reason or another, to even notice there's been a distinct lack of new channel additions during those few weeks... either that, or too busy streaming content from any of the thousands of channels (apps) that are already available on Roku devices worldwide! ;-) :-)



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Anyhow, like it or not, that is your lot for this week and, while it is rare for there to be zero channels added to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store in any given seven day period, the same cannot be said for the Roku-powered™"App Store" that features on 'NowTV' streaming devices. So, do spare a thought for those streamers less fortunate than ourselves who (having foolishly chosen 'NowTV Box' over a genuine Roku-branded device) must suffer this fate on a pretty much week-in, week-out basis until they finally "see the light" and buy a 'Roku Express' (or other UK Roku model) so they can see what they have been missing-out on, all this time. Meanwhile, if you're considering the purchase of a streaming device (be it as a gift, or otherwise) do yourself a favour and invest in a proper Roku, not a 'NowTV Box' so you can experience the gift that truly does keep on giving - both in terms of new apps (i.e. channels) on an (almost) daily basis, as well as the abundance of streaming choices! ;-) :-)


In any event, hopefully everyone in the UK with a Roku player managed to find something they like within the "private" channels, whose details and access codes were "gifted" to you via the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels to this blog, at various points throughout the past week. Or, failing that, perhaps from the "special offers" that were shared there!?! However, if you didn't find anything to benefit your Roku streaming experience from the assortment of channels and money-saving deals on offer this week, you can always visit us another time when, with any luck, there will be something more to your liking - be it here, on this blog, or via social media. After all, there's no point installing every channel because, as I always say... when it comes to adding new channels to your Roku player, remember IT'S YOUR CHOICE and, as with all things Roku... THE CHOICE IS ALWAYS YOURS!



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As mentioned in previous posts, you can expect my usual summary of all the goings-on (or not) in the (severely restricted) Roku Channel Store (aka "App Store") that features on NowTV Boxes to follow in the near future. Meanwhile, whether you happen to own a Roku player, a NowTV Box, OR BOTH, as I do... be sure to check my earlier posts (as suggested previously) for all of the new additions to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store in each of the one hundred and seventy-two preceding weeks and then come back again in seven days' time for my next 'Weekly RoundUp'. However, if you can't wait that long, remember you can always keep up with all the UK Roku action (as it happens) throughout the coming week, by following the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels where up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related (here in the UK) is posted on a daily basis (well, almost).



Until the next time, then...



That's all folks !!





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2 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 25, 2017 at 7:52 PM

    Well I guess it would be fine to not have a Thanksgiving theme if for example there was a Bonfire Night theme. I do think we can probably all agree that Independence Day is one that probably shouldn't be both US and UK!

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    Replies
    1. The Channel GuideDecember 2, 2017 at 8:48 AM

      Hi, Sam !!

      Thanks for taking the time & trouble to leave a comment.

      It's much appreciated! :-)


      As mentioned here in this post, and on numerous occasions in previous 'Weekly RoundUp' posts, as well as in many messages I have shared via social media... it's not about whether the theme is specific to a UK holiday / celebration but rather a case of extending these featured themes to all regions, regardless. By doing so, Roku would be enabling their customers to choose whether or not they wish to add a certain theme to (or remove it from) the background of the user interface on their devices, no matter where in the world they might be. For example, since you mentioned 'Independence Day' as one that "probably shouldn't be" in the UK, the previous lack of that theme on 4th July in years gone by has meant that overseas military, ex-pats, and/or those in the UK on business or vacation at those times would not have been able to choose it as their theme. As pretty much all Roku devices are small enough to pack and easily portable for those on their travels, any U.S. Citizens who brought their device to (or bought it in) the UK would (as things stand) be unable to get the theme(s)... but, if Roku were to enable them for worldwide use (which they could easily do at no extra expense) any Roku user could access the theme, no matter in which country or region they happened to be in at the time.

      Personally, I think this is incredibly short-sighted and that Roku should be thinking more "outside the box", if you'll pardon the pun, on this... just as I think many of the U.S. Local News stations would benefit by extending their channels to all countries and/or regions. To do so would mean people from those regions could keep in touch with what's going-on "back home" news-wise, while they were elsewhere in the world - something I think any Roku user would appreciate. The time has come to think globally, and not just nationally, on many things... and I think Roku would do well to recognise that fact by changing their current US-only policy with many of their featured themes. Let customers decide on an individual basis, as they do with the channel selection added to their devices, whether to add any given theme - but, at least, give them that choice - which is something UK Roku users (or U.S. Roku users in the UK) do not currently get to enjoy! :-(

      While, in your case, you consider it "fine to not have a Thanksgiving theme", there are doubtless others (including myself) who would beg to differ and prefer to have been given the option to install it. The same goes for any other theme... add it, or don't (it's easy enough to change this via the 'Settings' menu) but let the individual decide!

      That's my two cents (pence) worth, anyway!


      Thanks for reading the blog!

      Delete

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