Roku is about to extend the reach of its platform beyond the TV and into many other corners of the home.
Ahead of next week's CES in Las Vegas, Roku has introduced the Roku Whole Home Entertainment Licensing Program, an initiative that will integrate voice search and other entertainment features and capabilities into connected soundbars and smart speakers made by a variety of original equipment manufacturing (OEM) partners.
Read More: Complete coverage of #CES2018
With those additions, Roku's new licensing program for OEM brands will include the following batch of options:
-Roku TV, the smart TV platform that is powered by the Roku operating system, will be integrated with Roku Connect and the new Roku Entertainment Assistant (see below for more detail about those programs) by the fall of 2018.
-A Smart Soundbar reference design for Roku TV makers and other OEM partners that taps into the Roku OS for voice control, content access and wireless audio streaming. While those Roku-designed soundbars will work with any TV with an HDMI ARC input, they are being designed to be optimized for Roku-powered devices, providing a simplified setup alongside the aforementioned integrated voice control.
- A Smart Speaker reference design. Similar to Roku's work around soundbars, the design for smart speakers will also use the Roku OS for voice control, content access and wireless audio streaming. Roku is setting that up for single-room and multi-room audio set-ups and a way for those speakers to connect and integrate with Roku TVs and Roku streaming players.
-Roku Connect, a new program that enables OEM partners to build high-performance wireless speakers that connect to the Roku ecosystem and synchronize multi-room arrangements. Roku will offer that program for free to OEM partners and will underpin it with a logo program that identifies devices that are Roku Connect-compatible.
Tied in, the company is also developing the Roku Entertainment Assistant, a free software update for existing customers that will also be built into new products.
Roku doesn't expect to generate much, if any, licensing revenue from speakers and soundbars. However, Roku does anticipate that the program will result in a material increase in the frequency and intensity of the relationships we have with our customers, Mark Ely, vice president of product management for players and whole home at Roku, explained.
We believe that that consumers want a very simple, easy to set up and easy to enjoy home entertainment network, Ely said. We fundamentally envision a broader Roku ecosystem where TV is the center of the home entertainment experience, but from your TV you can easily connect a smart sound bar to add better sound, wirelessly add surround sound speakers to create a full, immersive multichannel experience.
The new whole-home entertainment strategy should also help Roku broaden the presence and influence of its underlying platform and operating system, and enable it to keep the heat on rival video streaming and connected home competitors such as Apple, Google and Amazon.
Roku expects the Roku Entertainment Assistant as well as the first batch of devices linked to the new licensing program to appear by the fall of 2018.
Roku's move into the smart speaker market has been speculated for months, and was amplified last November when Roku confirmed the acquisition of Dynastrom, a startup based in Denmark that specializes in high-quality multi-room audio.
RELATED: Roku Snapped Up Audio Streaming Startup Dynastrom
Roku noted that TCL, its lead OEM partner, will announce plans to offer the first device under the new licensing program at a January 8 press conference at CES.
Roku also has integrated TV deals in place with several companies, including RCA, Element Electronics, Hitachi America, Sharp, Insignia (Best Buy's in-house brand), Hisense, and Funai Electric.
A new 40-inch Roku TV model carrying the Philips brand comes way of Roku's deal with Funai, which today announced that it will also extend its Roku TV licensing agreement to include the Magnavox brand. HD Magnavox Roku TV models are expected to be available from select U.S. retailers this spring.
Roku launched its TV licensing program at the 2014 CES. License fees from TV makers are tied into a fast-growing Platforms division at Roku that also includes advertising and subscription revenue sharing.
RELATED: Roku Shares Surge on Q3 Results
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Roku is about to extend the reach of its platform beyond the TV and into many other corners of the home.
