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secret-team t1_iwq2dwp wrote

Those 150 baking episodes they bought must have been pricey!

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JohnCavil01 t1_iwqfivr wrote

Frankly, I’m most shocked that Roku had over 2800 employees.

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CavalierKingCharless t1_iwtvtx5 wrote

Roku has a hardware business, a software business, an ad-tech business and an entertainment business. Of course they have that number of people working there.

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JohnCavil01 t1_iwubtsz wrote

Cool, didn’t know that.

I mostly think of them as that thing that nobody actually owns - hence the surprise of myself and presumably the other hundreds of people that upvoted my comment.

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PickledBackseat t1_iwur0x9 wrote

>I mostly think of them as that thing that nobody actually owns

Roku owns nearly half of the Smart TV market.

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SpilledKefir t1_iwunft0 wrote

My house is full of bargain bin Roku TVs from Costco. I’ve got one quality TV from a tier 1 brand and the rest just need to work - and I love them!

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Vince_Clortho042 t1_iwqau1r wrote

Not getting enough of an ad revenue bounce from the Weird Al movie?

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DDP200 t1_iwqgxc9 wrote

High interet rates means tech takes it on the chin. I work in audit and consulting and we have advised every single one of our tech clients to start cutting costs.

Investment is down, values are down, banks no longer want to loan out money as easily to tech. Our clients are all mid size or smaller but generally applies across the board.

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WakandaNowAndThen t1_iwqiai3 wrote

It seems lots of tech are looking for a buyout, and I've read the same about Roku. Is that for the same reasons, or are there independent factors?

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CorporateSympathizer t1_iws7ppy wrote

Looking at their last quarterly filing, Roku has $2b cash on hand and is burning around $100-200m/quarter due to the ad downturn. They should have the cash reserves to weather the recession pretty easily, especially with the announced layoffs.

Unless the recession lasts more than 2-3 years...in which case quite a lot of companies are going to go down.

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LoveVirginiaTech t1_iwr5yx2 wrote

Word is they might have to lay off workers at the factory.

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mator8288 t1_iwrnrca wrote

What do they make at the factory?

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mikefaley t1_iwryt9h wrote

Can't tell if this is a serious question or not. Where do you think the shows come from?

−6

ElderCunningham t1_iwsj3xg wrote

It's a reference to Weird. A running gag is Al's dad works at a factory and he never says what they actually make there.

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mikefaley t1_ix1jffh wrote

Well that makes sense. Also my comment was meant to be a dumb joke and either it wasn’t funny at all or people missed the joke. Oh well!

1

SmarmyYardarm t1_iwrodgc wrote

It was funny as hell though. I was laughing more at my wife laughing. Can’t believe she loved it.

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DRACULA_WOLFMAN t1_iwqjptg wrote

Roku didn't even play ads for me when I watched Weird (and I had to disable my adblocker to watch it). It also struggled to stream the movie for me, regularly bouncing in and out of what must've been 480p or worse.

2

TyrusX t1_iwqwajk wrote

Guys, say what you want about Roku, but their devices are top notch for the price. My five year old Roku express is still going and only cost 49.99 CAD. It is just amazing. I almost feel that I should buy a new one but the old one is still getting updates and it just works.

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KitchenReno4512 t1_iwr43j1 wrote

Their UI is BY FAR the best of all the smart tv’s. And it’s not particularly close either. Runs the smoothest. Integrates with my phone the best. Has all the apps.

Samsung and LG’s UI’s are the worst. I have the Frame TV and I actually ended up putting a Roku stick because I hated the ui so much.

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Hs39163 t1_iwr9wov wrote

Speaking of their UI, I just found out the other day my TCL Roku tv will let me search for a movie or show and it will check all my apps and tell me which ones have it - and even take me there in one click. Probably a standard feature but it blew my mind and got me so excited. I’ve had the tv for almost 5 years, lol.

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jujubanzen t1_iwrgxgx wrote

Honestly that's the absolute best Roku feature hands down. Being able to just search a movie or tv show and see what service has it or where I can rent it is a fucking godsend.

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JohnnyAK907 t1_iwruup1 wrote

AppleTV will do this too, which is nice. The app, not the hardware.

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epictetusdouglas t1_iwshlvq wrote

I went years before using that voice search button. Not sure why it took me so long.

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RealUncleBuck t1_ixctzx0 wrote

There's a search option in the main UI as well, to the left of the channels where you would go for settings.

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minusTHEoso25 t1_iwskrj1 wrote

Love my OLED LG but honestly the software is literally a dumpster fire.

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Fanfrenhag t1_iwsk3pv wrote

That's my plan as well. I pick up used Roku for 20 bucks or so - they are mostly Roku 3 which is fine since I don't have a 4k tv. One thinks it's in the UK and one in the US so there's a great variety of content. UK is best. (I live in Australia).

I even grabbed a Roku 2 for ten bucks with low expectations, but it seems to work just as well as the Roku 3 and does 1080 just fine.

Although I hate the way they want to control me - and all the rest who do too - the boxes are robust, quality devices with well designed interfaces

Most smart tv's seem flaky not very reliable where their apps are concerned. I'd rather buy a dumb 4k tv and plug in a box but I don't think you can even get them any more

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WhipTheLlama t1_iwsr5gl wrote

While Roku is good, I've switched all my TV functionality to a Beelink mini PC. Along with a wireless keyboard/trackpad combo, it's the best way I've found to play any and all media/streaming sources.

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Fanfrenhag t1_iwtv85h wrote

That is exactly what I plan to do on my main tv once I get a 4k one. I'll use the Roku boxes on the other tvs...

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crystalistwo t1_iwv16wd wrote

Their search function is pretty great too. If I'm on the web, I use justsearch.com, if I'm on the Roku, I don't even think of justsearch.

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Thromkai t1_iwrss8f wrote

> My five year old Roku express

Shit, you just made me realize I've had the same Roku in the upstairs room for 5+ years too and never really had any issue.

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root_fifth_octave t1_iwr1hml wrote

Yep. My Roku 3 still works fine.

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CptNonsense t1_iwr4vm8 wrote

I only replaced my Roku 3 because my 1st gen Roku Ultra I was using for my main tv had wifi issues and so I got a new Roku Ultra and replaced my Roku 3 with the old Ultra. Pretty sure the Roku 3 replaced a Roku stick that went bad at someone's house, so still in use

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mrhorse77 t1_iwr8yck wrote

I only recently replaced some of my old Roku 3 devices, and that was more for remote upgrades then the device itself.

and the new ones i mostly bought are so cheap, even when adding the better remote to it.

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Blynasty t1_iwr9k8g wrote

I’m a big fan of the ultra and the streaming stick. I’ve never had an issue with their and the remotes work and keep their battery charge for a long time. Amazon fire stick remote dies in like 2 weeks. Also the ability to listen through headphone through the app is very nice when you need silence.

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theeasyjakeoven t1_iwro3ji wrote

Literally my dad has a fire stick back home and I absolutely hate dealing with it, my roku is far superior in ui, not being clunky, and most importantly nothing beats their screensaver

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MagicMushroomFungi t1_iwuq3jn wrote

Your comment and the thread that follows should be used by their marketing department. Glowing reviews that erased any doubts about whether or not to try a Roku. (Especially the feature that searches all your apps for a certain program and then puts you there with a click ... Sold.)

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Zeppo_Ennui t1_iwrx3ga wrote

I've had two stop working; one was oldish, one was new and had just updated. They're what they are.

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ihohjlknk t1_iwrxzw7 wrote

I love my Roku devices. I replaced 3 of my cable boxes with them.

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antiform_prime t1_iwry1um wrote

I bought a 4K TCL Roku TV for Black Friday in 2017 for $300.

That joker last 4 good years before the screen started to die.

Id say that’s damn good longevity for a smart TV.

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CramPackedUp t1_iwsusab wrote

Have a Roku 3 from 2013. Use it all the time and carried it with me on the road for work this summer to remote watch my home Plex library. Works lik out of the box. Can't recommend them enough.

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killedbygavrilo t1_iwtmqga wrote

I’m sure they need a decent size team for each tv company they partner with, and that’s a lot of TVs. Plus you have to have a team for each streaming service app that they allow on their platform. So yeah, lots of engineers and sales people needed to keep these things working.

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RealUncleBuck t1_ixcuigj wrote

Yep, and they are on sale pretty much all the time somewhere. You can get their 4k stick for like $25usd this week.

I used to be a huge firestick lover until I decided to boycott Amazon so I tried Roku and was pleasantly surprised that they did a better job than the firestick.

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DoctorWho_isonfirst t1_iwqwfqw wrote

Roku means ‘6’ in Japanese!

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harpejjist t1_iwrptfe wrote

It is the sixth company that the founder made so he just called it “six”

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CatProgrammer t1_iws626c wrote

What were the other companies called?

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JediBurrell t1_iwsd62x wrote

  • AW Software (out-of-business)
  • SunRize Industries (out-of-business)
  • iband (sold to Macromedia)
  • ReplayTV (sold to DirecTV)
  • BrightSign (still around)
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JeddHampton t1_iwr1nph wrote

It could also mean "satisfactory" (碌) or "record" (録).

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stumpcity t1_iwql7hw wrote

Roku should have never tried to become a programmer in the first place, and it was pretty obviously never going to work out for them. And it isn't.

Roku is a brand that people recognize for no other reason than it allows them to find streaming apps and use them. Nobody is going to Roku because of "The Roku Channel," or anything on it. It's a bonus feature at best. It's not a draw. It's never going to be a draw. It was always a weird, futile idea. It'd be like watching Mr. Coffee spend billions trying to compete with Starbucks as a roaster.

At this point Roku is probably going to cut as many costs as possible before offering itself up to be eaten alive by Amazon, Apple, or Google. Which is fine because while Roku has been chasing this dumb pipedream to become a legitimate streaming service, the product anyone actually cares about - the streambox itself - is declining.

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[deleted] t1_iwr3fpk wrote

[deleted]

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rabidjellybean t1_iwrsruh wrote

All of this focus on growth when they should have just accepted they should be paying dividends and focusing on market share.

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CorporateSympathizer t1_iwr8jrx wrote

There was a survey study conducted by Variety that listed Roku Channel as one of the most used services among the FAST channels.

https://variety.com/vip/survey-the-most-popular-fast-and-avod-services-in-the-u-s-1235365459/#

Peacock was used by 21% of people, Roku came in at 15%, and pluto came in at 14%.

Tubi and Freevee rounded out the top 5 at 11% for each.

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MadeByTango t1_iwrf3sp wrote

Lol, Roku is one of the most solidly positioned companies in the streaming market. They aren’t going anywhere. This downturn is because advertising sales are down. It has nothing to do with the software/streaming adoption, which is booming. They beat Wall Street expectations on account growth to reach 65 million. But a their mainline revenue is ads, and those purchases are apparently down as the economy buckles under inflationary pressure. This is an industry wide downturn, and Roku’s losses are smaller than the rest of the tech industry by comparison thanks to that continued account growth.

Only Netflix, Disney, Amazon, and Prime are “ahead” of them on accounts, without the intrinsic hardware advantages that Roku has. They’re getting some sweet ROI when you accidentally press that dedicated Netflix button on your Roku remote...

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TheSmJ t1_iwrzn2z wrote

> the product anyone actually cares about - the streambox itself - is declining.

Hence why Roku is trying to shift into content production.

They never had any other possible moves aside from maybe creating their own line of smart TVs, which would be a much harder market to compete in.

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stumpcity t1_iws4few wrote

>Hence why Roku is trying to shift into content production.

No, that's backwards. The product declined BECAUSE they tried to shift to content production. They mismanaged resources and took their eye off the ball.

They tried to expand and fucked their brand up. They didn't have to do this to themselves. They weren't helpless. The executives making these calls made the wrong calls. They're not infallible. They're just people. And because they're rich doesn't automatically mean they're smart.

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TheSmJ t1_iwsckyw wrote

>No, that's backwards. The product declined BECAUSE they tried to shift to content production.

Based on what evidence? Smart TVs have been replacing the need for set top boxes like Roku's for the last decade. They're simply unnecessary for the vast majority of people who have a newish TV.

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stumpcity t1_iwsdjy7 wrote

>Based on what evidence

The last 5-7 years.

Also, the product wasn't just stream boxes. Their product was placed in a lot of Smart TVs as well, which seemed like a great call for manufacturers precisely because Roku had gotten enough brand ubiquity in the space as to basically be "streaming" for many consumers.

And as they shifted focus towards content creation over platform domination, their grip on the market slipped and the quality of their boxes AND their Smart TV implementation declined.

They chased after content creation when they didn't have to, and they fucked that up.

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TheSmJ t1_iwsfdti wrote

They were losing platform domination because their platform (the set top box) was no longer necessary. They have an app for smart TVs, but nobody needs to use their app on the smart TV to stream Netflix, because there's already an app for that on the TV.

Their only option was content.

0

stumpcity t1_iwsj08q wrote

>They were losing platform domination because their platform (the set top box) was no longer necessary

They had already moved into providing a lot of the software for Smart TV's alongside providing standalone boxes by that time. You seem unsure as to how Roku actually works inside a smart tv, too.

They had other options beside "content," people - without really understanding what they're talking about - wanna keep acting like they were helpless to make this dumb call that they made.

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TheSmJ t1_iwskzrf wrote

Oh then by all means please explain what those other options are, in the most condescending way you can muster for those of us who don't understand them nearly as well as you do.

−1

stumpcity t1_iwsl7mx wrote

Dude, it's not my fault you ran into a convo trying to cape for faceless execs with no real knowledge of anything you were talking about.

Like, it hasn't occurred to you that knee-jerk assuming the execs in question (whoever they are, LOL) had to make the dumb moves they made is a bad assumption to make. But it's almost always the assumption always made, for no other reason than they're rich execs and we're not.

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TheSmJ t1_iwsmvo6 wrote

No, seriously, what are their other options? If not content creation, or the dying set top box market?

I don't give a shit about the execs. Let's hear some of your ideas.

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stumpcity t1_iwsndrw wrote

>No, seriously, what are their other options

not letting their software/hardware suck in comparison to competitors in that space.

Which they did.

They chose to spend time, money, and resources chasing content creation instead of shoring up the product that got them known in the first place. They didn't have to go that way, but they did. Again, they're not helpless to pursue bad biz decisions. They chose to do so.

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TheSmJ t1_iwso3kr wrote

>not letting their software/hardware suck in comparison to competitors in that space. > >Which they did.

Because the market is on its last breath. There's no future there.

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stumpcity t1_iwspqoj wrote

>Because the market is on its last breath

That's not why they did it

Nor is the streaming software/hardware market "on it's last breath." especially considering the fact streaming is about to be the primary means of consuming television.

0

TheSmJ t1_iwsszew wrote

Streaming isn't on its last breath. The market for stand-alone "streaming boxes" is. The vast majority of people use their TV for that now.

That just leaves the Roku app, and there needs to be a reason to launch the app for it to be of any value.

You want to take a stab at what that reason is?

0

stumpcity t1_iwsvr9m wrote

>The market for stand-alone "streaming boxes" is.

I've already addressed why it's not simply "stand-alone" streaming boxes, and why it also includes the streaming software included in many of the Smart TVs being sold, their software ALSO becoming subpar in the time they spent to pursue content creation alongside their hardware becoming undesirable.

(also the market for standalone boxes/pucks/sticks isn't "on its last breath" either)

You keep suggesting that Roku on Smart TVs works by "launching the app" when that's not how that works, too. You don't "launch the app" on a smart TV powered by Roku. You just turn the TV on. Roku is the software that makes the TV go. You seem to believe it's an app - it's the OS.

0

Locutus747 t1_iwqsi3z wrote

Yup band with practically every new tv now having its own streaming apps available there is less and less demand for something like roku

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CptNonsense t1_iwr5dbh wrote

Ahahaha. Most of those TVs are in licensed deals with Roku, dude. Sure, Samsung and LG have their legacy platforms they've had for as long as Roku has existed, but they aren't really maintained for more than a couple years on any single tv nor are they definitely going to get new apps for any new streaming services, even the major ones.

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Locutus747 t1_iwrapwk wrote

No need to laugh or downvote. I didn’t know there were licensed deals. Lots of TVs seem to have android apps as well.

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ankermouse11 t1_iwr0sjq wrote

Yep I personally use a cheap Hisense I bought at Walmart and the TV apps are great, I see no reason to ever use a Roku

−1

CptNonsense t1_iwr5qkz wrote

Ok, which smart TV implementation does your Hisense use

I'm betting it's Roku. Any Hisense you can walk out of a Walmart with is using Roku for its implementation.

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stumpcity t1_iwr8ki6 wrote

It's actually way closer to 50/50 (or maybe even 60/40 by now) that the Hisense you grab at a Wal-Mart is using GoogleTV/Android TV as its OS, not Roku.

Same with TCL, I believe.

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CptNonsense t1_iwraya2 wrote

I just went to Walmart.com and all of the "in store" Hisenses were Rokus

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stumpcity t1_iwrbnmj wrote

I just went and that's not what I'm seeing. Maybe that's a function of whatever regional differences there are in purchasing practices and stock on hand, but Roku is losing business to Google/Android as the hardware OS for smart tvs, even at Walmart.

Walmart itself is actually becoming fairly well known for their own ONN-branded androidtv box/stick

−1

CptNonsense t1_iwrbwuj wrote

>Walmart itself is actually becoming fairly well known for their own ONN-branded androidtv box/stick

Like with other in-house smart TV platforms, I wouldn't trust the longevity or adaptability of that

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stumpcity t1_iwrjwv3 wrote

Sure, but we're not talking about that. We're talking about people going into a Walmart and coming out with a TV. The idea put forth was that if you got a TV at Walmart, it had Roku on it, and it turns out that's increasingly not the case, and in fact, a number of folks are going into Walmart to come out with Walmart's own branded streambox

0

CptNonsense t1_iwrnqbu wrote

That's not even what we are talking about, no

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stumpcity t1_iwro57b wrote

Lol, what.

The conversation is right there, above us. Its what we're talking about. Its literally how we got here.

It hasn't changed in the hour or so its existed

1

CptNonsense t1_iwrqntk wrote

  1. That has nothing to do with what I said about Onn

  2. I was explicitly talking about Hisense and what Walmart reports as in store availability, not every tv they sell

1

harpejjist t1_iwrpzh4 wrote

But you are using one because it’s built into the TV

1

JeddHampton t1_iwr1ubv wrote

The streambox market is declining. They needed to expand to survive.

1

stumpcity t1_iwr3d55 wrote

No, they didn't. They needed to continue being basically the short-form brand name for streaming platforms, period, and they took their eye off that ball by trying to be a programmer.

Their product declined, people don't like it compared to other offerings, and now their brand is diminished.

It was a bad call. Corporations make those all the time. It's not like executives are somehow infallible geniuses who are in the position they're in because of their unassailable intellectual acumen.

Rich people can (and do) fuck up.

−4

Apolaustic1 t1_iwrbm3e wrote

>Their product declined, people don't like it compared to other offerings

Considering literally everyone (including in this thread) talk about how they have the best software for streaming, that's a really bold statement to make.

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stumpcity t1_iwrbydc wrote

>Considering literally everyone (including in this thread) talk about how they have the best software for streaming,

That's not happening. Not here, not "literally" everywhere, either.

edit: if I only had that thing in me that causes me to root for and pledge allegiance to brands and brand concerns like it was a sports team, LOL.

"Literally everyone says its the best software" = 4 people in a reddit thread about Roku laying people off, talking to each other.

−11

[deleted] t1_iwrkj73 wrote

[deleted]

1

stumpcity t1_iwrlehr wrote

>Lmao look around the rest of the comments, and then come back to ours and look at the up and downvotes.

You realize this doesn't actually mean anything right? It's not a scoreboard. You don't "win" at opinions because the doots point one way or the other. Because the doots don't mean anything. Having a bunch means exactly the same as having negative amounts. Because four people on a subreddit hit the downarrow doesn't have any intrinsic meaning. It's four people. Online. In a thread about Roku laying off 200 people. in the middle of a workday.

>considering we're arguing about the popularity of a service I think this small sample size does great job representing the overall picture.

You're arguing that based on the actions of four people in a reddit subthread the completely bullshit "stat" you threw out regarding "literally everyone" saying they're the best at streaming is, in fact, now proven true.

This is not how that works, LOL.

0

epictetusdouglas t1_iwsibcj wrote

I suspect they don't make much on the boxes/sticks. They are selling the 4k stick for $25 right now. Ads are/were where the money is and the Roku Channel has some decent shows if you like older content and the ads aren't obnoxious.

1

SaintofCirc t1_iy63x09 wrote

Gosh, the Roku Channel is my new go to, surprisingly. Fast and quicker ads than most others.

0

Mystical_Cat t1_iwquj5f wrote

“Taking these actions now will allow us to focus our investments on key strategic priorities to drive future growth and enhance our leadership position.”

Buzzword salad.

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Prax150 t1_iwrbi1y wrote

Happy holidays!

2

don51181 t1_iwt0rih wrote

The products last a long time so the income eventually is going down. I have a Roku but could not see a need to buy another one anytime soon. It is probably hard for them to sell products to existing customers.

1

crystalistwo t1_iwv1rlu wrote

I don't even consider any other hardware when buying streaming devices. I wish they didn't get into content creation because it meant they used to be entirely neutral in streaming.

Imagine buying a Chromecast and they block Prime Video because they're a competitor. When Roku wasn't producing content, it felt like they stood alone as a reliable hardware provider.

I still won't consider another piece of hardware, but that idea of neutrality has sailed.

1

CavalierKingCharless t1_iwvkvzu wrote

They are still neutral. When I open my Roku TV I choose which channels appear first, and there is no Home Screen that forces me to see a particular channel over another.

2

SlayerOfDungeons t1_iwqwg0k wrote

Oh... I guess I should by one of those things eventually. Maybe my contribution would have helped prevent this.

Maybe...

0

Firamaster t1_iwudnfg wrote

Today I found Out: roku is still a thing.

0

jawshoeaw t1_iwrhz1e wrote

I forgot Roku was still a thing!

−4

Diablo516- t1_iwqs8kh wrote

Lemme guess, record profits this year?

−12

DPRKis4Lovers t1_iwqthjc wrote

article says revenue is down 7.5% YoY, Roku ebitda was negative for last two quarters. I don’t think it comes from an especially greedy place they’re just very exposed when it comes to a downturn in advertising spend

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jackofslayers t1_iwqcd9e wrote

Not much of a headline but ok

−21

random125184 t1_iwql5qy wrote

How dare you. It is extremely rare for large companies to lay off employees, so when it happens everyone needs to know! bIG TeCh BaD

−7