{
  "id": 18044460,
  "title": "Roku Retires Aquatic Life Screensaver to Reel Viewers Into Roku City",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/roku-retires-aquatic-life-screensaver-to-reel-viewers-into-roku-city",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-04T00:05:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CNET",
    "slug": "cnet",
    "url": "https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/roku-retires-aquatic-life-screensaver/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Roku users are set to say goodbye to their beloved Aquatic Life screensaver, as the company prepares to introduce Roku City in its place, starting December 1st. The beloved animated screensaver featuring a realistic aquarium life will be replaced by Roku City, a platform's signature purple skyline filled with rotating digital billboards, brand sponsorships, and clever Easter eggs, including Seattle's short-spined raccoon, Jimothy. While there are several third-party Roku wallpaper apps offering a variety of aquarium options, those sticking to Roku's streaming boxes will have to switch to Roku City, which is filled with advertisements. CNET Senior Editor Ty Pendlebury noted that this move might be Roku's way of monetizing a popular screensaver and boosting engagement. Roku did not publicly comment on the matter. For those who miss the fish, they can still watch a YouTube version of Roku's Aquatic Life screensaver as long as the company maintains the nearly 3-minute video on the internet. The loss of this beloved screensaver is a small setback compared to other changes at Roku this year, including the platform's acquisition by Fox for $22 billion in June, which puts Roku under the same ownership as Fox's Tubi and Fox One channels. This deal is expected to close in 2027.",
  "summary": "Fans of the Roku aquarium will need to find a new way to just keep swimming.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}