Catching Roku on Ad-Supported TV

What Display Daily thinks: Considering how established Roku is, you would expect the competition to have some sort of an answer to the interface and ease of use, concepts that drive the platform’s popularity. I have bemoaned LG’s lack of foresight, but it seems as if Samsung can do no better.

A successful CTV strategy needs greater integration, broader appeal, and a lot of consumer-friendly experiences. For Samsung, Tizen’s success is its greatest barrier to competition from TCL and Hisense. That means greater engagement, and a more Roku-like approach, frankly.

It probably means the home integration part to be reconsidered so that it is not driven by apps or your phone. The TV should be the central hub. That’s something that Roku, TCL and Hisense will struggle to address but should be a no-brainer for Samsung.

Tizen Not Getting Ad-Supported Love From Users

A Parks Associates study addresses the growing competition within the CTV market, particularly as various operating systems and device ecosystems vie for consumer attention.The choice of a CTV platform is increasingly influenced by brand loyalty, ease of use, and compatibility with other devices. This compatibility is essential as more consumers consider integrating CTVs with IoT and smart home devices.

Source: Parks Associates

While subscription-based video on demand (SVOD) remains the most popular service across CTV platforms, the report observes an uptick in the popularity and diversification of ad-supported streaming models. This trend is a response to rising demand for cost-effective content options, which presents new revenue opportunities for platforms capable of delivering targeted video ads. The increasing appeal of ad-based models also signals a shift in consumer behavior, particularly toward free content supported by ads rather than subscriptions.

The report singles out Roku and Tizen as two distinct examples of ad-supported viewership engagement. Roku users display a significantly higher tendency toward ad-supported streaming, likely due to Roku’s user-friendly interface, robust ad-supported content offerings, and integration with free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels. In contrast, Tizen, Samsung’s operating system, shows considerably lower engagement in ad-supported content, potentially due to Samsung’s emphasis on premium SVOD services or a less diverse offering of ad-based content.

Platforms like Google are leveraging the rise in ad-based streaming by enhancing their content libraries and channel offerings. Google’s replacement of Chromecast with the new Google TV Streamer and expansion to 150 FAST channels demonstrates a strategic response to the growing demand for ad-supported options.