Fox Corp COO: $22bn Roku deal still on track for H1 2027
September 22, 2026
Fox Corporation finalised a deal to buy Roku with cash and stock in June, with the deal valued at $22 billion. The deal will combine Fox’s live sports channels and Tubi. This will be merged with Roku’s reach, which covers 100 million households.
Now, the Fox Corp COO has said the deal is still on track to be complete in the first half of 2027.
Tubi’s Niche Content Put the Platform in a Strong Position
Fox’s free streaming service, Tubi, focused on niche topics and quickly surpassed 80 million users. It should continue in this direction if it is to have success with its purchase of Roku. As an example, Egyptian-themed content is a particularly flourishing subculture, and deep, specialised Egypt-focused content libraries helped make the platform impossible to ignore. Last year, Egypt welcomed 19 million visitors, an increase of 21 per cent in annual growth. Destination data also indicates that there’s sustained interest in Egyptian landmarks, with the Giza Pyramids in particular drawing 14.7 million visitors.
How has Tubi been taking full advantage of this captive audience?
The dedicated section for Ancient Mysteries and Pyramids includes notable documentaries like The Egyptians, Rameses the Great: King of Ancient Egypt and Tutankhamun, which detail the discovery of Howard Carter’s 1922 expedition.
Wider interest in Egyptian content is being symbiotically fuelled by social media and other verticals like books. Egypt 2026: Temples, Tombs & Nile Journeys by Mary M Slessor is one recent publication that stands out as a history of the Nile sites. Bands like Nile, a famous death metal act, use heavy Egyptian imagery and mythology as a lyrical theme. Particularly prominent on the internet too are sites which offer free spins no deposit UK casino games, many of which also offer titles with Egyptian themes to draw in wider audiences. Eye of Horus is one example, which is centred around the Egyptian god Horus. There’s therefore no shortage of content on the internet and elsewhere which takes inspiration from ancient Egypt.
By focusing on the Egyptian niche for content, Tubi has found a way to stand out in the streaming market. Exploring relevant trending themes has also put the platform in a strong position in terms of user growth, as its niche content libraries have directly contributed to the platform’s popularity. For Tubi, tapping into subcultures like this and targeting niche documentaries has made the platform significantly bigger.
The sheer size of Tubi’s library, fuelled by dedicated sections, has helped to make it a formidable streaming platform and helped to put Fox in a strong position for the acquisition of Roku. The valuation is set at $160 per share. 0.97 in Fox Class A common stock will translate to each Roku share. Fox shareholders will own 73 per cent of the entity, and Roku investors will own the rest. The DOJ has now formally requested additional information as part of a “second request”.
A Strategic Expansion for the Fox Brand Bridging Fox’s linear sports and news strength with Roku’s dominant Californian-based software interface and extensive customer reach makes perfect sense. Fox’s own Tubi will work well with the Roku Channel, forming a free ad-supported streaming service in a competitive digital market. Roku intends to operate with some independence within the Fox brand, and the CEO of Roku, Anthony Wood, will be joining the Fox board.
Roku has operated as a neutral gateway into streaming services. The deal looks to expand Fox’s streaming footprint by adopting Roku’s network and content distribution platform. There are questions as to how the Roku Channel and Tubi will exist together, as well as whether or not mid-tier channels will continue to be hosted.
Fox Corporation is traded publicly on the Nasdaq, under FOX and FOXA. Right now, the Murdoch family owns 36 per cent of voting power. The chairman of Fox is Lachlan Murdoch, and he took over shortly after the retirement of his father, Rupert Murdoch. Fox Corporation owns Fox Business, Fox Sports and Fox News, indicating that the move to streaming could be a powerful push for the future of television. When the deal is completed, it’s expected that Roku will undergo a rebrand to suit the Fox umbrella of content.







Reply With Quote