Roku Executives Criticize MVPDs Amid Move Toward OTT
Roku, coming off subscriber gains, took shots at MVPDs. CEO Anthony Wood said on a Thursday call that advertising impressions rebounded on the platform, underscoring Roku’s role in the over-the-top video world: “Across the industry, the impact of streaming is…
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increasingly evident; consumers are cutting the cord.” He noted a third of U.S. TV homes are OTT-only, as top media companies are “reorienting around streaming” and launching new services. “The traditional TV upfronts are beginning to crumble,” said Wood. Chief Financial Officer Steve Louden said Roku's U.S. active account base is more than twice the video subscribers of the top cable company. Comcast didn't comment Friday. Also Friday, Pivotal Research Group's Jeffrey Wlodarczak told investors the pandemic accelerated the move to direct-to-consumer. It delayed the launch of products competing with Roku and left a “2-horse race between Amazon and Roku,” the analyst said.