Much-loved major Amazon Fire TV Stick rival with ‘fewer ads’ and ‘better experience’ returns to the UK

AFTER seemingly vanishing from shelves in the UK, the Roku streaming stick has returned.

The popular Amazon Fire Stick rival has been largely unavailable in physical stores and on most websites since late last year.

Like the Fire Stick, the Roku dongle is a USB-sized gadget that plugs into the HDMI port to beam a raft of streaming services onto the telly.

It was feared to be a sign that Roku was deciding to withdraw the product from the UK.

And consumers weren’t happy with the prospect of having the Amazon Fire Stick as their only streaming stick option.

“Fewer ads, simpler interface. Super reliable with high end streaming devices, such as the Ultra,” one Reddit user wrote in favour of the Roku in a Roku v Amazon Fire Stick debate.

Another replied, saying: “Don’t forget the search function. Platform agnostic so you get better results.”

Others say the Roku remote quality is better, along with the voice recognition.

There was also theories that Roku was planning on rolling out a brand new streaming product instead.

However, a spokesperson told GB News in February that the shortage was merely down to shipping delays.

“We are currently experiencing shipping delays on Roku Streaming Players, and they are due to be back in stock later this month,” the company said at the time.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and remain committed to offering customers in the UK a seamless smart TV experience with Roku Streaming Players and Roku TVs.”

While the gadget is back in some stores, they are still not quite as prevalent as they once were, Cord Busters notes.

So there may still be some lingering supply issues.