Hello, again !!
Further to my Roku 3 UK - UPDATE #1, last week, I paid a visit to the "Official" Roku (UK) Website and just happened to notice that some of the channel icons from the image in the headline banner (which now claims a mere "450 channels and counting" when, as we have already shown, there are actually far more) had been altered (slightly) since the last time I checked. If you had taken a look for yourself, on the date of this post, this is the image you would have seen:-
Now, unless I am mistaken, the "Angry Birds Space" game DOES NOT FEATURE in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. Nor, as far as I know, can it (currently) be added as a private channel to UK Roku players (which. as of now, remain limited to a choice between the Roku LT and the Roku XS). In fact, unless you have imported a Roku 3 player from the USA (an act which brings with it some problems of it's own, i.e. NO SEARCH FUNCTION when used in the UK) you would not even be able to add this game to your Roku, never mind play it, so why feature it on a UK-specific web page ?!!
The fact that the "Angry Birds Space" icon does feature in the above image, however, raises several questions over it's inclusion as part of the headline banner on the Roku (UK) website. For example:-
- Does the inclusion of the "Angry Birds Space" channel icon mean that the launch of a Roku 3 UK player is imminent?
- Does the inclusion of the "Angry Birds Space" channel icon mean that the game is about to be added to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store?
- Was the inclusion of the "Angry Birds Space" channel icon in the Roku (UK) headline banner image simply a mistake inherent from the failure of Roku (USA) to implement a genuine standalone Roku website for the UK (e.g. Roku.co.uk)?
In the first instance, an official Roku 3 UK release would (obviously) be very welcome and is, I'd venture to say, what most people would prefer to be the case, here. Of course, if you've read my previous Roku 3 UK - UPDATE #1 you will also be aware that this could equally mean the arrival of the much rumoured "NowTV" branded Roku player which, depending on the distribution factor implemented, may not prove to be popular with many UK Roku users. Afterall, having boasted about NO TIES and NO CONTRACTS for the NowTV service on Roku UK, it would (in my opinion) be wrong to then limit the next generation UK Roku player for purchase ONLY via NowTV and/or Sky. That said, I'm not against a rebrand (per se) as long as the player remains generally available for purchase through both the current channels (i.e. Amazon, Box.co.uk, Currys, Maplin, PC World, Play.com, Tesco Direct, etc) and as many NEW retail outlets in the UK as Roku can muster.
If, however, there are NO PLANS to bring Roku 3 to UK purchasers anytime soon (as was the case when my original post, Roku 3 For The UK..., was made) then the second option might not be such a bad thing, either. If you think about it, we can already get the original "Angry Birds" game for FREE in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. We also have the option to purchase both "Angry Birds Rio" and "Angry Birds Seasons" for £2.99 (each) from the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store, if we want. So, what would be the problem in making "Angry Birds Space" available to UK Roku users for, say, £2.99 as well? That way UK Roku owners would at least get a chance to play "Angry Birds Space" on their Roku 2 player, by purchasing it via the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store, while they wait to see if the Roku 3 ever makes it to the UK (in one form or another).
Seriously, it's a WIN-WIN situation I'm suggesting here. If Roku 3 does eventually get a UK release, it will sell on it's own merits and the inclusion of "Angry Birds Space" for FREE will only be a deciding factor for a minority of purchasers. In the meantime, if the game is made available for purchase, at least anyone who forks over the asking price will have had the benefit / advantage of being able to play the game between now (assuming it's added to the UK channel store, of course) and whenever the Roku 3 arrives in the UK. Finally, in a worst case scenario, if the Roku 3 NEVER makes it to these shores (would they really be that mean?) we would at least have another game choice in the UK channel store. ALL THREE of these potential outcomes would make money for Roku that they would not (currently) be getting because of restricting "Angry Birds Space" to the USA market, via it's free inclusion with the Roku 3 player. So, come on Roku... get your finger out and, if you're not going to give us the Roku 3, at least give us "Angry Birds Space" to take our mind off that fact. But wait, I must apologise, for it seems that I have digressed somewhat...
... because there was, if you recall, a third possibility referred to (above) which suggested that the inclusion of the "Angry Birds Space" channel icon was simply a mistake. If true, that would indeed be the least favourable reason but, of course, these things do happen, from time to time. For example, you need only scroll down a short way, on the "Official" Roku (UK) Website, before you come across another misleading image which suggests that the Roku Newscaster channel is also available on UK Roku players as of this moment in time:-
However, if you try the ADD CHANNEL link from the UK (using ACCESS CODE: newscaster) it will only result in the familiar (to me, at least), "We're sorry. This channel is not available in your area" message which, of course, means you're not going to get the Roku Newscaster channel in the UK. So, I say again, come on Roku... sort your act out and quit teasing the UK market with stuff you can't deliver. Either bring us the Roku 3, add "Angry Birds Space" to the UK channel store, update your excuse for a Roku (UK) website or, BETTER STILL, do all three before it's too late !!
Anyway, sadly, this means that no real conclusion can be drawn from the alteration(s) to the image from the banner headline on the "Official" Roku (UK) Website. We're still none the wiser for having seen it. This latest Roku 3 UK update has, undeniably, been more about rumour & speculation than any official announcement from Roku about a Roku 3 UK launch. But, that said, the questions raised do provide some food for thought on the matter, I hope you'll agree.
Needless to say, we'll continue to keep our ear to the ground and our eyes on the computer screen for any further Roku 3 UK update that may materialise and, rest assured, you will hear about it right here if & when it happens. Yes folks, our Roku 3 UK search will continue until (hopefully) a Roku 3 UK release date is officially announced and, once purchased, we'll begin compiling a Roku 3 channel list to add to the other UK Roku information provided on the pages of this blog.
Meanwhile, remember that you can keep up-to-date with all things Roku-related in the UK via the companion Twitter Feed to this blog: @ukrokuchannels where (as always) you'll find up-to-the minute information being posted on a daily basis (well, almost). Be sure to check it out and bookmark it, if you haven't already done so. Plenty of stuff gets posted there which, whilst it usually gets updated on this blog too, is not always obvious from looking through the archive(s) of these pages.
Still, that's about as much Roku 3 related gossip as I can bring you for now.
So, until the next time...
That's all folks !!
