Roku Inc. said Friday that its new original programming helped drive a “record number” of unique viewers to its Roku Channel ad-supported platform in the first two weeks since the company released 30 original series there. Roku built a base of original shows by buying more than 75 shows and documentaries from Quibi, a short-form video company that launched with much fanfare but had to shut down due to limited traction. In the first two weeks since Roku dropped the initial batch of original series onto its own platform, the company saw its original content make up all of the top 10 programs on the Roku Channel, which also aggregates ad-supported content from other media companies. The company didn’t disclose actual viewership numbers for the programming. Roku’s programming vice president Rob Holmes said in a release that the viewership trends were “a further demonstration of The Roku Channel flywheel, with great content driving record engagement that’s appealing to advertisers seeking to reach the streaming audience.”
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