It’s a good day to own ROKU, because soon another media company may own Roku.
On Friday, Bloomberg reported that Roku is in talks to sell itself, including the possibility of a media tie-up. As a direct result, Roku (NASDAQ) shares closed Friday at $143.66 per share, up 20.08 percent. It’s been years since the stock has traded at this level.
Roku is in discussions with at least one US media company about a potential combination, Bloomberg News wrote. No decisions have been made and the talks may not lead to a deal, as the story certainly notes.
Roku is in a strange place in 2026. The company makes devices that act as a streaming gateway, but newer TVs don’t need that. In response to this reality, the company has focused on making smart TVs — or at least the operating systems inside them that allow users to access Netflix, Disney+, and the like. Roku has made a mistake with original programming, even though it’s not a player in this space. Still, Americans are watching the Roku Channel: In March of this year, the Roku Channel represented 3 percent of all streaming TV, according to a Nielsen measure.
Last August, Roku launched Howdy, a low-cost streaming platform.
“For less than a cup of coffee, Howdy is ad-free and designed to complement, not compete with, premium services,” Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Roku, said at the time. “We’re filling a real need for consumers who want to unwind with their favorite movies and shows, uninterrupted and on their terms. Howdy is a natural step for us at Roku, expanding our mission to deliver better TV for everyone, by making it affordable, accessible and designed for how people watch today.”
Howdy costs $2.99 per month.
In April, Roku reached a milestone, serving 100 million households worldwide, the company said as part of its earnings report.
It is certainly possible that the Bloomberg story was designed to test the waters, or even just breathe new life into the company’s stock price. It happens. Roku spokespeople did not respond Hollywood ReporterRequests to comment on the report.
