Roku Inc. is introducing its own line of televisions as the streaming company looks to showcase what can be done with its technology and make its ecosystem more tightly linked.
The company will be rolling out its new Roku Select and Roku Plus Series televisions this spring, according to a Wednesday morning announcement made in conjunction with the CES technology conference that formally kicks off in Las Vegas this week.
The TVs are the first to be both made and designed by Roku, which the company said in a release is meant to enhance affordability and the streaming experience. The company is also unveiling a new OLED TV reference design for its partners.
Prices for the new consumer TVs range from $119 to $999.
Roku already licenses its streaming technology to TV manufacturers, but by making its own TVs, the company can also show those manufacturers what can be done with Roku’s technology. As the company continues to iterate on the sorts of streaming technology that it offers to licensees, it can simultaneously make that technology come to life on its own models rather than leaving it up to the manufacturers to determine what can be done with it.
The company said in its release that its Roku Select and Plus Series TVs, which range in size from 24 inches to 75 inches, “will offer an expanded audio ecosystem” when paired with the company’s new Roku TV wireless soundbar, which is intended “to make consumers’ home theater set-up simple and wire-free.”
“These Roku-branded TVs will not only complement the current lineup of partner-branded Roku TV models, but also allow us to enable future smart-TV innovations,” President Mustafa Ozgen said in a release.
Roku is perhaps best known for selling dongles that helped usher in an early era of streaming on TVs, but the company has made other forays into hardware since then. The company offers soundbars, video doorbells and other smart-home products, though the company doesn’t break out the performance of these categories in its financial statements, so it’s unclear whether or not they serve as meaningful contributors to the company’s revenue.
The move comes on the heels of a tough year for Roku’s stock, which fell more than 80% over the course of 2022.
Comments