Roku announced today that it has sold five million of its video and music streaming set top boxes, claiming that 25 percent of its users are using Roku as the primary way of viewing television.
In addition to having sold millions of Roku players, the company says it also has provided over eight billion streams of videos and music to date.
The company first started out with streaming service Netflix as its customers’ only option for streaming video, but quickly added more options such as HBO Go and Hulu Plus. In January, Roku rounded out its channels with PBS, Time Warner Cable, and Fox Now. On the music streaming side, it also added Vevo around the same time, and also includes Pandora among its music channels. There are now over 750 channels available on Roku.
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In an earlier interview with VentureBeat, Roku chief executive Anthony Wood said that over a billion hours have been streamed as well.
According to Roku, Nielsen states that “the average American spends 34 hours per week watching live TV.” It went on to say that 25 percent of its customers use Roku 35 hours a week. Of course, anyone who buys a Roku box is going to have a predisposition to streaming content, but it does show a shift in attitudes around cable.
Roku launched its first player in 2008.
Roku image via Roku
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