Roku plans to launch its own TVs in spring 2023 across two brands, Roku Select and Roku Plus, ranging from 24-inches for $119 to 75-inches for $999
Roku is making big news at CES 2023: the company long known for its streaming players and easy-to-use software plans to release its own lineup of TVs this year.
Context & Ripple Effects
Roku’s TV software previously reached buyers through sets from TCL, Insignia, and Haier; the company had also built a lower-cost streaming-device ladder with the 4K Roku Premiere and Premiere+. Launching Roku Select and Roku Plus shifts it from supplying the interface to selling the screen under its own name.
The broad initial size and price range establishes a base for the later Roku Pro Series high-end TV plan, showing an expansion from partner-enabled TV software into a multi-tier hardware lineup.
First-order effects
- Roku becomes a direct TV seller, offering Select and Plus sets from 24 to 75 inches and pricing from $119 to $999 alongside its streaming players.
- TCL, Insignia, and Haier face Roku as a branded competitor in the same Roku-TV channel they previously helped establish.
Second-order effects
- Roku can pair its TV hardware with the homescreen engagement strategy described in related coverage, including the new marquee advertising placement, rather than relying solely on third-party TV makers to carry its platform.
- The entry-level-to-large-screen range puts pressure on rival TV brands to differentiate through hardware, pricing, or alternative smart-TV software rather than Roku access alone.
Third-order effects
- If Roku continues adding tiers such as its planned Pro Series, the Roku TV ecosystem shifts from a licensing model toward a vertically branded hardware-and-platform business, concentrating more control over the household viewing interface with Roku.
- That shift makes TV makers’ platform choice more consequential: a software partner can become a retail rival while retaining influence over discovery and app promotion.
The trend: Streaming-platform companies are extending from standalone devices and TV licensing into branded television hardware to control more of the viewing experience.