On Nov. 6, Fox closed a $22 billion deal to acquire streaming device giant Roku, and the merger already has an unforeseen casualty: The end of the Aquatic Life screensaver.
Last week, fans of Aquatic Life — a relaxing aquarium filled with swimming fish — noticed an alert popping up on their Roku devices, warning that their fish would soon be gone. Because it was such a fan favorite, users took to social media to mourn the screensaver's end or plead for its future. Many wrote that Aquatic Life had become an essential part of their lives.
"Before my father passed I gifted him a Roku and one of the last conversations we had was him telling me he loved these fish so much," wrote one Reddit user.
"This screensaver has been a comfort to me for about ten years or more I can't remember. My wife picked it out and she loved it. Pancreatic cancer took her from me 7 years ago," wrote another.
Some theorized the popular, ad-free screensaver was losing the company potential revenue money. Roku's annual earnings reports over the last several years have positively cited the "high-visibility placements" of device advertising, including on its screensavers.
Others suggested Roku's new ownership may have been the nail in the coffin, with rumors circulating that the screensaver's developer had ended its licensing deal following Fox's entry. In an interview with ArsTechnica , Jim Sachs, the artist behind the screensaver, confirmed he chose not to renew his annual $80,000 licensing agreement after learning of the $22 billion deal.
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