Roku To License Hardware And Software
Roku is certainly making a new for themselves these days. With media streamers and content distributors all jockeying for position in this crowded market place, Roku has managed to become a star player with their low-cost, high-value boxes. Their line of self-branded set-top units provide instant access to Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, MLB.tv and a bunch of other sources. For many, this is the box to get if looking to replace the cable set-top with something more economical.
But Roku has reached an interesting point. They have nearly saturated the market doing all that they can do. They need some marketing muscle, and they recently acquired that by partnering with Netgear. Netgear recently issued a Roku XD set-top using Netgear's brand; even though the box hasn't changed outside of the label, Netgear has a lot more sales channels to tap into than Roku themselves have access to.
Now, Roku is taking things one step further. They have announced that their hardware and software platform is available to license, giving consumers more ways to access the power of the Roku player in their living room, playroom or on any television in their home. A few other companies have done something similar. VUDU recently licensed their software to LG and LG embedded it directly into their televisions. In theory, Roku could end up with a similar deal. Television or set-top makers could integrate Roku software into their devices, which could become rivals to the incoming Boxee Box. No official deals have been announced yet, but the options are limitless. Let the media streaming battle continue!
But Roku has reached an interesting point. They have nearly saturated the market doing all that they can do. They need some marketing muscle, and they recently acquired that by partnering with Netgear. Netgear recently issued a Roku XD set-top using Netgear's brand; even though the box hasn't changed outside of the label, Netgear has a lot more sales channels to tap into than Roku themselves have access to.
Now, Roku is taking things one step further. They have announced that their hardware and software platform is available to license, giving consumers more ways to access the power of the Roku player in their living room, playroom or on any television in their home. A few other companies have done something similar. VUDU recently licensed their software to LG and LG embedded it directly into their televisions. In theory, Roku could end up with a similar deal. Television or set-top makers could integrate Roku software into their devices, which could become rivals to the incoming Boxee Box. No official deals have been announced yet, but the options are limitless. Let the media streaming battle continue!
Roku Licenses Streaming Media Player Platform; Announces NETGEAR as first OEM Partner
New NETGEAR-branded Roku Player Now Available in Best Buy, Fry's and Radio Shack
Saratoga, Calif. – October 27, 2010 – Roku, Inc., maker of the best-selling and award-winning Roku streaming player, today announced that its hardware and software platform is available to license, giving consumers more ways to access the power of the Roku player in their living room, playroom or on any television in their home. The company also announced its first licensee, NETGEAR®, who has taken the recently introduced Roku XD streaming player and began selling it under the NETGEAR brand in retail stores including Best Buy, Fry's and Radio Shack.
"Roku has built an open platform that has been enthusiastically adopted by content providers, many choosing Roku as the first product to launch their service into the living room," said Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Roku, Inc. "With today's announcement we are broadening our reach and giving many more consumers access to our product and all the great content it contains, whether they shop on-line or in retail stores."
First introduced in May 2008, the Roku streaming player provides an easy, affordable, and reliable way for hundreds of thousands of Netflix customers to watch movies and TV shows instantly on their TV. Since the launch of the Roku Channel Store last fall, all Roku customers now have access to over 85 channels from 50 unique content services, with more added all the time.
Roku players already deliver the largest collection of streaming content available for the TV including over 100,000 movies and TV shows from Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX), Amazon Video On Demand (NASDAQ: AMZN), and later this fall, Hulu Plus; live and on-demand sports from MLB.TV and UFC; music from Pandora, MP3tunes, MOG, and TuneIn Radio; photo and video sharing from Flickr, Picasa, Vimeo, and Facebook; plus news and entertainment content from around the world.
About Roku, Inc.
The market leader in streaming entertainment devices for the TV, Roku has always believed that anything you want to watch, listen to, and enjoy should simply be there on your TV, whenever you want it. Roku streaming players are renowned for their simplicity, variety of entertainment choices, and exceptional value. Roku is privately held and based in Saratoga, Calif. For more information on the company and its products, visit: http://www.roku.com.
