2024 was a momentous year with more than its share of surprises. Sports is bigger than ever, Inside Out 2 ruled the box office, and the NCAA women’s basketball final outdrew the men’s. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour finally wrapped up (pass the tissues!) and Peacock’s coverage of the Paris Olympics set a new high-water mark for sports streaming.
At Roku, 2024 was all about elevating the viewer experience, expanding our partner ecosystem, and driving real results for marketers through CTV advertising. Let’s look back at some key developments in each of these areas.
This year we made significant enhancements to the Roku experience for both viewers and advertisers. Here’s how:
Immersive home screen: The Roku home screen is where streaming begins for millions of viewers—making it prime advertising real estate. In 2024, we introduced our largest home screen ad format yet, featuring new video experiences that command attention the moment users power up their devices.
Sports Zones: Finding live sports got easier with dedicated Sports Zones like the Olympics Zone and MLB Zone. Sports fans, we see you and look forward to further simplifying game-day navigation in the year ahead.
Roku City ad innovations: Roku City—our fan-favorite screensaver featuring hidden TV and movie references—evolved into an even more engaging platform. Brands like Paramount+ launched a Spongebob Squarepants parade and a dragon from House of the Dragon could be seen flying overhead.
2024 also brought new data partnerships, expanded ad capabilities, and game-changing tech to the Roku platform.
The Trade Desk + Roku: Roku adopted The Trade Desk’s Unified ID 2.0 (UID2), a leading identity solution, boosting advertisers’ ability to reach, measure, and optimize campaigns across Roku’s premium streaming inventory.
Instacart expansion: CPG brands gained powerful new tools through our expanded Instacart partnership, including shoppable CTV ads that let viewers place grocery orders right from the TV screen without interrupting their viewing sessions.
Improved measurement with iSpot: Our expanded iSpot.tv partnership delivers real-time metrics like reach, frequency, and verified ad exposures, ensuring campaigns are measured fairly and accurately.
Introducing Roku Exchange: We launched Roku Exchange, connecting advertisers with Roku’s premium inventory through their preferred buying platforms.
Here at Roku, we know that our advertisers need to understand how well their campaigns deliver against marketing KPIs. That’s why all of our 2024 platform enhancements are built on a commitment to proven performance.
You can see this commitment in the experience of advertisers like e.l.f. Beauty, which used streaming ads to extend the brand’s Big Game ad featuring Judge Judy. The campaign employed a home-screen Marquee ad, a Roku City billboard, and a Brand Showcase with a QR code linking directly to the brand’s website.
The results speak for themselves:
Another demonstration of our commitment to performance is the recent launch of Roku Ads Manager, our self-service ad buying platform. With a familiar buying experience similar to search and social, Roku Ads Manager democratizes access to CTV ads and offers data, optimization, and ad formats unavailable from other self-serve buying solutions.
Finally, we teamed up with agencies like MiQ, Tinuiti, and Assembly and GALE to help brands drive full-funnel CTV results.
This year we launched our Roku Insights program, highlighting our powerful streaming and advertising data to help marketers stay ahead. Here are a few key examples:
Olympic fever: We reported that linear TV viewership for women’s sports like field hockey, water polo, and soccer skyrocketed during the 2024 Olympics.
NFL Kickoff: Streaming on Roku grew 29% led by 18-24 year olds.
Emmy trends: We learned that Roku streamers had different taste than award juries.
Top streaming moments of 2024 on Roku¹
Most-searched franchises of 2024 on Roku²
Also on Roku in 2024:³
We are! Expect a year in which the majority of streaming will be free and ad-supported, streaming sports becomes the norm, and a big wave of marketers launch their first CTV ads. (Read our 2025 predictions here.) Here at Roku Advertising, we look forward to launching innovative ad formats, deeper personalization, and even smarter media strategies to support your advertising goals in the year ahead.
We’re here to help you win in 2025!
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¹ Roku Internal Data, 2024 | Top moments based on reach
²¯³ Roku Internal Data, 2024
⁴ Binge defined as 8+ hours in one streaming session