Roku, Inc., founded by Anthony Wood in 2002, is an American technology company. It produces streaming players and smart TVs, and licenses its technology. It also distributes streaming services, supporting both ad-based and pay models. Roku tops U.S. streaming TV distribution, reaching 120 million viewers as of 2024. Outside the U.S., the company operates in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the U.K., and many Latin American countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. In its early years, Roku focused on making high-definition video players and launched the first connected TV device to stream Netflix in 2008. Later, in 2014, the company expanded the reach of its streaming platform by partnering with TV manufacturers to license Roku’s technology. This allowed Roku's operating system to be pre-installed on smart TVs. Roku has since added channel subscriptions to its platform, while also serving targeted and performance-based ads. In addition, it operates its own ad-supported streaming service and markets consumer electronic products such as smart speakers and smart home devices. Wikipedia