Creator discovery platform Jellysmack has struck a deal with The Roku Channel to launch two channels programmed with content curated from 17 of its top-performing talents, including Brad Mondo, Stephanie Soo and LaurDIY. The pact sees The Roku Channel offering two FAST linear channels: the lifestyle-themed Hello Inspo and true crime forum Mysteria. The two new Roku FAST channels are an expansion of Jellysmack’s creator program, which uses artificial intelligence to identify promising creators and distribute their content to multiple platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, Pinterest and TikTok, among others.

“Our partnership with Roku is about finding big opportunities for creators and their content,” said Stefanie Schwartz, who leads the initiative for Jellysmack as head of platform partnerships. Schwartz joined the company in January 2022 from Viacom Digital Studios, where she spent more than three years, most recently as EVP and general manager.

In an announcement, The Roku Channel said that as of Q4 2022 it reached “U.S. households with an estimated 100 million people,” and characterized its linear offering as “the #1 FAST service on the Roku platform by reach and hours streamed” during the same period.

Hello Inspo is a lifestyle channel where top creators share inspiration for everything from beauty and style hacks to home makeovers, cooking recipes and DIY projects. Mysteria unites some of the biggest creators in true crime for deep dives into twisted exploits and unsolved mysteries.

“Overall, The Roku Channel features a lineup of more than 80,000 free movies and programs, plus more than 300 free live linear streaming channels in the U.S.” writes Variety, quoting Roku Channel head of AVOD Ashley Hovey saying the addition of the two new Jellysmack channels to its Live TV Guide “is the latest example of how we aim to provide our users with access to popular entertainment options for free.”

TechCrunch notes that “while Jellysmack has launched other video content series, this will be the first time it has released long-form TV content on a FAST service. Last summer, the company partnered with Pinterest on five short-form video series. “These weekly episodes on Pinterest feature some of the same creators in Roku’s new FAST channels,” TechCrunch writes.

Related:
Roku Is Named One of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies, Cord Cutters News, 3/2/23
Jellysmack Named to Fast Company’s Annual List of World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2023, Business Wire, 3/2/23