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Roku will remove its long-running Aquatic Life fish tank screensaver on December 1, automatically switching affected users to the ad-supported Roku City animation instead. Artist Jim Sachs, who licensed the Marine Aquarium screensaver to Roku for a decade through his company SereneScreen, says he declined to renew the deal after learning Roku was being sold to Fox, a sale that has since closed.
Artist Jim Sachs, creator of the Marine Aquarium animation licensed to Roku as the 'Aquatic Life' screensaver, has declined to renew his licensing deal, ending availability on Roku OS devices after December 1. Sachs told Ars Technica he made the decision the day after learning Fox planned to acquire Roku, a deal that has since closed, citing discomfort with Fox News' approach to content. Roku will automatically replace the screensaver with its ad-supported 'Roku City' animation for affected users.
Fox Corporation has finalized its $22 billion purchase of Roku, first announced in June, after the Justice Department cleared the deal following review. Roku, which reaches more than 100 million households and also owns Tubi, will be folded into a new Fox Digital Platforms division co-led by Roku founder Anthony Wood, who joins Fox's board.
Fox has officially completed its $22 billion purchase of Roku, closing one of the largest media deals in recent years. Fox says the combined company is now the third-largest television business in the U.S. by viewership, with Roku founder Anthony Wood remaining to lead the streaming platform's continued development. The deal closed far ahead of schedule, after the companies had originally projected completion in the first half of 2027.
Fox announced Friday it has completed its $22 billion purchase of Roku, a deal first unveiled in June. The acquisition gives Fox control of a streaming platform used in more than 100 million US households, alongside its existing Fox One and Tubi services. Roku founder Anthony Wood, who joins Fox's board, said the platform will remain open to all content partners.
A Media Matters for America analysis found Fox News coverage favorable to data centers increased roughly 420 percent over a recent two-month period, with pro-data-center claims rising from 39 between August 5-18 to 203 between August 19 and September 2. The spike followed an August 18 memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee warning party insiders that opposition to data centers threatened Republican midterm prospects, and Fox segments also began citing 'far-left activists' and Chinese government propaganda as sources of anti-data-center sentiment.
Fox has introduced a new interactive feature within its Fox One streaming app to help subscribers follow the 2026 midterm elections on Nov. 3. The update includes a home-screen command center with live polling and results widgets, a curated election news hub, and an 'Elections Mode' version of its AI chatbot, Ask Fox, which answers election-related questions in real time.
Pornhub is launching a push to let performers upload safe-for-work content—gaming streams, cooking videos, podcasts—alongside their adult material. The company says podcast content searches rose 327 percent and SFW searches climbed 114 percent in 2025, and the new content will appear across video pages, search results, recommendations and its Shorties feed.
Arctic Fox Technologies has unveiled the Super Mouse, a peripheral with a 3.1-inch, 720x720 touchscreen positioned beneath the hand alongside standard buttons and a scroll wheel. The device is funded through Kickstarter at a $199 backer price, with retail pricing set at $249 and deliveries projected for February 2027. It draws power solely through USB-C, meaning it has no wireless capability.
Roku devices and apps are experiencing crashes before streaming begins, a persistent issue despite the platform's generally simple interface. Common fixes include restarting the device, updating software, or clearing app data, though some cases may require more drastic steps like hardware upgrades.
Jessica Tarlov, a Democratic strategist, serves as the sole liberal panelist on Fox News' 'The Five,' where she is outnumbered four-to-one by conservative cohosts. She has described her role as representing Americans unhappy with current U.S. politics and the Trump administration, aiming to demonstrate civil political discourse across ideological lines.
Easy Fox, maker of the voice-controlled Steam demo Teach My Little Sister How To Drive, says a 20-fold surge in players has pushed its daily AI spending past $1,000. The game relies on Google Gemini and a ChatGPT fallback to interpret voice commands, and the studio took out a bank loan to keep the free demo running. Easy Fox says the paid release will fold AI usage costs into the purchase price rather than charging players per token.