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Roku may go public this year

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From the "as long as it keeps streaming my stuff" department:
Title: Report: Roku may go public this year
Author: Janko Roettgers
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 18:19:40 -0500
Link: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/5N-Ku4vPXGo/
Podcast Download URL: http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/08bc62ecf138202f06b74dfa01376e74?s=96&d=retro&r=PG

Streaming device maker Roku is considering an IPO this year, according to a
Bloomberg report[1]. The company apparently hasn’t selected a lead banker for
the offering yet, and Bloomberg quoted unidentified sources with knowledge of
the matter saying that the company hasn’t made a final decision on a public
offering yet.

Roku is best known for its streaming boxes, which the company sells for as
little as $50, and which directly compete with Apple’s Apple TV as well as
with Google’s Chromecast. The company recently expanded its offering by
striking partnerships with Hisense and TCL[2]. Both companies are set to
introduce TV sets with Roku’s smart TV platform in the coming months.

Roku said in early January that it was “just shy of 8 million Roku players
sold in America.” The company also sells hardware in Canada and the U.K.,
where it struck a partnership with pay TV provider Sky to distribute
Sky-branded Roku hardware[3]. Sky’s owner News Corp. is amongst Roku’s
investors; the company has raised a total of $127 million in funding from
News Corp., Menlo Ventures, Globespan Capital Partners, Netflix and others.

A number of companies, including Amazon and Intel, looked to acquire Roku in
the past[4]. Both of these companies went on to build their own TV hardware,
and Amazon is looking to launch its Roku competitor next month, according to
a Recode report[5]. In the long run, it could prove to be challenging for
Roku to compete with giants like Amazon, Apple and Google, all of which have
other ways to monetize their TV devices.

Roku has been trying to build out its services business and is now offering
content publishers a way to bill viewers for their apps. Roku CEO Anthony
Wood told me at the end of last year that services are the fastest growing
part of Roku’s business, but I’ve heard considerable skepticism from
publishers, many of who would rather own the billing relationship with their
customers and offer them access across multiple platforms.
[image 6]

[image 8][7]

Related research and analysis from Gigaom Research:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial[9].

* What the shift to the cloud means for the future EPG[10]
* Connected consumer third-quarter 2012[11]
* A look back at this year’s CES and what it means for tech in 2014[12]

[image 14][13][image 15]

Links:
[1]: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-21/roku-said-to-be-weighing-initial-public-offering-in-u-s-in-2014.html (link)
[2]: http://gigaom.com/2014/01/05/roku-tv-tcl-haier/ (link)
[3]: http://gigaom.com/2013/07/26/uks-sky-launches-roku-like-box-for-just-9-99/ (link)
[4]: http://gigaom.com/2012/01/03/roku-acquisition-rumors/ (link)
[5]: http://recode.net/2014/02/21/amazon-gets-its-tv-box-ready-again/ (link)
[6]: http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=gigaom.com&blog=14960843&post=819335&subd=gigaom2&ref=&feed=1 (image)
[7]: http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?iu=/1008864/Gigaom_RSS_300x250&sz=300x250&c=75335 (link)
[8]: http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ad?iu=/1008864/Gigaom_RSS_300x250&sz=300x250&c=75335 (image)
[9]: http://research.gigaom.com/?utm_source=videoutm_medium=editorial&utm_campaign=auto3&utm_term=819335+report-roku-may-go-public-this-year&utm_content=jroettgers (link)
[10]: http://pro.gigaom.com/2012/10/what-the-shift-to-the-cloud-means-for-the-future-epg/?utm_source=videoutm_medium=editorial&utm_campaign=auto3&utm_term=819335+report-roku-may-go-public-this-year&utm_content=jroettgers (link)
[11]: http://pro.gigaom.com/2012/10/connected-consumer-third-quarter-2012-analysis-and-outlook/?utm_source=videoutm_medium=editorial&utm_campaign=auto3&utm_term=819335+report-roku-may-go-public-this-year&utm_content=jroettgers (link)
[12]: http://research.gigaom.com/report/a-look-back-at-this-years-ces-and-what-it-means-for-tech-in-2014/?utm_source=videoutm_medium=editorial&utm_campaign=auto3&utm_term=819335+report-roku-may-go-public-this-year&utm_content=jroettgers (link)
[13]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?a=5N-Ku4vPXGo:9VYfAFM1Hbs:yIl2AUoC8zA (link)
[14]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?d=yIl2AUoC8zA (image)
[15]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/OmMalik/~4/5N-Ku4vPXGo (image)

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Roku may go public this year RS Wood  <rswood@therandymon.com> - 2014-02-24 18:14 +0000
  Re: Roku may go public this year RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-02-25 15:46 +0000
    Re: Roku may go public this year Will Honea <whonea@whonea.net> - 2014-02-25 11:35 -0700
      Re: Roku may go public this year RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-02-25 20:15 +0000
        Re: Roku may go public this year Will Honea <whonea@whonea.net> - 2014-02-25 22:51 -0700

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