In August 2025, Roku introduced Howdy, a paid streaming service available through The Roku Channel for $2.99 a month, offering ad-free movies and TV. In just 8 months, Antenna estimates that Howdy has surpassed 1M Subscribers, with retention rates exceeding those of Premium SVOD averages.
When it launched, there was some skepticism about Howdy’s chances in a competitive market of well-established competitors. Fast-forward 8 months, and the data tells a different story. Antenna estimates that Roku’s Howdy added nearly 300K Subscribers in its first month, then added 100K or more in each subsequent month.
Howdy was launched with a unique distribution strategy, as it was initially available only through Roku-owned platforms, like The Roku Channel. Howdy drove a significant amount of activity, accounting for 23% of all SVOD Sign-ups via The Roku Channel since launch. With more than 100 million streaming households on its platform, Roku has a powerful built-in distribution channel.
Howdy is also showing very strong performance on retention. Among Sign-ups to Howdy in August and September 2025, Antenna estimates that 51% were still subscribed 6 months later. That 6-month Survival Rate sits ahead of the Premium SVOD average (47%) and the Specialty SVOD average (38%). The $2.99 price point likely plays a role here, as the low monthly commitment reduces the friction that drives churn on higher-priced services.
Howdy is not only a Roku story. In March, Howdy launched on Amazon Prime Video Channels. Antenna will be tracking how the service does on the big competitor to The Roku Channel.
For more detailed information on Antenna’s methodology and definitions of core metrics, please visit http://www.antenna.live/methodology.
