• by Wayne Friedman , Yesterday

Over the last three months, streaming distributor Roku says TV viewing through all its devices -- for all the apps on its service -- commands a greater share than viewing on broadcast TV on other non-Roku owned devices, per Nielsen.

In July, Roku had a 21.4% share of TV viewing for all its apps on its streaming platform -- compared to the 18.4% share of TV viewing of broadcast TV via non-Roku devices, including cable and satellite set-top boxes.

Roku says this is the third month in a row it has topped broadcast TV viewing. Roku’s operating system (OS) is available in 90 million active streaming households as of January 2025,

These results can include viewing of major virtual pay TV services --- such as YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, and Sling TV as well as the DirecTV streaming platform.

Charlie Collier, president of Roku Media, said in a release: "We’re the 'lead-in' to TV for millions of viewers' and partners' journeys, connecting them to the content, live events, and experiences that define the streaming era."

Viewing through Roku devices includes Roku set-top devices and the Roku Streaming Stick, as well as TV sets, (Roku-branded and otherwise) that have the Roku smart TV operating system.

According to financial analysis of Pocket Option, Roku-branded TV sets had 40.3% share of all TV sets sold in the first quarter. This includes TV sets manufactured by Roku as well as Roku-branded and co-brand TV sets that use the Roku TV operating system.

For streaming carriage deals on the Roku system, the Pocket Option analysis says Roku’s controls 15% to 30% of advertising inventory on those ad-supported channels, and 15% to 20% of subscription fees.

Looking just at Roku Channel -- Roku’s free ad-supported/streaming channel, the monthly Nielsen "Gauge" report that shows strong gains for the channel has had sharp gains -- year over year -- 75% to a 2.8% share in July among total day viewing of persons two years and older.