Observed Signal · Jun 22, 2026 · Earnings Report · Source: Cord Cutters News · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Roku Channel Drives Roku's Shift to Ad-First Platform
The Roku Channel, launched in September 2017, has grown into the top free ad-supported streaming (FAST) service in the U.S., surpassing Tubi in November 2024 (Nielsen) and ranking among the five most-watched U.S. streaming services by mid-2025. Roku estimates the channel reaches 145 million people and reported The Roku Channel accounted for a record ~3% share of all U.S. television viewing by end-2025. Roku’s installed base exceeds 100 million streaming households. In Q1 2026 Roku reported $1.25 billion net revenue (up 22% YoY), with platform revenue of $1.13 billion (up 28%) representing roughly 90% of total revenue; devices revenue was $118 million (down 16%). Q1 2026 advertising revenue reached $613 million (up 27%) and subscription revenue $519 million (up 30%). The article links The Roku Channel’s preinstallation, home-screen placement, curated discovery and owned ad inventory to higher engagement, ad scale, and improved platform margins (platform gross margins ~51–52%).
Roku’s financials and usage metrics show a decisive shift from hardware to a platform-driven ad/subscription business, enlarging owned-and-operated CTV inventory, first-party data control, and margins—significant for advertisers, CTV marketplaces and programmatic budgets.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- The Roku Channel launched in September 2017 as a free ad-supported service.
- Nielsen data: The Roku Channel passed Tubi as the top free ad-supported streaming service in the U.S. in November 2024.
- Roku estimates The Roku Channel reaches 145 million people and had about a 3% share of all U.S. TV viewing by end-2025 (45% YoY growth).
- Q1 2026: Roku reported $1.25 billion net revenue (up 22% YoY); platform revenue $1.13 billion (up 28%), ~90% of total revenue; devices revenue $118 million (down 16%).
- Q1 2026 platform breakdown: Advertising revenue $613 million (up 27%); Subscription revenue $519 million (up 30%); streaming hours were 38.7 billion in Q1 2026.
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Roku Surpasses $1B in Q3 Revenue, Eyes Continued Growth
Roku posted solid Q3 2025 results with platform revenue up 17% year-over-year to $1.06B, marking the first time platform revenue surpassed $1B in 2025 (last over $1B was Q4 2024). Total Q3 revenue rose 14% year-over-year to $1.21B. CEO Anthony Wood expressed confidence in continued double-digit growth in 2026 and Roku raised its full-year platform growth outlook to 17%. Growth is driven by new integrations with third-party DSPs, including a June-announced Amazon DSP partnership, and momentum in Roku Ads Manager, with about 90% of Ads Manager users in Q3 being new to Roku. Roku Channel generated 36.5B streaming hours in the quarter, accounting for 6.2% of US streaming time per Nielsen, and engagement is largely from display ads across Roku OS. A home page update planned for early 2026 aims to boost engagement and monetization, and shoppable ads are expected to expand; Roku also launched the Howdy ad-free service at $2.99/month.
Monster Jam Primetime Series Debuts Oct 1 on FAST Platforms
Monster Jam announced that its weekly streaming series, Monster Jam Primetime, will debut on October 1, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET on the Monster Jam Channel. Two new episodes will premiere every Thursday across nine free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, VIZIO WatchFree+, Pluto TV, LG Channels, Plex, Local Now, Rakuten TV, and Xumo Play. Episodes will also be available on the Monster Jam YouTube channel. The series features highlights from the 2026 season, including Racing, Skills competitions, and Freestyle, with analysis and behind-the-scenes content.
ABC World News Tonight Leads Evening News Ratings
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir began the 2026-2027 broadcast season as the only evening newscast to grow or hold its audience, averaging 8.388 million total viewers and 1.153 million Adults 25-54 for the week of September 21, 2026. This marked its 11th consecutive year as the most-watched evening newscast and its strongest season-opening week in six years. NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas finished second with 6.495 million total viewers and 970,000 in the demo, while CBS Evening News averaged 3.98 million and 497,000. Ratings are based on Nielsen live+same-day data. These ratings reflect the competitive landscape of broadcast evening news, relevant to advertisers and media planners.
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