Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood during the company’s April 23rd product event in New York City.
Last month, Roku ensnared itself in controversy after customers quickly complained about a limited test where an advertisement for Moana 2 started playing as soon as the companyâs products were powered on. Across Reddit and other social media channels, people threatened to ditch their devices if Roku repeated such an experiment. The message, at least from some customers, was clear: dial it back.
Roku users have come to accept ad banners on the homescreen and in other areas of the OS in exchange for inexpensive hardware. There are sponsored items scattered throughout the companyâs signature Roku City screensaver. If you want a $30 or $40 streaming player, ads are just part of the deal, and theyâre vital to Rokuâs business. Ad revenue will grow even more important as tariffs threaten to disrupt Rokuâs hardware costs. But a full-screen takeover stirred an angrier, more powerful reaction.
So after todayâs product event concluded, I briefly chatted with Jordan Rost, who leads ad marketing at Roku, about the kerfuffle. Ads werenât mentioned at any point in the presentation, which focused on Rokuâs latest streaming sticks, 2025 TV lineup, new battery-powered smart …
