• by Wayne Friedman , May 3, 2023

Roku is selling a big brand activation of its screensaver dubbed “Roku City” to McDonald's this summer.

The streaming distribution platform says the restaurant chain will reach 40 million homes per month via the Roku City deal, which was announced at the NewFronts ad presentations on Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Roku City started up in 2017, as a homepage/screensaver, which now has expanded to include "wallpaper" iterations of the original, citified animated image, where subtle animations can appear every few seconds. For example, during the spring, Easter eggs may pop up on the page.

Roku's activation will offer a wide range of advertising opportunities.

“We're uniquely positioned to make brands unmissable in TV because Roku is not fighting for turf in streaming — we are the turf,” said Alison Levin, vice president of ad revenue and marketing solutions of Roku, in a release.

Roku says its reach is approaching half of all broadband homes in the U.S. More than 120 million U.S. homes are estimated to have broadband. Roku has 71.6 million active global monthly accounts.

Streaming daily time per active account is growing on Roku, reaching nearly four hours a day in the first quarter of 2023.

Roku announced new original content in its presentation under its Roku Original umbrella including  “Side Hustlers,” an entrepreneur-focused docuseries, in association with Ally Bank. 

Also coming is “Celebrity Family Cook Off,” executive produced by Sofia Vergara and “Carpe DM with Juanpa,” featuring social media personality Juanpa Zurita.

Roku renewals include “The Great American Baking Show,” and “Honest Renovations,” featuring Jessica Alba. 

Roku has expanded its Commerce+ partnerships that have resulted in improved ad targeting, allowing viewers to order and buy items they see on Roku content.

Retail partners now include  Instacart, Best Buy, Cox Automotive, DoorDash, Kroger, and Walmart.