Gavin Baker

In addition to distributing other streaming services through connected TVs and devices, Roku has its own ad-supported Roku channel.

The combined company will better compete with the likes of Amazon.com and Netflix for ad dollars.

Quote, bringing these two companies together will really help define the future of television in the United States and in many other markets around the world, Fox chief executive Lachlan Murdoch told investors on a call Monday.

Fox will pay around $160 per share, 96 in cash, and .9693 Fox Class A shares.

The deal is valued at around $22 billion on an enterprise basis.

Fox expects to fund the cash portion of the transaction with $12 billion in new debt as well as cash on hand.

The combined company expects to cut around $400 million in annual costs.

Fox plans to keep Tubi and the Roku channel as separate offerings.

Consumers are increasingly opting for free and lower cost ad supported streaming options as the cost of subscriptions marches ever higher.

Ad supported streaming plans now represent almost 50% of all premium subscription ad video on demand signups in the US, up from 39% just two years ago.

More than 100 million global households stream with Roku.

Roku is the largest streaming platform for connected TVs with 25% market share.

Samsung's Tizen is number two at 23%.

And then I'm sure probably Amazon's Fire TV is not far behind.

Fox remained on the sidelines during the heady early days of streaming boom, pouring money instead into programming for its cable channels and buying up sports rights.

It launched Fox Nation in 2018 and introduced direct-to-consumer Fox One, which includes sports and Fox News last year.

Fox said last month that Tubi had nearly 100 million monthly active users and its revenue had grown by 23% in the fiscal third quarter.

And so Fox's stock is down today.

Roku is down...

point two percent, something like that.