Roku Leads In Subscriber Battle With Apple, Amazon

Roku, Inc. ROKU is in the lead ahead of rival streaming players Apple, Inc. AAPL and Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN, according to the latest research from eMarketer.

Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast and Amazon Fire all aim to simplify the viewer transition from cable TV service to streaming.

Roku Leads Amazon, Apple 

Roku will maintain its lead in the streaming space, and by 2023 it will have 111.7 million streaming players in the U.S. compared to Amazon Fire TV’s 88.3 million, according to eMarketer. 

Apple TV will remain in fourth place behind Chromecast, with 25.5 million streaming players versus Chromecast’s 34.2 million in 2023, the market research company said. 

Roku Announces Holiday Stream-A-Thon 

Earlier this week, Roku announced its second annual Stream-a-thon, a week during the holiday season when users will have access to premium TV for free.

Viewers can enjoy a selection of unlocked premium content for free with no subscription needed on The Roku Channel.

Roku also expanded its Premium Subscriptions on The Roku Channel with a HBO plus Cinemax Value Pack for $20.99.

“Stream-a-thon marks the conclusion of an eventful year for The Roku Channel, which included milestones such as the introduction of Premium Subscriptions, the expansion of our live and linear channel offering, the debut of Kids & Family, and the addition of value packs,” Rob Holmes, vice president of programming and engagement at Roku, said in a statement. 

Other Streaming Options

Amazon offers Prime Video, which is a video streaming service available for Amazon Prime members.

This gives viewers access to thousands of Prime Video titles and costs $4.99 to $14.99 per month. 

The annual Amazon Prime membership costs $119. A month-by-month Prime membership is $12.99 per month.

Apple TV+ is Apple's video streaming service and costs $5 a month, or $50 for an annual subscription.

The Google Chromecast plugs into Tvs and gives viewers access to multiple streaming services, from Netflix and YouTube to Google Play.

The regular Chromecast costs $35 and broadcasts content at up to 1080p. Chromecast Ultra costs $70 and broadcasts content at up to 4K resolutions with HDR color technology.

Roku shares were down 3.28% at $135 at the time of publication Friday. The stock has a 52-week high of $176.55 and a 52-week low of $26.30.

Related Links:

Roku To Purchase Dataxu For $150M In Cash And Roku Shares

What To Know About Roku's Post-Christmas 'Stream-A-Thon'

Photo courtesy of Roku.