Roku Media: Our priorities include launching the Roku Channel in Mexico and continuing to invest in key categories like home and gastronomy

During the second edition of the FAST Festival (23 – 25 July), a virtual event focusing on the FAST and AVOD sectors, David Eilenberg, Head of Content at Roku Media, outlined the company’s priorities for the next 12 to 24 months. He emphasized building upon the success of the Roku Channel Mexico, launched in October 2022, and continuing to invest in key areas like home and gastronomy.

AMONG THE TOP 10 STREAMERS IN THE US

Eilenberg shared that Roku Channel ranks among the top 10 streaming services in the US, according to Nielsen. He attributed the platform’s growth to its free, ad-supported model. Eilenberg emphasized that offering a free service continues to appeal to audiences and noted the increasing trend of subscription services introducing ad-supported tiers.

He highlighted that their strongest categories are home and gastronomy, and comedy has emerged as a standout since the launch of the original biopic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which chronicles the life and career of Yankovic.

He indicated that they have no plans to produce original dramas, though they do offer content from other providers in this genre. Their focus is on a broader range of entertainment. “We have over a thousand titles available on Roku Channel, both FAST and on-demand,” he pointed out.

THE CHALLENGE OF FINDING CONTENT IN STREAMING

Eilenberg stated that their goal is to cater to both local and global audiences. “Personalization is crucial, as it is for all streaming services. It’s about finding the right balance between broad reach and tailored recommendations,” he explained.

He emphasized that discoverability remains a significant challenge across the streaming industry. Eilenberg explained that Roku has started creating content zones based on genre. Sports was the first category they organized in this way, as it was previously scattered and difficult for viewers to navigate. They are now applying this approach to food and home content.

There’s another challenge related to content consumption. Eilenberg explained, “With so many content options available, people often lose track of what they are watching. Technology can help solve this, but human curation is also essential. We rely on machine learning, which we’re proud of, but there’s still a need for human input to highlight new and unexpected content, and ultimately, to delight users.”

ADVERTISERS

Eilenberg noted a significant shift of advertisers from linear television to streaming platforms. This trend is accelerated by the growing number of streaming services introducing ad-supported tiers, including those that previously offered only subscription-based plans.

“We’ve also seen a surge in advertisers and agencies eager to become storytelling partners. Advertisers seek to understand their audience, achieve a strong return on investment (ROI), and consistently reach their target consumers,” said Eilenberg.

INTERNATIONAL CO-PRODUCTION

Eilenberg believes international co-production will be “tremendously” important for original content strategies in the coming years. “While we may think there’s limited production in the US, exploring other regions reveals a wealth of production activity,” he said. “This prompts us to consider increased global collaboration and the development of new joint projects. I believe this will be a sought-after solution.”

Eilenberg clarified that production isn’t less active now, but rather has shifted to other locations.

One of the advantages of international co-production is risk mitigation. “Additionally, the next global sensation could originate from anywhere in the world,” he stated, citing Squid Game as an example. “Audiences have warmly embraced subtitles, and this trend is set to continue.”