Roku launches the Roku TV Ready program, which will let third parties release products that are easy to set up and allow users to control them with one remote
Amazon's Fire TV isn't the only connected TV platform aiming to reach more screens by way of new partnerships.
Context & Ripple Effects
Roku has been building out a licensing business alongside its own hardware: it first opened its voice assistant to partner smart speakers and soundbars via a licensing program for manufacturing partners, then took the broader package of TV reference designs and Roku OS to Europe in September 2019. The Roku TV Ready program is the next rung on that ladder — instead of licensing Roku OS itself, third parties can now ship accessories that pair easily with Roku TVs and answer to a single remote.
First-order effects
- Accessory makers gain a certification path to make soundbars and other products that set up cleanly with Roku TVs, while Roku TV owners get one-remote control over the whole setup rather than juggling remotes per device.
Second-order effects
- Amazon's Fire TV is pursuing the same screens-through-partnerships strategy, so it now faces pressure to offer accessory makers an equivalent certification program or cede the living-room periphery to Roku's standard.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, connected-TV platforms compete less on the TV panel itself and more on who controls the surrounding device ecosystem — the remote and voice layer becoming the lock-in point that keeps partners and users inside each platform.
The trend: Streaming TV platforms are extending their reach beyond the television through licensing and certification programs that turn the remote-and-accessory layer into the competitive battleground against rivals like Fire TV.