Fox wants to take over your TV — and the tech inside it

Fox is about to take over the TVs in more than 100 million homes worldwide. On Monday, Fox announced that it’s acquiring Roku , the streaming middleman that serves as a portal for viewers to hop into services like Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, and more. The $22 billion deal may not change Roku’s familiar purple interface, but it could put Fox in control of your data behind the screen. During a call with investors, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said the plan is to keep the two companies separate. Fox aims to grow its business by adding Fox Sports, news content, and local stations to Roku — one of the most popular streaming device and smart TV platforms. “I would expect that we can grow our viewership in the US with a combination of Roku technology, Roku’s platform, the tremendous content that’s on the Roku channel, and the content that Fox brings to it as well,” Murdoch said. Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood, who will have a role at the combined company after the deal closes in 2027, echoed this idea, saying that the streaming platform would feature Fox content on its homescreen , which currently shows a large marquee ad, along with a carousel filled with suggested shows and movies. “Most items on the homescreen are personalized in the sense that we decide what to show a customer based on what they’re most likely to watch, what they’re most likely to buy,” Wood told investors. …