April 10, 2012 (Longwood, FL) - MileSplit, the nation's leading destination for high school track & field coverage, announced today that they have launched a channel for the Roku device.
The Roku is a small three-inch set top box that connects to any modern television, allowing a wide range of video content to be streamed to the big screen via a wireless internet connection. It has attracted a large following of 2.5 million households due to its low price tag (as little as $49), simple interface, and ease of setup.
In publishing its MileSplit TV channel, MileSplit becomes the first running or track & field channel launched on the Roku or any other television platform.
The channel, which prior to even being announced has already been installed 1,565 times, is now available in the Roku Channel Store and allows users to watch MileSplit video and photo content from the comfort of their couch.
Jason Byrne, the CEO and founder of MileSplit, said he is excited about the ground-breaking launch that will give fans a new way to enjoy the sport in their living room. Byrne believes the impending merger of internet and television will be instrumental to the continued growth and development of track & field and is happy to be the first mover in the space.
"It has the potential to add an amazing new angle to how our sport is covered. We can produce TV-ready stuff and actually consume that content from our couch just like we would a mainstream sport. It's a pretty transformative concept, " said Byrne. "Roku can help us democratize our sport by leveling the coverage playing field. Football, basketball and baseball will no longer have the exclusive over our television."
The channel auto-detects its location to feature both localized and national content. In addition to race videos, photo albums, and post-race interviews, the channel also contains original feature content such as MileSplit's monthly health and wellness series "The Fit Runner."
MileSplit promises it will continue to innovate content production and delivery to push the sport forward. The publisher looks to bring more content to more devices in the near future.
About MileSplit
MileSplit is the nation's leading network for track & field and cross country. Specializing in the high school space, the company has recently branched out with collegiate and international affiliates. It is the second largest running-specific web site in the country, after Runner's World, with over 168 million page views and over 7.4 million unique visitors during the past year.
About Roku
Roku (pronounced "roh koo"), is a leading video streaming platform in the U.S, which delivers entertainment content to approximately 2.5 million households. The Roku platform features a growing variety of channels including Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Crackle, Hulu Plus,HBO GOTM, MLB.TV, Pandora, Facebook and Angry Birds.
Roku offers a wide range of players, from standard to high-definition models. Prices run anywhere from $49 for a standard model to $99 for its top-tier model. Roku can be purchased online at www.roku.com and in some retail stores including Best Buy and Wal-Mart.
