Roku Takes Victory Lap As It Surpasses 90 Million Streaming Households

Roku, the pioneer of streaming on TV, passed 90 million streaming households in the first week of January, a milestone, it said, as streaming becomes the leading way to watch television.

That’s up from 85.5 million in October. Roku is now in nearly half of all U.S. broadband households.

“Roku’s extensive scale sets us apart in the streaming industry, with more engagement than any other TV OS platform in the U.S.,” said founder and CEO Anthony Wood, taking a victory lap.“Thanks to our laser focus on simplifying and enhancing the streamer’s journey, Roku is the preferred choice for millions of viewers. I’m grateful to our customers, partners, advertisers, and employees for helping us reach this notable milestone.”

It hits the number at a still complicated but increasingly exciting time for media with M&A, partnerships and consolidation anticipated this year — kicked off yesterday with Disney’s plan to merge Hulu + Live TV with Fubo. That creating a new streaming player and paved the way for another, Venu. Wall Street continues to view Roku as a potential takeover target or even possibly a buyer as the industry rationalizes.

In 2024, Roku celebrated 10 years of the Roku TV program and 15 years since the launch of Roku’s first connected streaming device, with millions of units sold to customers globally. Last year, it introduced Backdrops, which transforms any Roku TV into a work of art, and Roku Smart Picture, which automatically optimizes picture quality.

Roku TVs and streaming players include 500+ free live linear channels in the U.S., premium exclusive content and thousands of free-on demand options.

The Roku Channel is a top 10 streaming service in the U.S. and has seen over 80% year-over-year growth. It competes with free streaming platforms like Tubi and Pluto.

Roku features features universal search, What to Watch and Live TV Guide help locate content across multiple apps, a growing source of frustration among consumers in a crowded entertainment landscape. It noted the recent Olympics Zone, offering genre-based programming from across the platform in one location.

Roku devices, featuring the Roku Experience, form the foundation of Roku’s platform business, which encompasses advertising and subscriptions. For advertisers, Roku said, it’s a lead-in to all TV with ad experiences like Roku City and the Sports Zone. Streaming services can promote subscriptions on the Roku platform. Roku Pay simplifies the process of singing up and managing subscriptions.