Roku is accelerating its expansion plans across Latin America. Already positioned as the primary television operating system in Mexico, the company is now prioritizing Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia to capture a larger market share between 2026 and 2027. The rest of the region is grouped into two subsequent priority tiers, with the corporate objective of establishing a major presence throughout Latin America within the next two to three years.
The company’s regional deployment relies on a hybrid approach of hardware integration, local partnerships, and content aggregation.
‘The progressive positioning plan includes forming alliances with the most widespread local television brands and embedding our operating system’, said Luis Bahena, Regional Business Development Director. ‘In Argentina with Noblex and AOC, in Colombia with Challenger, Finlandek, Kalley, and Hyundai Electronics. We are also partnering with local apps, such as Flow in Argentina, Ditu by Caracol in Colombia, ViX in Mexico, and MiChilevision in Chile, which join the global platforms. For older televisions that are not smart TVs, we market our streaming player devices’.
To navigate a highly fragmented digital ecosystem, Roku is standardizing its interface and third-party integrations. ‘Roku’s major differentiators to gain traction in the market are compatibility with all apps, platforms, and virtual assistants like Alexa, Google TV, and Siri, as well as the availability of a mobile application for iOS and Android’, Bahena added. ‘Above all, the goal is to be the great universal entertainment hub, as it is in the U.S., ensuring all apps, SVOD, AVOD, and major sporting and musical events pass through the platform’.
In addition to hardware and OS distribution, Roku is deploying its proprietary content applications. The Roku Channel currently operates in Mexico, offering over 100 FAST channels and AVOD content, alongside the SVOD app Howdy. To support these services, the company utilizes revenue-sharing models and content acquisitions, while gradually scaling its original production slate.
‘Today, Roku is producing a lot of content from the U.S. with a Latino tone for its audience of this origin in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico’, noted Ariana Ibarra, Senior Managing Director of Regional Communications. Ibarra highlighted properties such as On the Edge featuring content creator Juanpa Zurita, and Honest Renovations with Jessica Alba, along with local culinary formats filmed across Mexican cities.
A critical factor in Roku’s regional strategy is the centralization of content discovery. During the recent World Cup, the company implemented a “Zona Fútbol” feature in Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina, creating a centralized hub that redirected users to the respective rights-holding apps. In Argentina, 47% of Roku users accessed the hub, with a 46% return rate. The operating system also addresses hardware obsolescence by pushing app updates directly, bypassing the limitations of older television sets.
Addressing the potential for broader service aggregation and U.S.-style bundling in the region, Ibarra explained: ‘In Mexico, there is a premium subscription that allows access to third-party applications through The Roku Channel, meaning users have a single account for services like Apple TV and ViX Premium. The system is in an initial stage. In the future, other initiatives that work for us in the U.S. will be implemented. There are too many different apps for the content the public wants; integrative offers are needed’.
‘You will hear a lot about Roku in Latin America from now on, starting with Argentina and Colombia in particular’, Bahena concluded. ‘The intention is to become leaders as we are in the U.S. and Mexico. We are going to fully deploy our global machinery and add local development. The operating system is the main pillar to make a difference’.
