Roku debuted in 2008 and joined Apple TV as the forebears in "over-the-top" boxes. Once connected to the television, these devices allow the user to stream video and music from the Internet. Other popular devices include the $35 Google Chromecast and the Fire TV from Amazon.
The company's latest sales update marks a milestone for the company.
"Today we're happy to announce that we have sold 10 million Roku players in the United States! This is a huge milestone for our company and we want to thank all of you for helping us to achieve it," Roku stated in its official blog. "We are dedicated to bringing consumers the best streaming TV experience and we're grateful that our fans continue to support and recognize us for making America's favorite streaming players."
However, the competition seemed to have become stiffer based on the record of sales. In a nine-month duration, Roku sold at least 3 million devices between April 2013 and January. The number was slightly reduced to 2 million in sales in the following nine months beginning in January this year.
Apple, by contrast, sold 7 million of its streaming boxes in just a year even though the iPhone maker seemed to have neglected its product line by not having it updated to a new generation for over two years. It's worth noting that the Apple boxes are sold globally compared to Roku's which caters solely to customers from the U.S., Canada, UK and Ireland.
Roku shrugs off this bit of information by saying that its boxes have a higher number of users compared to their rivals. According to a research conducted by NPD on behalf of the company, Roku is credited with 37 million hours of streamed video every week. Apple TV comes next with 15 million while Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV has 12 million and 6 million hours respectively. A separate research also found out that Roku is used more regularly than their rivals such as Apple TV.
In total count, Roku has achieved a streaming record of more than 5 billion hours since the company launched its first player six years ago. This is equivalent to watching Avatar, the highest grossing movie of all time, for a total of 1.85 billion times. This year, the company notes that it is on track to stream 2.7 billion hours which is absolutely higher than the 1.7 billion that is recorded in 2013. Interestingly, households spend an average of 48 hours a month in watching content which is more than the hours they spend on Facebook, taking public transportation, eating, or doing household chores.
Roku proudly announces that it now has 1,800 channels which is 1,000 more than what is offered by other streaming devices. Popular channels would include Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, NBC News, Fox Now, and HBO Go. The company created an infographic as a way to celebrate the milestone. Fans also have a chance to win one of 10 Roku 3 players that the company is giving away on its 10-day sweepstakes.
