Despite Amazon Deal, Best Buy to Sell More Roku TVs This Year Than Last, Says Wood

Best Buy’s decision last spring to phase out Roku support on Insignia smart TVs and partner with Amazon in an exclusive multiyear arrangement to sell Insignia- and Toshiba-branded Fire TV Edition smart sets in the U.S. and Canada (see 1804180002) won’t crimp Roku’s relationship with Best Buy, said Roku CEO Anthony Wood on a Wednesday earnings call. Despite the Amazon-Best Buy deal, “we expect the number of Roku TVs to be sold at Best Buy this year to actually increase versus last year,” said Wood. “Best Buy is an important partner for us. We sell a lot of TVs there.” Cord-cutting “continues to alter the TV landscape,” said Wood. “We believe the trend will accelerate as more consumers understand the choice and value that streaming offers.” With 24 million “active accounts,” the “scale” of Roku’s customer base “now rivals large traditional U.S. cable and satellite companies,” he said. “While they are losing video subscribers, we continue to grow quickly.”