Fox's Roku acquisition was the final push I needed to switch to the Apple TV 4K

Published Jul 26, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT Based in rural Minnesota, Brian Burgess worked in IT for 10 years before finding his passion for writing about consumer technology. Brian earned his degree in computer and network technology in 2000. He held various IT positions, including help desk support, router installations for IBM, database administration, and other associate network administration roles. He's been a personal technology journalist for 18 years and has written thousands of articles about Microsoft products and services, Android, iOS, streaming, and more. He has written for notable tech sites including XDA, InformationWeek, How-To Geek, Byte, groovyPost, and others. When he is away from the keyboard, you will hear him playing guitar, working outdoors, and watching Star Trek. I love a streaming box that allows me to easily stream the movies, shows, and music I like to my TV. Having a streaming box lets me choose the best TV regardless of the OS version it runs. Roku was my choice for years, while I dabbled with Apple TV at times. However, learning of the pending $22 billion acquisition of Roku by Fox was the final straw. That's right, Fox is going to own Roku — not just the operating system, either. It is going to own The Roku Channel, Roku OS, set-top streaming devices, soundbars and other Roku devices, and rent the OS to TV providers looking to sell a cheap smart TV. Fox becomes large TV entity with Roku The third-largest player This sale will inevitably be approved, especially considering this administration, and make Fox the third-biggest player in the streaming TV space, overshadowed by Netflix and YouTube. That will make it larger in the streaming space than Disney or Amazon. Fox will now have a cheap way to market shows on its channels to unsuspecting consumers who have thought they were getting the same Roku brand for years. A Roku owner will start to see more Fox and Tubi content on banners, home screen, and tiles throughout the experience. A large corporation like Fox should be able to secure lower prices on Roku devices, but at what cost? I project the same cheap devices with twice — maybe three times the amount of ads — likely a spot for video ads for its shows on the home screen you can't shut off. Fox already owns Tubi and keeps acquiring What it means for the Roku Channel Fox owns the ad-supported Tubi streaming channel. When this acquisition goes through, it will also own The Roku Channel — in addition to the streaming devices and Roku OS. Now, I am not one to sit down and watch Tubi or any ad-supported channel, but I might turn it on as background noise while working around the house. The original idea behind buying Tubi was to reach a larger, younger demographic. Similarly, with the purchase of Roku, the company is making a move to reach more people through a major ad-supported channel included in the hardware it will sell. The Roku Channel is the largest distributor for Free ad-supported streaming (FAST) channels. People are looking for a good deal on streaming devices and TVs. So, owning the entire company gives Fox a portal into users' homes to push more of its content — while stifling others — in conjunction with Tubi. Ads are bad enough on Roku Fox will undoubtedly add more Roku is at least as bad as, if not worse than, Fire TV at displaying ads on the home screen and throughout the OS. And this isn't the first time I have replaced my Roku. Fox will want to continue that profit model of selling cheap boxes and sticks and saturating it with ads. Most likely from the properties under the FoxCorp umbrella, such as the main Fox broadcast network, Fox Sports, Fox Business Network, and what could be considered the most irksome — Fox News. So, say what you will about Apple. The company sells you a quality streaming product you own. It isn't $29.97, but it doesn't rent out ads on the home screen or throughout the OS. I get a straightforward OS that includes the apps that I install. Oh, and there are no ads on the home screen or anywhere else on tvOS; the only place with ads is within apps for things you'd expect, like content previews and ad-supported live TV like PlutoTV. Apple TV 4K for no ads A clean UI experience Sure, I can bypass all the ads and other mumbo jumbo from Roku (and Fire TV) by using Plex or Jellyfin, which I do use. But sometimes I just want to be lazy — hook up a box and not be distracted by an ad-laden interface. Even Google TV (while more customizable) annoys me with its ads. That's exactly what I did with a Fire TV-powered TV recently. Connected the Apple TV 4K and enjoyed a clean and elegant UI. You also get what you pay for. It's not some cheap, flimsy box or stick; it's a solidly built plastic box that is a bit smaller than a Mac Mini that I can put stuff on top of without worrying about it. It also doesn't break if one of my cats knocks it to the ground. Oh, and the only ads that display are inside apps I launch, like Netflix, Hulu, or Paramount+, and those can be turned off easily enough. Nothing good can come of Fox owning Roku With how bad ads are now, and Fox about to vacuum up several entities I enjoy, I've decided to get out early and finally bought the Apple TV 4K. Enough was enough, and while the Apple TV isn't as customizable as Roku or Fire TV — which have their own serious ad-related issues — it is a solid streaming box. It's well-built, and once I get used to the odd remote (or choose a third-party remote), things will be better for my main TV system at least. I can always have a spare Roku on a separate TV for a while to see if I'm wrong, but I doubt it.