Roku’s $3 streaming service, Howdy, will reach 1M, according to a recent report

Roku’s latest bet is off to a good start. His low cost subscription service, Howit has now passed 1 million subscribers, according to data from a research firm The antenna. This is a popular event on a platform that is still new, and it shows that it is surprising viewers who are tired of paying for other expensive subscriptions.

It has been established in August 2025, Howdy is Roku’s first real push into paid, ad-free search. At just $2.99 ​​a month, Howdy is aimed at people who want something extra to watch for less.

The service includes about 10,000 hours, with a mix of movies and old TV shows, thanks to deals with studios like Lionsgate and Warner Bros. Discovery. This includes titles such as “The Blind Side,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and “Weed.”

In addition to its budget-friendly price, Roku has also made it easy to find. Howdy recently grew into a standalone mobile app and he started on Amazon Prime Video, making it available to more people. This huge reach probably helped him reach 1 million quickly.

According to Antenna, Roku’s Howdy picked up nearly 300,000 subscribers in its first month alone, then continued to grow steadily, adding at least 100,000 subscribers every month thereafter.

Additionally, among users who signed up for Howdy in August and September 2025, Antenna says 51% were still subscribed six months later. This puts Howdy ahead of the average six-month retention rate for all SVOD services (47%) and exclusive SVOD platforms (38%). (“Specialty” platforms include ALLBLK, AMC+, Crunchyroll, and others.)

Howdy subscribers remain small compared to giants like Netflix and Disney+, as well as free, ad-supported platforms like Tubi. However, Roku has been clear that Howdy isn’t meant to go head-to-head with streaming heavyweights, but rather serves as a low-cost, ad-free option that complements other subscriptions.

That being said, it’s still early days. If the new Antenna data is any indication, such a simple, low-cost offering could be the one that sticks with viewers, especially at a time when prices are rising everywhere.