Roku launched Howdy, its ad-free streaming service, in August 2025. According to the company’s CEO, Anthony Wood, Roku designed the service, which costs $2.99 per month, to “complement its premium services” by offering an affordable, ad-free, curated streaming experience.
However, Howdy’s launch was not smooth, with some users on Reddit accusing the streaming service of offering free Roku content behind a paywall. There was also some skepticism as to whether Howdy could compete with streaming giants in an already overcrowded market.
However, eight months down the line, Howdy is proving its doubters wrong. According to a recent report by Antenna, the ad-free Roku streaming service hit the 1 million subscribers milestone in March 2026, marking a very fast growth rate.
Rapid adoption of Roku’s Howdy streaming service
Howdy has enjoyed a rapid subscriber adoption since its launch. According to the report by Antenna, the streaming service acquired nearly 300,000 subscribers in its first month.
The subscriber base then grew rapidly, with around 100,000 new subscribers every month. This rapid growth in user base allowed the streaming service to hit 1 million subscribers in March 2026, just seven months after its launch.
Howdy benefits from the existing Roku audience
One of the biggest driving forces for Howdy’s subscriber growth is Roku’s existing audience. Jim Packer, President of Worldwide Television Distribution, Lionsgate, referred to this audience when the platform was launching in August 2025:
“With engagement of over 125 million people a day, Roku is the perfect partner to launch a more accessible complement to the higher-priced SVODs.”
His insight was accurate, as data from the Antenna report shows that Roku’s existing users account for a large share of Howdy’s subscribers.
During its first month, the ad-free streaming service captured 28% of sign-ups through The Roku Channel. Since then, the platform has accounted for nearly 23% of all subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD) sign-ups on the Roku Channel.
Howdy enjoys a high subscriber retention
Roku’s Howdy is not just gaining new users; it is also retaining them. The data from the Antenna report shows that the service has enjoyed a high 6-month subscriber retention, with 51% of subscribers who signed up in the first months still on the platform six months later.
The 51% 6-month retention rate is higher than the industry’s average, outperforming the premium SVOD average, which currently stands at 47%. It is also significantly higher than the specialty – niche streaming services – SVOD average (38%).
Roku’s Howdy has expanded to other platforms
The future looks bright for Roku’s ad-free streaming service, with recent expansion to other platforms. When the platform first launched in August 2025, it was only available within the Roku Channel on Roku devices within the United States.
However, in March 2026, Howdy launched on Prime Video, marking the platform’s first expansion out of the Roku ecosystem. A few days later, Roku launched a stand-alone Howdy mobile app for both Android and iOS devices.
The Howdy streaming platform has also expanded outside the United States, with the platform launching in Mexico in April 2026.
It’s still early days for Howdy, with the streaming service having been on the market for less than a year. And while Roku claims that the platform is not designed to compete with premium streaming services, it is rapidly gaining momentum and making waves in the streaming industry.