Roku Adds 43 Million New Accounts in Second Quarter

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Roku Adds 43 Million New Accounts in Second Quarter

by Samson Amore | August 5, 2020 @ 2:48 PM

Roku’s Q2 revenue increases 42% annually to $356 million

Device manufacturer Roku saw its revenue increase 42% year-over-year to roughly $356 million, thanks to ongoing shelter-in-place orders accelerating the number of users creating new accounts and an unlikely increase in its ad business as the overall TV ad industry continues on a downturn.

The Los Gatos, California-based content aggregator and smart device manufacturer grew its advertising business in the second quarter despite the ongoing pandemic, and its monetized video ad impressions doubled year-over-year.

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There were 43 million new active Roku accounts added in the second quarter, a 41% annual increase from 30.5 million accounts added in second quarter 2019 — the largest net increase in active accounts in Roku’s history outside of a fourth-quarter holiday period, the company said.

Roku users streamed 14.6 billion hours of content this quarter, up from 2.3 billion hours this time last year. Roku said its average revenue per user was roughly $24.92 per account, up 18% annually.

“It’s really a function of consumers cutting and shaving the chord as a result of the pandemic, both as live television productions and sports stopped. Those were the main services that keep consumers in the traditional paid TV package,” Scott Rosenberg, Roku’s general manager of Roku’s platform business, told TheWrap. “Some (consumers) did it of financial necessity as well, paid TV is expensive… and that’s ultimately what we would attribute to the surge in active account growth as well as a surge in usage.”

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Despite consumer interest in newly-launched streaming apps Peacock from NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max, Roku still hasn’t inked any deals to carry Peacock or HBO Max — as of now, neither app is available on a Roku device.

“It is our goal to carry these services, we look for a win-win relationship that will help new content providers get scale in OTT and get economics for Roku,” Rosenberg said during the earnings call. “We’re not always going to be first, but we think it’s achievable and we’re excited to be a new platform for these services.”

Chief executive Anthony Wood said during Roku’s earnings call that it had the largest share of users watching “Hamilton” when it was released on Disney+ fourth of July weekend. “We’re looking to do more of those types of deals,” Wood said, but he didn’t specify when consumers might be able to use HBO Max and Peacock on their Roku devices.

Rosenberg told TheWrap that Roku does stand to benefit from adding HBO Max and Peacock to its devices eventually, and said, “it’s a key part of our business model that we participate in the economics of the growth of our partner services, that’s ultimately how we invest back into the platform.

Roku’s monetized video advertising impressions doubled year-over-year in the second quarter and reported that its count of first-time ad clients was up 40% year-over-year. Its total net loss increased by roughly $33.8 million to $43.1 million according to the earnings report.

“The ad industry outlook remains uncertain for Q3 and Q4, and we believe that total TV ad spend will not recover to pre-COVID-19 levels until well into 2021,” Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood said in an earnings statement Wednesday. “However, we remain confident in our ability to grow our ad business, albeit not as much as we would have expected prior to the pandemic, as marketers re-allocate spend and follow consumers in the shift to streaming.”

Roku’s stock price was down roughly 1.7% at $162.42 per share at market close on August 5.

Summer TV 2020: Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows (Photos)

Summer is in full swing, and everyone is staying at home as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Luckily, dozens of new and returning shows are premiering this summer. The list includes some big titles like "The Twilight Zone" and "The Umbrella Academy," plus original shows for new streaming services HBO Max and Peacock.

Also Read: Fall TV 2020: Every Broadcast Show Canceled, Renewed and Ordered – So Far (Updating)
The CW/HBO Max/Netflix/TNT
Series: “The Chi” Net: Showtime Premiere: Sunday, June 21 Time: 9 p.m.

Also Read: Here’s the Fall 2020 TV Schedule for Broadcast Networks – So Far
Showtime
Series: “Perry Mason” Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, June 21 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
Series: “Yellowstone” Net: Paramount Network Premiere Date: Sunday, June 21 Time: 9 p.m.
Paramount Network
Series: “NOS4A2” Net: AMC/BBC America Premiere Date: Sunday, June 21 Time: 10 p.m.
AMC
Series: "B90 Strikes Back!" Net: TLC Premiere Date: Monday, June 22 Time: 8 p.m.
TLC
Series: “Greenleaf” Net: OWN Premiere Date: Tuesday, June 23 Time: 9 p.m.
OWN
Series: "Celebrity Show-Off" Net: TBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, June 23 Time: 10 p.m.
TBS
Series: “Doom Patrol” Net: HBO Max/DC Universe Premiere Date: Thursday, June 25
DC Universe/HBO Max
Series: “Search Party” Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, June 25
HBO Max
Series: “The Twilight Zone” Net: CBS All Access Premiere Date: Thursday, June 25
CBS All Access
Series: "Dark" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Saturday, June 27
Netflix
Series: “Black Monday” Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, June 28 Time: 8 p.m.
Showtime
Series: “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, June 28 Time: 10 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Unsolved Mysteries" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 1
Netflix
Series: “Marriage Boot Camp” Net: We TV Premiere Date: Thursday, July 2 Time: 9 p.m.

We TV
Series: "Carl Weber's The Family Business" Net: BET+ Premiere Date: Thursday, July 2 Time: 9 p.m.
BET+
Series: “The Baby-Sitters Club” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, July 3
Netflix
Series: “Hanna” Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, July 3
Amazon Prime Video
Series: “Outcry” Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, July 5 Time: 10 p.m.

Showtime
Series: "Stateless" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 8
Netflix
Series: “Tough as Nails” Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 8 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: “Close Enough” Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, July 9
HBO Max
Series: “Expecting Amy” Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, July 9
HBO Max
Series: "Cannonball" Net: USA Premiere Date: Thursday, July 9 Time: 8 p.m.
USA
Series: "Chrisley Knows Best" Net: USA Premiere Date: Thursday, July 9 Time: 9 p.m.
USA
Series: “Greatness Code” Net: Apple TV+ Premiere Date: Friday, July 10
Apple TV+
Series: "Little Voice" Net: Apple TV+ Premiere Date: Friday, July 10
Apple TV+
Series: “P-Valley” Net: Starz Premiere Date: Sunday, July 12 Time: 9 p.m.
Starz
Series: “Brave New World” Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 15
Peacock
Series: “The Capture” Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 15
Peacock
Series: “In Deep With Ryan Lochte” Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 15 Time: N/A
Peacock
Series: “Intelligence” Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 15

Peacock
Series: "Married at First Sight" Net: Lifetime Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 15 Time: 8 p.m.
Lifetime
Series: "United We Fall" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 15 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Indian Matchmaking" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Thursday, July 16 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Killer Camp" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Thursday, July 16 Time: 8 p.m.
The CW
Series: "Cursed" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, July 17 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Absentia" Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, July 17
Amazon Prime Video
Series: "The Alienist: Angel of Darkness" Net: TNT Premiere Date: Sunday, July 19 Time: 9 p.m.
TNT
Series: "The Andy Cohen Diaries" Net: Quibi Premiere Date: Monday, July 20 Time: N/A
Series: "Die Hart" Net: Quibi Premiere Date: Monday, July 20 Time: N/A
Series: "Love on the Spectrum" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 22 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Corporate" Net: Comedy Central Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 22 Time: 10:30 p.m.
Comedy Central
Series: “Room 104” Net: HBO Premiere Date: Friday, July 24 Time: 11 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Wynonna Earp" Net: Syfy Premiere Date: Sunday, July 26 Time: 10 p.m.
Syfy
Series: "Helter Skelter: An American Myth” Net: Epix Premiere Date: Sunday, July 26 Time: 10 p.m.
Epix
Series: "Don't Look Deeper" Net: Quibi Premiere Date: Monday, July 27 Time: N/A
Series: "Last Chance U" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Tuesday, July 28
Netflix
Series: “The Dog House" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, July 30
HBO Max
Series: "Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Thursday, July 30
Netflix
Series: “The Frayed” Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, July 30
HBO Max
Series: “Muppets Now” Net: Disney+ Premiere Date: Friday, July 31
Disney+
Series: “The Umbrella Academy” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, July 31
Netflix
Series: "Real Housewives of Potomac" Net: Bravo Premiere Date: Sunday, Aug. 2 Time: 8 p.m.
Bravo
Series: "Taskmaster" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Sunday, Aug. 2 Time: 8 p.m.
The CW
Series: "Fridge Wars" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Sunday, Aug. 2 Time: 9 p.m.
The CW
Series: "The Fugitive" Net: Quibi Premiere Date: Monday, Aug. 3
Quibi
Series: "Catfish" Net: MTV Premiere Date: Wednesday, Aug. 5 Time: 8 p.m.
MTV
Series: "Coroner" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Wednesday, Aug. 5 Time: 9 p.m.
The CW
Series: "Star Trek: Lower Decks" Net: CBS All Access Premiere Date: Thursday, Aug. 6 Time: N/A
CBS All Access
Series: "Selling Sunset" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Aug. 7
Netflix
Series: "Surviving Jeffrey Epstein" Net: Lifetime Premiere Date: Sunday, Aug. 9 Time: 8 p.m.
Series: "Mapleworth Murders" Net: Quibi Premiere Date: Monday, Aug. 10
Quibi
Series: "Hard Knocks" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Tuesday, Aug. 11 Time: 10 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Ted Lasso" Net: Apple TV+ Premiere Date: Friday, Aug. 14
Apple TV+
Series: "World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji" Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, Aug. 14
Amazon Prime Video
Series: "Lovecraft Country" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, Aug. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Dead Pixels" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Tuesday, Aug. 18 Time: 8 p.m.
The CW
Series: "Lucifer" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Aug. 21
Netflix
Series: "Ravi Patel's Pursuit of Happiness" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, Aug. 27 Time: N/A
HBO Max
Series: “Love Fraud” Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Aug. 30 Time: 9 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "A.P. Bio" Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 3 Time: N/A
NBCUniversal
Series: "Away" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 4 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "The Boys" Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 4 Time: N/A
Amazon Prime Video
Series: "Woke" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9 Time: N/A
Hulu

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Here’s when 75 broadcast, cable and streaming series debut and come back

Summer is in full swing, and everyone is staying at home as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Luckily, dozens of new and returning shows are premiering this summer. The list includes some big titles like "The Twilight Zone" and "The Umbrella Academy," plus original shows for new streaming services HBO Max and Peacock.

Also Read: Fall TV 2020: Every Broadcast Show Canceled, Renewed and Ordered – So Far (Updating)

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