Roku has announced the biggest change to its home screen in more than ten years – a complete rethink of the screen you see every time you turn on the telly.
The familiar grid of app icons is being pushed aside in favour of personalised recommendations, smarter shortcuts, and a more content-led design.
It’s a big moment for a company that has built its whole reputation on keeping things simple.
But before UK readers get too excited (or too worried), there’s an important catch: this is launching in the United States first. Roku says other countries will follow “in the coming months,” so there’s no firm UK date yet.
Still, it’s a significant enough change that it’s worth looking at now, because when it does reach our side of the pond, it’ll be the most noticeable difference to the Roku experience in years.
A Quick Roku Reminder
Roku is the number one TV streaming platform in the US, Canada and Mexico, but it’s less of a household name here in the UK, so a quick recap is in order.
Roku makes streaming devices – small sticks that plug into your TV’s HDMI port and give you access to apps like Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Prime Video and hundreds more. They’re an alternative to Amazon’s Fire TV Sticks (which are far better known in the UK) and Google’s streaming devices.
In the UK, Roku currently sells three streaming sticks: the entry-level Streaming Stick (HD) at £29.99, the Streaming Stick Plus (4K) at £39.99, and the older Streaming Stick 4K with Dolby Vision at £49.99.
The company also has its operating system built into TVs from brands like Hisense, JVC, TCL and Sharp, and it’s just announced its first UK smart projectors too.
The Roku Streaming Stick Plus is, in fact, our pick for the best streaming device in the UK for 2026 – largely because it’s fast, cheap, and refreshingly simple to use.
And that word – simple – is the key to understanding why this week’s news matters so much.