Roku is one of the older streaming boxes on the market right now and for the last few years has dominated the live TV streaming market; however, sometimes being the oldest and most well established can become an issue in itself.
Now in 2017 Roku is making some changes to help ensure it will remain number one in streaming.
A New Look
Roku recently announced that its time for all Roku channels to be updated or get left behind. A few months ago Roku announced that older apps that are still using its older templates to run their channels need to be updated. Roku made it clear Roku channels using the older Roku user interface that do not update will find themselves removed from the Roku Channel store.
Roku didn’t stop at just saying update or be removed. Recently Roku started rolling out new and more powerful tools to make it easy for Roku channels to have a fresh new user interface. Apps such as MLB.TV and HBO GO have already taken advantage of the new system to update their look.
Other apps both new such as Comcast and older ones such as Amazon have been working to update their look and feel.
Better Hardware
Recently Roku rolled out a massive update to its streaming player line. Side by side this new hardware stands up well on specs and price to its competitors.
It seems that Roku has decided to offer the most powerful streaming players possible at the same time as being one of the least expensive options. For all the talk of a 4K Apple TV that is something Roku has been offering for almost two years now.
And Roku is ready to do even more. Reports are floating around that soon Roku will be releasing a 4K streaming stick to replace its current Roku Stick that just saw a price drop to $39.99. A sub $50 Roku Stick with 4K will be a compelling option for cord cutters.
Dominating the Smart TV Market
Smart TVs have historically lacked the features of streaming boxes. TVs are often sold with such a small profit margin that many TV manufacturers decided keeping smart TVs updated was not worth it.
Roku has quickly been changing that by offering its Roku OS to TV manufacturers. Now TV manufacturers can sell their TVs and no longer worry about the software. Roku has done so well with this that its market share went from 0% in 2015 to 13% in 2016.
To help keep that growth strong Roku has been pouring development into its TV OS. Recently Roku has partnered with TiVo to help improve the Roku TV in partnership with TCL.
Final Thoughts
Roku is on the right track right now. With Roku pushing a new look, new hardware, and developing its TV OS with partnership from places such as TCL and TiVo, it is definitely on the right track to continue their dominance.
The only question is what will Apple and Amazon do next. If anyone can knock Roku out of its number one spot these two are the most likely to do so. We should get a good idea what Apple has up its sleeve on September 12, 2017. Until then Roku is well on its way to continue its dominance of the streaming market.
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more news, tips, and reviews.
Need cord cutting tech support? Join our new Cord Cutting Tech Support Facebook Group for help.