Roku has announced its exclusive U.S. streaming rights to the upcoming X Games Aspen in January 2025 and a summer X Games event, marking another milestone in its growing investment in live sports. The events will be available on Roku’s free 24/7 sports channel, part of The Roku Channel, as the platform continues to expand its sports programming portfolio.
Roku’s sports offerings now include Sunday Major League Baseball games, Formula E racing, the NBA G League, and sports talk shows such as GMFB: Overtime and The Rich Eisen Show. Adding the X Games underscores Roku’s strategy to attract younger audiences by featuring high-energy sports that blend athleticism with youth culture.
The X Games, created by ESPN in the 1990s, spotlight extreme sports like motocross, skateboarding, freestyle skiing, and snowboarding. Originally designed to attract younger viewers, the events became a staple on ESPN and ABC until the majority ownership was sold to MSP Sports Capital in 2022. Since then, the X Games have appeared on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, ESPN, and the VR app Xtadium.
With this new deal, Roku will also launch a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel dedicated to the X Games. This channel will feature highlights, interviews, archival content, and more to engage fans in the lead-up to the main events.
“This partnership with X Games is the perfect marriage between content and distribution,” said Joe Franzetta, Head of Sports at Roku Media. “More than half of The Roku Channel’s monthly FAST audience is aged 18 to 49, aligning seamlessly with the X Games’ lifestyle brand at the intersection of sports and youth culture.”
Jeremy Bloom, the CEO of X Games, shared his enthusiasm for the collaboration: “This partnership ensures that the world’s premier action sports events will reach a broader audience while celebrating the brilliance, creativity, and passion of the incredible athletes who make the X Games the ultimate stage for action sports.”
X Games Aspen is set to take place from January 23 to 25, 2025, in Aspen, Colorado. Details about the summertime X Games event will be announced at a later date.
Roku’s move into live sports reflects a broader trend among streaming platforms embracing live sports to attract diverse audiences. Netflix recently streamed its first NFL games, Max introduced a live sports add-on, and Amazon Prime Video acquired streaming rights to NBA games. Even niche sports like Street League Skateboarding have found new streaming homes, highlighting the increasing competition in the live sports streaming landscape.
By bringing the X Games exclusively to its platform, Roku positions itself as a key player in the streaming sports market, offering a mix of high-energy events and dedicated programming to cater to action sports enthusiasts.
