• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, June 16, 2026

Turning the streaming and connected TV (CTV) world upside down, the proposed acquisition of Roku by Fox has analysts wondering how this could change the marketplace.

There are regulatory issuesnow that Fox seemingly controls Roku’s growing number of streaming users -- with 100 million active U.S. users.

Is Fox Corp. now the major gatekeeper -- in the same way people perceived companies like Comcast Corp., Charter Communications and DirectTV in the growing days of cable and satellite pay TV systems?

Roku owns a major TV operation system (OS) via set-top boxes and streaming sticks, and licensing OS deals with TV set manufacturers, as well as its own branded TV sets.

Currently, Roku does have a leading share of the U.S. TV operating system (OS) ecosystem -- at 28%, according to estimates. But it is not alone. Samsung’s Tizen OS system is at 23%, with Amazon Fire TV at around 15%.

Walmart’s Vizio now has 22 million active accounts, reaching around 25% to 30% of U.S. households. Add in Walmart growing retail advertising network, and the big retailer has a significant advertising and streaming presence.

This will help Fox deflect any regulatory issues. When it comes to advertising itself, Fox will now command 14% of all U.S. advertising and a 16% share of all U.S. streaming advertising, according to Madison and Wall estimates.

For advertisers, the benefits are that those brands now have access to cross-platform media deals for both streaming and linear TV advertising.

This includes access to a larger swath of deterministic audiences using Roku data for Fox’s NFL, Fox News Channel, prime-time and other content.

Brands also now have access to a combination of FAST channels -- including Tubi and Roku. Both have seen sharp growth in their advertising businesses, and will now have roughly a 12.5% share of all U.S. streaming advertising.

Fox has come full circle since the sale of its legacy TV studio businesses and cable TV networks to Walt Disney back in March 2019 for $71 billion.

This was when Fox decided to become a much smaller media company, focusing just on news and sports content

Since that deal, Fox continued to post strong advertising and viewership results, but not as a major factor or dominant player in U.S. streaming or advertising. Now, the company will leap higher in the rankings for both.