The sun-soaked Croisette at Cannes Lions 2025 set the stage for bold ideas and big announcements. Roku showed up in full force—connecting with advertisers, making headlines, and laying out a clear vision for the future of TV streaming.
Here, we recap the big moments and buzzy themes touching on Roku and the streaming landscape.
Everyone we met with was eager to talk about Roku’s new partnership with Amazon to unify logged-in TV audiences across both of our platforms.
With this move, we’re creating the largest authenticated CTV solution in North America by accurately resolving audiences across the Roku operating system, The Roku Channel, Amazon Fire TV, and Amazon Prime Video. This enables advertisers to reach the same viewer across different streaming channels and devices, leading to more accurate and performant campaigns. Viewers meanwhile will enjoy a better TV experience thanks to improved ad frequency management. Learn more in our blog post.
As streaming services multiply, even die-hard fans struggle to find their favorite games. Roku sees this not just as a pain point, but a brand opportunity to lead in live sports discovery.
During a panel at The Female Quotient Lounge, Sarah Harms, Roku’s VP of Ad Marketing and Measurement, told a relatable story about her husband’s 88-year-old uncle, a devoted New York Yankees fan who sometimes can’t find his favorite team on TV.
“His game could be on four different apps in five days,” she said. “We should make TV easy for everyone—including Uncle Joe.”
Watch Now: Sarah Harms, VP Ad Marketing & Measurement, ROKU in the SPORT BEACH Content Studio
To solve this, Roku created the Roku Sports Experience, a centralized hub for live and upcoming games, replays, highlights, and more. Themed Sports Zones—like the National Women’s Soccer League Zone and MLB Zone—further refine the experience.
In an interview with Axios, Roku Media President Charlie Collier underscored the company’s role in shaping how fans discover live sports.
“Before Caitlin Clark blew up, we absolutely made sure that we got our viewers to those games on ION,” said Collier. “It wasn't our rights, but it was absolutely our right to elevate that pop cultural moment.”
At The Drum Studio, Jordan Rost, Roku’s Head of Ad Marketing, spotlighted how connected TV can power full-funnel performance—not just top-of-funnel reach.
Take Hellmann’s Big Game commercial, “When Sally Met Hellmann’s,” starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. The campaign extended beyond the 30-second spot into a shoppable, interactive experience with custom recipes shoppable via Roku remotes, a branded deli inside Roku City and a Marquee Ad on the Roku home screen.
The takeaway? Brands that embrace immersive, native formats on CTV can extend campaign lift and brand engagement far beyond one-time airings.
At the Dentsu Beach House, Lindsay Pullins, Director of Business Development & Partnerships, presented new research showing the power of shoppable streaming:
Pullins’ message was clear: Consumers are increasingly open to shopping directly from their TVs especially if they get value in exchange.
Cannes 2025 wasn’t just about conversations. Roku delivered tangible progress on our commitment to help agencies and brands achieve precision at scale by aligning with our position as the lead-in to all TV. Here’s more of what we shared last week:
From live sports and AVOD scale to shoppable experiences, Roku showed our full breadth of offerings in Cannes. As streamers and advertisers alike learn that “it's all on Roku,” we look forward to helping our partners precisely reach their audiences at scale in the guided age of TV.
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