Roku upfront

Replacing TV upfront presentations with client dinners originated with Paramount in 2023. Roku followed suit last year under the leadership of Jay Askinasi, who appreciated the approach when he was on the buy side. This year, Roku hosted several client dinners with all of the major holding companies as well as independent agencies in April, each with about 70 people per dinner.

Roku’s revenue for the fourth quarter was up 33% YOY, thanks to streaming and ad sales – but it’s losing money on its signature player devices. It’s also losing money licensing its operating system to manufacturers using it to create Roku TV models. Roku was the top streaming platform across the US, Canada and Mexico in terms of hours streamed – but investors still aren’t impressed.