SnagFilms to stream via Roku

The free streaming film site will now be able to connect to users TV sets via Roku

SnagFilms, the site that lets users stream any number of documentary films online for free, announced Tuesday that the streaming service is now available to users on Roku streaming players. Users will be able to instantly stream 150 films directly to their TV sets through their Roku players for free, and SnagFilms says that it will likely add more films to the Roku platform over the next few months.  

“SnagFilms has done a great job of curating some of the world’s most compelling documentaries from a diverse list of filmmakers,” said Jim Funk, VP of business development at Roku, in a statement.  “We are excited to now offer these films to a home audience that might otherwise never be able to get to the film festivals and theaters where such movies are shown.”

Until now, users could previously only access SnagFilms via its website and its iPad app, as well as affiliate sites like Hulu, Comcast, AOL, and the Starbucks Digital Network.

Since its launch in the summer of 2008, SnagFilms has streamed more than 400 million minutes of film, and its library has been viewed more than 18 million times. The site’s library currently contains over 2,100 titles, and later this year, the company plans to begin distributing fictional indie films.

Among the 150 titles currently available via Roku are “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Waiting to Inhale,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Heavy Metal Parking Lot,” and more.

OVGuide has dubbed SnagFilms a Top Site and MovieMaker Magazine named one of the “50 Best Websites for Moviemakers.”

“Our partnership with Roku means that users of its innovative, easy-to-use streaming player can now access top-quality films, on demand, from SnagFilms,” said Rick Allen, CEO of SnagFilms.  “With our launch on the Roku platform, SnagFilms continues to fulfill its mission of creating virtual movie theaters wherever film fans have high-speed connections, and making the best independent films available to the widest possible audience.”

In January, SnagFilms raised $10 million in a round led by New Enterprise Associates and Comcast Interactive Capital, with participation from existing investors Ted Leonsis and Steve Case, former chairman and CEO of AOL.

Image source: SnagFilms.com