Freelance Roku developer

Roku Channel Development Services

BrightScript, SceneGraph, video playback, and channels that pass certification.

I build and ship Roku channels remotely, with a long media and streaming background. Day rate: €500 or $600.

1 Roku app I shipped

Real Roku apps, built and shipped by me.

My TV Channel

My TV Channel

Last update 2026-06-07

Roku

These apps have no public store page, so the badges are not links.

What Roku channel development covers

Roku work runs from a first channel build to keeping a published one healthy. I take the full scope: BrightScript and SceneGraph interfaces, video playback, catalog browsing, sign-in, and billing when the channel charges. You can hand over a defined Roku project or bring me in to ship one that has stalled. Everything is billed at a flat remote day rate, with no agency markup.

Roku runs its own stack, and that is the whole story

Roku is not Android and it is not Apple. Channels are written in BrightScript against the SceneGraph framework, and the hardware is modest: tight memory, a slow CPU on older sticks, and a remote with a D-pad. Nothing carries over from a Swift or Kotlin codebase, and a wrapped web app will not pass certification. I work inside those limits instead of pretending they are not there.

Video playback on Roku

Most Roku channels live or die on playback. The Roku video node handles HLS and DASH, with Widevine or PlayReady when the content is protected. I cover fast start, clean seeking, subtitle and audio tracks, live and catch-up streams, and ad insertion through the Roku Advertising Framework when the channel is ad-funded.

Getting through Roku certification

Roku publishes a certification checklist, and channels fail it for unglamorous reasons: deep links that do not resolve, missing trick play, a channel that does not resume where it left off, memory that creeps during a long session. I build against that checklist from the start rather than meeting it for the first time at submission.

Private channels, beta channels, and the Channel Store

Not every Roku channel belongs in the public store. Roku supports private and beta channels that activate with a code, which is how internal tools, client demos, and staged rollouts usually run. I set up whichever route fits your case, and take a channel through public Channel Store submission when that is the goal.

Frequently asked questions

Do you build native Roku channels?

Yes. Roku channels are written in BrightScript against the SceneGraph framework, and that is how I build them. There is no Swift or Kotlin path on Roku, and a wrapped web app does not pass certification.

Have you actually shipped a Roku channel?

Yes. My TV Channel runs on Roku, alongside its Apple TV, Android and Fire TV versions. Roku channels activate with a code rather than a public store page, so there is no store link to show for it.

Can you reuse my existing iOS or Android TV app on Roku?

Not the code. Roku runs BrightScript, so the channel itself is rebuilt. What does carry over is everything around it: the API, the catalog model, the playback behavior, the DRM setup, and the product decisions already made. That is usually the larger half of the work.

Can you handle DRM and ads on Roku?

Yes. Protected content runs through Widevine or PlayReady on the Roku video node, wired to your license server. For ad-funded channels I integrate the Roku Advertising Framework, including server-side ad insertion when that is how your stream is built.

How much does Roku channel development cost?

Roku work is billed at the same remote day rate as my other platforms, €500 or $600 per day depending on the contract currency. A focused catalog or live channel is usually a few days of work, and I can give a tighter estimate once I see the product scope and the API behind it.

What is your Roku day rate?

Remote Roku work is billed at €500 or $600 per day.

Need senior native mobile help?

Send the product context, target platform, repository state, and timing. I will tell you quickly if I can help.