Check out Roku’s $3 Howdy—it’s everything Netflix used to be

The article discusses the similarities between Roku's new $3 streaming service "Howdy" and Netflix's early days as a streaming platform. Both companies started with a small catalog of mostly B-movies and reruns, but eventually expanded their offerings to become major players in the streaming industry. The article highlights how Howdy's catalog is currently small, with "thousands of titles" and less than 10,000 hours of entertainment, similar to Netflix's 1,000 titles when it launched its streaming service in 2007. The article also notes that Howdy, like early Netflix, has a mix of forgettable and standout content. The article draws parallels between Roku's claims that Howdy is not competing with incumbent streaming services, similar to Netflix's initial stance, and how both companies eventually became major competitors in the streaming market. The article suggests that Howdy could follow a similar trajectory, scaling up its content and potentially launching original programming, as Netflix did. The article also discusses the broader trends in the streaming industry, where major streaming services are becoming more expensive and bundle-focused, similar to the traditional cable packages they were meant to replace. The article suggests that a new phase of cord-cutting may be inevitable, and that services like Howdy could fill the gap for affordable, ad-free streaming options. Overall, the article presents Howdy as a potential disruptor in the streaming industry, much like Netflix was in its early days.