Roku is solidifying its presence in the global marketplace, with a special emphasis on Latin America. Commemorating today, May 20, is “Streaming Day”, Gretel Perera, Director of Public Relations for Latin America, describes to Prensario International the reasons for this celebration and confirms the top news for the region.
Roku has evolved from being a standalone streaming device for TV to a full entertainment offering blending global OTT services in one unique place. Now reaching more than 53 million active accounts in the world, the company has grown steadily during the pandemic.
On May 20, 2008, the company released to the market the first device that transformed a TV into a Smart TV and that’s why it celebrates “Streaming Day”. ‘Our device has transformed the way consumers enjoy entertainment through streaming and that’s why we commemorate with our industry partners this special date’, explains Gretel Perera, Director of Public Relations for Latin America, Roku.
Back in 2015, the company decided to disembark in Latin America, starting with Mexico, where it now leads the streaming market. ‘Two years later, we launched in Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Central America and in 2020, before the pandemic started, we launched in Brazil, a market where we see huge opportunities’, says Perera.
In 2020 Roku believes was the start of the ‘Streaming Decade, but due to the pandemic: “The growth that we expected to see over a decade basically got condensed into one year due to increased consumer streaming hours. Latin America represented an important percentage of that growth. The region represents a tremendous opportunity for us. ‘Latin America is experiencing an exciting growth in the streaming market and we’ve been adding important content partners and TV channels to our streaming service to reach more users,” she describes, adding that Mexico is a mature market, and seeing strong expansion in Chile and Brazil.
About the international market, she adds: ‘The U.S. is a top market for us, but we are very focused on growing our presence internationally. We keep the prices accessible and we explain to consumers the advantages of using our platform’.
Perera indicates that Roku has appointed new executives around the world, with a focus in Europe: ‘More than a corporate expansion, what we want to have is a varied and diverse programming catalogue. Before entering a market, it is very important for us to work with leading local players, like we did in Brazil with Globoplay. This is a model we want to replicate in other new markets’.
Local partnerships are the key: ‘This is what consumers want: localized content in different genres, including live news, sports, and successful TV programming. In Mexico, we recently launched Fanatiz, offering live sports. We embrace all business models, including AVOD, TVOD and SVOD’.
The Roku Channel is available in USA, Canada and UK: ‘Before launching the network in new territories, we have to make sure we have three things: first, to grow our active user base, second, to bring on strong content partners, and third, is monetization’.
Full interview in Spanish can be watched here: https://vimeo.com/549275615
