Roku expands licensee brands and launches ‘Roku TV Ready’ certification

Roku has expanded its range of licensee brands to 15.

In total, 15 brands will launch Roku TV models in Canada, Mexico, the US and the UK in 2020, with the focus being firmly on entry-level and lower cost models.

The full list of brands that will produce Roku TVs in 2020 includes ATVIO, Element, Hisense, Hitachi, InFocus, JVC, Magnavox, onn., Philips, Polaroid, RCA, Sanyo, TCL and Westinghouse.

Mustafa Ozgen, senior vice president and general manager of Account Acquisition at Roku said: “2019 was a tremendous year for Roku TV, with more brands, retailers and consumers choosing the platform than ever before. We believe that Roku TV represented more than one in three smart TVs sold in the US during the first nine months of 2019, and the number of our licensees keeps growing.”

The OS made its bow in the UK in November on a range of Hisense models launched to coincide with Black Friday. Roku’s VP EMEA Bart Bomers at the time said that this would be the company’s first step into Europe, though further expansion is yet to materialise.

Roku has also announced the launch of a new programme that will let third parties release products like soundbars that can interact with the Roku TV platform.

TCL and Denon have become the first companies to create Roku TV Ready soundbars, with the company saying that participation will come at no extra cost to its partners.