The creator of Roku’s Aquatic Life screensaver says Fox’s acquisition of Roku has ended the licensing deal that provided most of his income. Although fans can still buy the screensaver for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, Sachs believes a return to Roku is unlikely after declining to renew the agreement over concerns about Fox’s business and political messaging.
Licensing decision has financial consequences
Sachs told Ars that he was interested in appeasing fans of the marine aquarium screensaver and said Roque had asked him to reinstate his license. Asked about his biggest concerns regarding Fox’s acquisition of Roku, Sachs said:
It seems like Fox just wants another venue to spread their philosophy, which I find offensive. I can’t stand the thought of my artwork being used to lure even one person down the rabbit hole.
Sachs said the decision not to renew the license agreement had “significant financial implications.”
“Our needs are very small and the only major expense is a high property tax bill,” he said. “I’m fine, but I can’t start any of the projects I had planned.”
According to Sachs, the licensing agreement paid $80,000 a year for exclusivity across all set-top devices, or $60,000 a year for non-exclusive rights. “They’ve always chosen exclusivity,” he said. Ars asked Roque to confirm the details of the agreement but did not receive a response before publication.
The Roku licensing deal was Sachs’ primary source of income. He said sales of the screensaver for computers have been slow.
Fans criticize Roku’s changing screensaver selection
Fans of the oceanarium can still purchase the Aquatic Life screensaver for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, but a return to the Roku platform appears unlikely.
“One of the biggest reasons I bought Roku was that it had more themes and fewer ads than its competitors. But they haven’t added any new themes in years other than sponsored themes, which has increased the amount of ads,” one Reddit user wrote this week in response to Roku losing the Aquatic Life screensaver. The comment was posted in the Roku subreddit.
Sachs said he was under “no delusions” that revoking the license would have any meaningful impact. However, he said he hoped another streaming company might consider offering the screensaver.
“My guess is that Fox won’t completely reverse its anger-based business model and take responsibility for all the damage it has caused. It would be happy to reinstate its license under those circumstances. It could even get it for free,” he said.
Fox completed the acquisition of Roku. Roku trades for $22 billion today.
Source: arstechnica.com