Learn; How underdog Roku is beating Amazon/ Apple/ Google?
Roku is a market leader in streaming services player market. It competes with Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast. It is ahead…
Roku is a market leader in streaming services player market. It competes with Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast. It is ahead of all of them.
Tell me more about them:
Roku is worth INR 35000 crore. It generated nearly INR 1000 crore for the 1st quarter.
It has 22 million active accounts. Nearly 25% of TVs in USA run on Roku’s operating system.
It did not happen overnight. Anthony Wood started it in 2002. First he worked with Netflix, developing a media player for their streaming business. It was called Roku Netflix players
What’s the secret for its explosive growth?
Traditional retail is the secret of their success. At first Roku only sold online. Later Roku started selling players through traditional retail channels. And, the sales exploded.
Unlike Apple, Amazon and Google they built OS from ground up. They did not port OS for mobile OS onto TV.
They sell players and OS to TV makers, but their mainstay is advertising. They are a content distribution company. They operate their own channel; Roku channel.
What’s the takeaway for Indian market?
Big brands and companies focus on their core ( Amazon on retail, Apple on phones and Google on search ads), while they leave peripherals such as OS for TV. Looking for those gaps and building businesses is the key.
Internet is not magic pill. Consumer product businesses can not ignore traditional retail channels.
Overnight success takes 15 to 20 years. Prior to Roku Anthony had built five businesses.
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