Amazon and Roku extend their streaming deal without any extra drama

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

In recent years, Roku has drawn out stalemates with entertainment and internet giants as its ambitions shift from selling TV streaming hardware to advertising and content. The extension of the deal with Amazon will ensure that the Prime Video and IMDb TV apps will remain on the Roku platform without any back-and-forth wrangling, threats, or mudslinging.

It's a device called a Roku.

Roku and Amazon have reached a multi-year extension for their distribution agreement. Customers can continue to access the Prime Video and IMDb TV apps on their Roku devices.

There is no indication of a disagreement or change in data sharing, even as Amazon pumps up its free IMDb TV offering with content from the recently closed $8 billion purchase of MGM and prepares high-profile streaming content on Prime Video, like its new The Lord of the Rings series. It is thought that the ad-supported channel will continue to stream on the Fire TV platform, and its boxes will remain in stock on the Amazon website.

Anthony Wood explained on an episode of the Vergecast that the business model of the company is to take some of the ad inventory of ad-supported channels that stream on its platform to sell targeted ads. Some publishers have their own plans for targeting, and that can cause problems if Amazon wants access to detailed viewing data it could link to its customers, as was suggested in a report by The Information last fall.