Rated R for 'Roku'

Roku is sunsetting non-certified channels, including Pornhub

Whoever's getting their rocks off via Roku will have to scour for another source. As if there were an easy alternative...

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There are some real sickos out there, but thankfully heroes like the higher-ups at Roku have stepped in to say, “No more.” Buried within a recent blog update from the streaming company is the news that the platform is officially sunsetting its support for “non-certified channels” by March 2022, meaning that the weirdos of the world will no longer be able to watch porn through their Roku devices...

We’re not shaming anyone who watches pornography, by the way. No sir, certainly not at this publication. No, we’re just calling out those dozen or so monsters who use Roku of all things to get their much-needed jollies.

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How and why — Unlike the controversial decisions made by a certain other streaming business, Roku’s decision to shutter non-certified channels isn’t due to close-minded financial influences, but rather who controls content distribution, and how. Non-certified channels are being phased out as a byproduct of Roku’s introduction of a new Independent Developer Kit. The move is a means to cut off workarounds to the company’s revenue streams and moderation.

Another issue ancillary to the adult content providers is that of the other non-certified channels that have distributed illegal and unlicensed content in the past. Doing away with this loophole solves that issue for Roku, but also jettisons companies like Pornhub in the process.

Don’t worry, other options are out there — For those of you who insist on streaming your naughty videos through your television, there are still a number of alternatives available from Roku. Amazon's Fire TV and Google's Android TV options both allow third-party app downloads, and many other smart TVs also include all-purpose web browsers.