Roku Us Canada Npdgurwin Thestreamable – We’re in an age where convenience is king. We want our devices to be ready when we are and on demand, with none of the hassle or fuss. And smart TVs are one of the best places to find that ease of access and simplicity. But which should you buy? While there are a lot of TV makers out there, Roku was able to secure 38% market share in the US and 31% in Canada for 2020 so far according to a NPD report according to Consumer Electronics Daily.
That makes it ahead of Sony, Vizio and LG, who are second, third and fourth respectively. And while it’s still a distant fourth worldwide in terms of market share, Roku is riding on rapid growth in the US, edging out Samsung for the top spot. In fact, Roku has more than doubled its market share from 15% in 2013 to 38% in 2016. According to NPD, Roku is gaining users at a rapid rate, with users of the platform jumping from 20 million in 2013 to 40 million in 2016.
That’s a 125% increase in four years. This was all helped by the “Roku” TV brand name, which paired with Roku OS made it easy for users to pick up and start streaming content right away. Even with Sony and Vizio now making Roku TV sets, there will be a lot of room left in the market. Roku is also popular on game consoles, as evidenced by the success of the Switch. “The success of the Nintendo Switch is a big testament to how well Roku supports gaming,” says Roku CEO Anthony Wood.
This may not seem like a lot now, but since Roku OS is based on Linux (and therefore available for Android, iOS and Windows), that opens up even more room for growth in other areas. “We think this will continue to accelerate if Roku can continue to build out its mobile apps, which have been limited,” says NPD analyst Liam Callahan. Roku was also able to attract more millennials with its introduction of new smart TV features like voice search, through their Roku personal assistant.
This should give it an edge in the coming years. It’s certainly a good time for Roku to be stepping up its sales and marketing efforts as well, especially since there are now more options than ever in the smart TV market. And as more streaming services continue to enter the market, Roku should now be seen as the obvious choice for streaming all of your favorite movies, shows and music. Roku also revealed that it’ll be switching to a new business model that involves a recurring subscription fee. The subscription fee won’t go up, but there will be more content with higher-quality streaming for customers who opt for that option.
This is something that wasn’t available before, which means more people will want to join the Roku community. Roku OS is also going to be powering more devices in the near future, with new Roku TVs expected later this year. And if you already own a Roku device, it’s an easy upgrade to the new model.
But with all the competition out there, is Roku still the best smart TV platform? There are also rumors that Apple will soon be entering the platform wars. And Google has just launched its own updated version of Android TV, which will now work on any TV regardless of maker or brand.
