Rotten Tomatoes Is Entering the Streaming Space With a Linear Channel

• Rotten Tomatoes is launching a free linear TV streaming channel on several platforms.
• The channel is going to feature interviews, trailers, discussions, and 10 original shows.
• The platform isn’t looking to compete with giants in the field but rather to expand its user engagement.

Rotten Tomatoes, the popular review-aggregation website for films and TV shows, is launching a linear video channel that will stream 24/7, showcasing interesting content in short and long-form clips. Called ‘The Rotten Tomatoes Channel,’ it is meant to help people discover exclusive new premium series, enjoy TV debates, watch trailers for upcoming movies, revisit old favorites, get watchlist recommendations and interviews with key people in the industry. All in all, the channel will be for movie and TV fans who just want to grab a bite of their favorite stuff any time of date.

The relevant announcement also mentions ten original shows produced by the Rotten Tomatoes team, so this isn’t going to be solely about revolving around upcoming movies and shows that are available on other platforms as well. The channel is going to have its own exclusives, giving it character and a special audience.

Access to the channel will be free, but for now, people can only find it on the Roku Channel list. It will be added onto Peacock and XUMO TV soon, and more platforms will be added after that.

Here are some of the segments that are to feature on the Rotten Tomatoes linear channel:

• RT Essentials: In this fun and info-packed show, we give you the stories behind the movies that defined eras, genres, and the careers of some of our biggest stars.
• Trailers Reloaded: Tap back into those “I can’t wait to see this” tingles with collections of trailers ranging from Hitchcock classics right through to the Harry Potter movies and Marvel’s epic teasers for the MCU films.
• Countdown: We count down the top 10 movies and TV shows from different periods and genres, according to our trusty Tomatometer and/or the expertise of the brains at Rotten Tomatoes.
• The Vault: Think of this as “only the best bits,” a collection of the biggest laughs, sharpest insights, and most questionable haircuts from our interviews with stars and filmmakers from the last decade.

Linear TV is different from the “on-demand” approach that most online streaming services follow and is meant to offer people comfort and ease of mind. Like traditional TV, you turn it on and watch whatever is playing at that time. This alleviates the stress of having to choose what to watch, and even Netflix has been experimenting with it in certain markets.

Of course, we do not expect Rotten Tomatoes to compete with Netflix, or Amazon, or Disney+ now. The platform is only opening up one more portal of engagement for its users and is inviting all motion pictures entertainment fans to join in. If that goes well, maybe we’ll see more.