Roku Hits 15 Million Channel Downloads
Roku says it has delivered 15 million channel downloads to its base of more than one million Roku viewers. The growth in channels installed has been driven by two factors: the expanding selection of entertainment in the Roku Channel Store; and accelerating sales fueled by the company’s recent move into U.S. retail stores. Roku predicts it will surpass 3 million customers by the end of this year.
Roku launched in 2008 as the original Netflix streaming player. In 2009, Roku added the Roku Channel Store, an app store and open development environment for long- and short-form streaming entertainment to the TV. Roku customers can choose from more than 100,000 movies and TV shows from Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, Crackle and Revision3; live and on-demand sports from NBA Game Time, NHL GameCenter Live and Ultimate Fighting Championship; music from Pandora, MOG, Rdio, and TuneIn Radio; and photo and video sharing from Flickr and Facebook.
Roku offers three versions of streaming players: the $59.99 Roku HD, the $79.99 Roku XD and the $99.99 Roku XDS. All Roku models feature built-in wireless and high-definition streaming. Roku players are available online and in retail stores from Roku, Amazon.com, Best Buy, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Fry’s Electronics and RadioShack.