Roku plans smart home sales exit as it shifts focus to streaming

Roku intends to phase out its smart home hardware sales and concentrate on its streaming platform, a spokesperson told Lowpass. The company said services and support would continue for existing products. The announcement follows the completion of Fox’s US$22 billion acquisition of Roku.

Stock on Roku’s online store was limited to two products: the Roku Indoor Camera 360° and Video Doorbell & Chime. Listings for its home monitoring system, smart plugs, lighting products and other cameras showed no stock. Lowpass reported that the devices were also unavailable through many third-party retailers, while Amazon’s offerings were limited to refurbished models.

Roku entered the smart home category in 2022, initially selling Wyze products under its own brand before later introducing hardware of its own. According to Lowpass, the retreat had been developing for several months, with smart home devices disappearing from the company’s earnings reports.

In its last earnings report before becoming part of Fox, Roku recorded a 33 percent year-over-year increase in third-quarter device revenue. Hardware losses nevertheless climbed to US$48.6 million from US$22.9 million, largely because of higher memory component costs, the company said. Roku’s device revenue includes its own streaming players and televisions but excludes Roku-branded televisions manufactured by other companies.