Roku

Roku, Inc. is an American technology company that develops hardware streaming players and a proprietary operating system for digital media streaming. The company was founded in 2002 by Anthony Wood and is headquartered in San Jose, California. Roku went public in 2017 and is listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker ROKU.

Roku designs streaming devices, including streaming players such as the Streaming Stick and Express, high-end Ultra models, and streaming devices built into Roku TVs produced by licensed manufacturers like TCL and Hisense. The company also maintains Roku OS, a Linux-based operating system that runs on all Roku devices and provides an interface for accessing channels via an on-device store.

A central element of Roku's platform is the Roku Channel, a free, ad-supported service launched in 2017 that aggregates films, TV shows, and live TV, while offering licensing deals for third-party content. The platform supports thousands of channels, including major streaming services, and provides features such as private listening, mobile app control, and voice search.

Roku's revenue comes from hardware sales, licensing the platform to TV manufacturers, and advertising through the Roku Channel and partner apps. The company operates in a competitive landscape with rivals such as Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast with Google TV, and other smart TV ecosystems.