Hi, everyone !!
With the 'Black Friday' weekend now in full swing, it should come as no surprise for you to hear that, during the seven days since my last 'Weekly RoundUp' post was published, there have been a number of Roku-related 'Black Friday' deals plus various other special offers that are likely to be of interest to most readers of this blog. So whether you're new to the world of streaming, and looking to purchase a Roku media player for the first time... or an existing Roku customer, looking to add to your streaming devices and/or content selection, or (perhaps) update / replace your existing media player with one of the latest UK Roku models, there is plenty to consider when you see what's available in the sales! :-)
Meanwhile, if you've been wondering why there have not been any new additions to the "Official" Roku Channel Store (in any region) during the past week, it's because (in the United States) the day before 'Black Friday' happens to be 'Thanksgiving' and, as with every year, Roku winds down the app publishing process in observance of this holiday. An additional "blackout" period comes towards the year-end over the festive holiday period (up to and including the start of the new year) and, during these times, no new channels and/or channel updates are published. The current "blackout" period is due to end tomorrow (Sunday 25th November 2018) but began as early as Friday 16th November and lasted throughout Thanksgiving week... hence the lack of new Roku channels in the last seven days!
Full details of the 2018 Channel Store publishing blackout dates (including the one due in December) have been made available online via this related news article from the Roku Developers blog. Other than the dates themselves, most of the information contained in the post will likely only be of interest to those among you who are active in the Roku Developer community... however, I thought it would be useful (from a consumer perspective) to provide access to this information for all Roku customers.
With a distinct lack of new channel choices this week, it gave me ample opportunity to scour the web for any Roku-related special offers out there from the myriad of existing content providers with apps that are already available via the channel store. As you might expect, most of the UK retailers have slashed their prices on Roku players (and other well-known streaming devices) and there are lots of bargains to be had from traditional "bricks & mortar" stores, as well as from several online sources...
...before I get into the offers, though, I'd just like to mention (on a not entirely un-related note) that I have now added links to some (though, still not all) of the 'Roku Guide' reviews that were previously "missing" for many of the new Roku channels released in the last few weeks... to wit, forty-two of these "new" reviews were for Roku channels that were featured in my 'Weekly RoundUp' post from last week so, if you'd like an independent appraisal of those apps, be sure to check-out the relevant post (see link above), which (itself) contains a link to the previous week's post (and so-on, and so-forth), for details of where to find them. Once the other "missing" reviews are published by 'Roku Guide', I will (as I have done previously) ensure the relevant link(s) are added to each post! ;-)
Anyway, back to the current 'Weekly RoundUp' post and the details for all those 'Black Friday' deals plus any other special offers which I came across over the course of the last seven days. To save you some time, and avoid having to search for the best deals on both current Roku models yourself, after visiting the websites of all the Roku retailers in the UK I can advise you that the cheapest place to get hold of a top-of-the-range 4K Roku Streaming Stick+ [Model: 3810EU] is from 'Costco' who have it listed as a Black Friday 'Hot Buy' at only £46.99 for a limited time, as evidenced by this screenshot:-
HINT:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!
If, for whatever reason, the 'Costco' website is not an option for you... then, for just a few quid more (i.e. £49.99) you can also pick-up this model from both 'Currys' and 'Argos' at a significant saving. In so far as I'm aware - other than the £20 flash sale by 'Sainsburys' during October - these are the lowest prices at which the Roku Streaming Stick+ [Model: 3810EU] has been sold since being introduced by UK Roku retailers at it's original selling price of £79.99 last year... so, get one while you still can! ;-)
Of course, for some of you, a 4k-capable streaming device may not be what you're looking for at this time... in which case, the entry-level Roku Express [Model: 3900EU] may suffice to meet your needs. My research revealed the best deal on this particular device to be from 'Rakuten TV UK' who have a limited supply of this budget Roku model available for ONLY £17.99 (Shipping Cost Included) with the ADDED BONUS that you get a FREE HD MOVIE RENTAL thrown-in for good measure! :-D
AS BEFORE:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!
The link (provided above) will work for everybody... so you don't need to worry about the offer being exclusive to 'Wuntu' users (as per the screenshot image) but the one caveat is that you might have to wait a while for your 'Roku Express' to be delivered. That said, with this promotion being available to both existing users and new customers of 'Rakuten TV UK', it's a good way to get hold of an(other) streaming device while also ensuring you have a free 'HD' movie rental to stream when it arrives! ;-)
Should you miss-out on the above offer, then your next best bet for buying a 'Roku Express' on the cheap is either 'Currys' or 'Tesco'... both of whom are selling this (already) budget Roku model for the bargain price of ONLY £19.00, with the added advantage that you can (probably) just walk-in to their store to buy one and take it straight home - i.e. no waiting, as there is with the 'Rakuten TV UK' deal. Failing that, you'll find it for £19.99 at 'Argos' and for £20.00 in 'Asda' supermarkets... so, at the very least, you will be saving a minimum of one-third off the regular price of £29.99 for this device! ;-) :-)
Aside from the devices themselves, as mentioned previously, there are also some good bargains to be found among the various content providers offering paid content (of one form or other) via the Roku platform. Most notably, 'NOW TV' are offering a wide range of 'Black Friday' deals for NowTV users featuring big savings on everything from 'Sky Cinema', to 'Entertainment', plus 'Kids' and 'Sky Sports' month passes, as well as 'NOW Broadband' and 'Smart Stick' bundles for anyone interested in those.
ONCE AGAIN:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!
In previous years, there have been numerous comments from existing 'NOW TV' customers who were upset by all of these 'Black Friday' (and other) offers from NowTV being geared towards new customers, while loyal users of the 'NOW TV' service get ignored. Fortunately, it would appear that those disgruntled voices have been heard... because this year, when you sign-in to the 'NOW TV' site as an existing user, there are numerous great 'Black Friday' deals for all those loyal NowTV users to choose from - as evidenced by the screenshot images (taken from their website) shown below:-
HINT:- Please CLICK on the above images TO ENLARGE THEM for easier viewing !!
Apart from the multitude of offers from 'NOW TV' there is also a decent 'Black Friday' deal on the table from 'TVPlayer' which (again) is open to both new customers and existing subscribers of the service. The offer(s) are such that, whether you choose their 'Premium' or 'Premium+' package, you stand to SAVE 50% OFF THE COST OF A 12-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION to the 'TVPlayer' service.
AS BEFORE:- Please CLICK on the above images TO ENLARGE THEM for easier viewing !!