Amazon and Apple TV will soon face competition: a streaming service would like to start in Germany this year.
In the USA it is already the market leader.
Berlin - They have been the market leader in the USA for years.
Now the streaming service Roku is expanding its offer to Germany.
The streaming provider from California wants to start in this country this year, as the company recently announced in Berlin.
Roku's products enable TV streaming even on non-internet-enabled TV sets.
With sticks and other hardware, users can receive Netflix and Amazon - but also local services such as TV Now (RTL +) and Sky Ticket.
Amazon and Apple TV face competition: new streaming giant starts in Germany
In Germany, the Amazon FireTV stick and Apple TV boxes, which upgrade non-internet-capable devices to streaming receivers, have so far been particularly widespread.
In Germany, the Californian company Roku does not want to start with the full range for the time being, but only want to offer the hardware products.
New streaming giant in Germany: Roku does not want to offer the full program
The content that Roku offers in the USA under its own streaming channel will not initially be available on the German market.
The company has not yet provided a detailed list of which players and offers are offered here.
"Germany is well on the way to making streaming the dominant form of TV entertainment distribution," says Arthur van Rest. At Roku, he is responsible for business outside the US and considers expansion into Germany to be an important step.
Netflix, Amazon, Disney: Streaming is booming in Germany
Because here too, offers from Netflix, Amazon, Disney and Co. are booming. The market researcher Kantar recently announced that around half of all German households - over 20 million - have subscribed to at least one streaming provider.
Leading here are the two US companies Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Netflix expanded its offering in Germany in September.
Amazon presented new series in August.
The public television broadcasters ARD and ZDF are now increasingly relying on online offers and streaming.
New streaming giant in Germany: Roku starts this year
The provider is still largely unknown in Europe. In the USA it is different: Roku is the market leader, but recently recorded falling market shares. It is listed on the Nasdaq - the largest electronic exchange in the United States. The company was founded in 2002 and made its breakthrough in the US market in 2008 with a player that can stream Netflix content on the television. Roku earns most of its income from selling hardware. The in-house streaming service, on the other hand, is not very successful compared to Netflix and Co. When exactly Roku will be launched in Germany is still unclear. The company did not give a specific date when it presented its expansion plans. A major advertising campaign is expected by autumn.
(dst)
