Creating an SVOD app: First steps

About this video

This video explains the first steps for monetizing content on the Roku streaming platform with a subscription app. It is intended for publishers and content owners who are new to Roku and are ready to distribute their content to Roku's global audience of over 50 million active user accounts.

The video answers basic questions for new publishers, such as "what is streaming?", "who is Roku?", and "what are apps?", and it explains how integrating Roku Pay enables publishers to collect customer payments.

It then guides new publishers through the required initial setup steps for creating a subscription app, which includes getting a Roku device, creating a Roku customer account, and enrolling in the Roku developer program and enrolling in the Roku Partner Payouts program. See Next steps for links to completing these requirements.

After watching this video, publishers can complete the initial requirements and then begin developing their subscription app with the Roku SDK. The Resources section includes links to the Roku documentation, Roku developer tools, online video course, master sample app, and other useful material to help publishers get started.

Next steps

Step	Item	Summary
1	Get a Roku device	Publishers need a Roku device to develop their Roku app. When progressing to testing, a suite of devices is needed to ensure that an app meets certification requirements and performs well across different Roku's hardware models, which have varying performance specifications.
2	Create a Roku customer account	A Roku customer account is required for enrolling in the Roku developer program. It also enables publishers to test their subscription apps without incurring charges.
3	Enroll in the Roku developer program	Enrolling the Roku developer program provides publishers access to the Roku Developer Dashboard, which is needed for creating, testing, and publishing apps. To enroll, you must provide contact information and then read and agree to the Roku distribution agreement. This agreement is required for publishers to distribute apps on the Roku platform. It also explains payout information, including how revenue is split between Roku and the publisher and how frequently payouts are made.
4	Enroll in the Roku Partner Payouts program	Enrolling in the Roku Partner Payouts program is required for publishers to monetize content on the Roku platform. As part of this steps, you need to do provide the following: Contact information. Payout method: direct deposit/ACH (US only), wire transfer, PayPal. Tax forms (W9, W8-BEN-E, or W8-BEN), which are required for publishers to receive payout from Roku. Publishers in the United States complete a W9. Publishers (entities [businesses/corporations]) outside the United States complete a W8-BEN-E. Publishers (individuals/sole proprietors) outside the United States complete a W8-BEN. If your app is based in Brazil, you must contact Roku Partner Management to get set up with payouts, instead of enrolling in the Roku Partner Payouts Program.
5	Develop a Roku app	Publishers can use the Roku SDK to build a subscription app. It is recommended that publishers and developers new to the Roku platform do the following to learn how to develop for the platform: Take the SceneGraph Developers: Build a Channel online video course. This course teaches novice Roku developers how to develop an app from the ground up with the Roku SDK. This course features a set of 13 video lessons and a comprehensive sample app that walks developers through each step in building a basic, high-performance Roku app that passes certification. This course is ideal for developers that are new to the Roku platform and want a simple, streamlined path for quickly understanding Roku development. Review the Roku master sample app. This sample app serves as a model for building a certification-compliant app. Both newer and experienced developers can use this app as a reference when building their app UI and implementing the covered features. This sample app is certification-compliant; therefore, content creators looking for a template for quickly creating and publishing a customized Roku app can use this sample app as the foundation for their project. Additionally, publishers who want outside help to create their Roku app can contact one of Roku's third-party app development partners.