| “ | Happy Streaming | ” |
―Roku slogan | ||
Roku, Inc., doing business as Roku, is an American public company founded in 2002. It produces streaming devices and smart TVs, licenses its technology to other companies, and operates an advertising business on its streaming network.[1]
History
Roku was founded in October 2002 as a limited liability company,[2] by ReplayTV founder Anthony Wood. Roku means "six" in the Japanese language, to represent the fact that Roku is the sixth company Wood started.[3] The company was founded as a maker high-definition video players, and was funded by Wood himself with money he had earned from selling other businesses, including ReplayTV.[4]
Branding
In 2012, The Verge reported that Roku had launched in the U.K. and Canada. In 2014, Roku expanded its reach by partnering with TV manufacturers to sell Roku's software already installed on smart TVs.[5] In 2015, the company launched its products in Australia, France and Mexico.[6][7][8] It also announced that it would be sub-leasing the buildings in Los Gatos, California from Netflix.[9] In the same year, towards measuring the success of its advertising efforts success, Roku partnered with Nielsen, a company that specializes in advertising effectiveness.[10] In 2016, Roku partnered with Magna, a media firm that specializes advertising, in order to incorporate targeted advertising on its streaming platform.[11]
Roku Smart Home
In January 2023, CNN reported that Roku was introducing its "Roku Smart Home" line that included light strips, bulbs, security cameras and a video doorbell.[12] In May 2023, it was reported that home monitoring devices that could be accessed using a Roku device were added to Roku's Smart Home line.[13]
Channel
The Roku channel was created on October 30, 2013. Their first video was uploaded on March 25, 2014. Their first video is titled "Watch Game of Thrones on Roku - [HBO NOW]".
References
- ↑ https://variety.com/2020/streaming/features/roku-premium-streaming-1234748507/
- ↑ https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/vprr/0602/06022164.pdf
- ↑ https://www.roku.com/about/executive-team
- ↑ https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/18/how-roku-dominated-streaming-anthony-woods-new-content-obsession.html
- ↑ https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-01-04/roku-branded-tv-streaming-samsung-netflix-google
- ↑ https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/telstra-tv-roku-box-for-telstra-broadband-only/
- ↑ https://www.nexttv.com/news/roku-makes-french-connection-394683
- ↑ https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/roku-sales-banned-mexico-piracy-1202484188/
- ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2015/09/04/roku-saratogas-biggest-brand-heads-to-los-gatos-in.html
- ↑ https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/nielsen-roku-video-ads-1201484707/
- ↑ http://adage.com/article/media/magna-strikes-deal-roku-push-ott/307676/
- ↑ https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/roku-video-doorbell
- ↑ https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/roku-launches-new-home-monitoring-system
