Funai Electric Joins Roku TV Licensing Program
Philips brand licensee expected to ship Roku TV models this year
LOS GATOS, Calif(14 Nov 2017)
Roku, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROKU) today announced that Funai Electric has joined the Roku TV™ licensing program. Funai Electric will leverage the Roku TV platform to build and deliver smart TVs under the Philips brand that run the Roku® OS. Philips Roku TV models are expected to be available in the U.S. this year.
“We are excited to work with Roku to deliver an exceptional streaming service on our Philips branded TVs,” said Peter Swinkels, GM, Product Planning at Funai Electric. “The Philips brand is a well-known and trusted brand in the US that delivers best-in-class performance TVs. By using the Roku operating system to power Philips branded TVs, our customers will enjoy a simple-to-use interface that offers excellent streaming entertainment and discovery features for smart TVs today. We look forward to delivering new Philips Roku TVs later this year.”
“Philips is a great brand that is widely recognized by consumers,” said Chas Smith, general manager of Roku OEM. “Combined with Roku’s operating system, we can deliver a smart TV that offers value, simplicity, and entertainment.”
Building Cost Effective Smart TVs That Consumers Love
The Roku TV licensing program offers partners an easy, efficient, and cost-effective way to build smart TVs that consumers love to use. Roku provides a low-cost hardware reference design so TV brands can offer a best-in-class smart TV solution at competitive price points. The Roku operating system provides consumers with access to an ever-growing library of content as well as regular, automatic updates so they can be sure they have the latest and greatest features.
About Funai Electric
Funai Electric Co., LTD is the exclusive licensee for Philips consumer televisions and home video products in North America. Funai Electric Co., Ltd., established in 1961, is headquartered in Osaka, Japan and is listed in the Tokyo Securities Exchange First Section (6839). In addition to the consumer electronic product brands sold by Funai Corporation and the products sold by other Funai sales and marketing companies in Asia, Europe, and South America, Funai Electric Company, Ltd. is a major original equipment manufacturer (OEM) supplier for appliance, consumer electronics, computer, and computer peripheral companies at a global level.
About Roku, Inc.
Roku pioneered streaming to the TV. We connect users to the streaming content they love, enables content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and provides advertisers with unique capabilities to engage consumers. Roku streaming players and Roku TV models are available around the world through direct retail sales and licensing arrangements with TV OEMs and service operators. The company was founded by Anthony Wood, inventor of the DVR. Roku is headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif. U.S.A.