Roku expands to more than 70 million users

Martha Gardens

Roku has reported more than 70 million active accounts globally, adding almost 10 million on the previous year.

Active accounts as of Q4 2021 numbered 60.1 million, while streaming hours were 23.9 billion in Q4 and 87.4 billion for full year 2022, representing a 19% increase year-over-year.

Roku said that it “remains the number one TV streaming platform in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico based on hours streamed.”

However, these figures come at a tumultuous time for Roku, which has felt the impact of the US economic downturn and let go 200 employees in the US – around 5% of its overall staff – near the end of last year.

The company, which manufactures devices but is also a major player in FAST, has also seen its share price plummet over the past year from $194 in January 2021 to just under $43 yesterday.

Roku’s growth in recent years has seen it expanding into original content for its dedicated Roku Channel, with show launches in the last year including titles such as cooking competition The Great American Baking Show, the Martha Stewart hosted gardening show Martha Gardens, and culinary series Emeril Cooks, as well as exclusive content such as The Rich Eisen Show.

Last year, Roku signed a major content deal with Lionsgate to fuel The Roku Channel. The multi-year theatrical output deal sees Lionsgate films make their way to The Roku Channel following their first window on Starz. The agreement includes titles such as John Wick 4, Borderlands, Expendables 4 and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.