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Roku, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 30 April 2026: letter to shareholders. Guidance figures: 2 raised, 8 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Platform revenue up 28% YoY: Platform revenue reached $1.13 billion, up 28% YoY, and total net revenue was $1.25 billion, up 22% YoY, with Advertising and Subscriptions as the main contributors. Source
  • Profit and free cash flow rose: Net income was $86 million and Adjusted EBITDA was $148 million, up 165% YoY. Free cash flow on a trailing twelve-month basis reached an all-time high. Source
  • Advertising grew 27% to $613 million: Advertising revenue was $613 million, up 27% YoY, with gross margin of 60.5%. Source
  • Subscriptions grew 30%, 23% ex-Frndly: Subscriptions revenue was $519 million, up 30% YoY, and grew 23% YoY excluding Frndly. Subscriptions gross margin was 41.1%. Source
  • Devices revenue down 16%: Devices revenue was $118 million, down 16% YoY, with gross margin of (16.3)%, driven by lower player unit sales and promotional pricing. Source
  • Subscriptions margin down 7.6 points: Subscriptions gross margin was 41.1%, down 7.6 percentage points YoY, while Advertising gross margin rose 4.5 points to 60.5%. Source

“These results affirm our path to sustaining double-digit Platform revenue growth, expanding margins, and growing our north star metric of Free Cash Flow per share.”

Anthony Wood, Founder and CEO, and Dan Jedda, CFO and COO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Platform revenue growth SourceQ2 2026approximately 20% YoYNew
Total net revenue SourceQ2 2026$1.3 billion, up nearly 17% YoYNew
Total gross profit SourceQ2 2026$580 millionNew
Adjusted EBITDA SourceQ2 2026$170 millionNew
Net income SourceQ2 2026$90 millionNew
Stock-based compensation SourceQ2 2026approx. $80MNew
Depreciation and amortization SourceQ2 2026approx. $20MNew
Other income SourceQ2 2026approx. $20MNew
Platform revenue SourceFull year 2026nearly 21% YoY to $5.0 billionRaised
Devices revenue SourceFull year 2026approximately $535 millionRaised
Platform gross margin SourceFull year 2026high end of 51% to 52% range
Devices gross margin SourceFull year 2026high (20)% range
Operating expenses growth SourceFull year 2026mid-single-digit YoY growthKept
Total gross profit SourceFull year 2026$2,450 million
Net income SourceFull year 2026$360 million
Adjusted EBITDA SourceFull year 2026$675 million
Free cash flow SourceBy 2028, if not sooner$1 billion

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Platform revenue is now disaggregated into two operating segments, Advertising and Subscriptions, to give investors more visibility. Source
  • New: Apple TV and Peacock were added within Premium Subscriptions in March and April 2026. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Platform revenue up 28% YoY: Platform revenue reached $1.13 billion, up 28% YoY, and total net revenue was $1.25 billion, up 22% YoY, with Advertising and Subscriptions as the main contributors. Source
  • Profit and free cash flow rose: Net income was $86 million and Adjusted EBITDA was $148 million, up 165% YoY. Free cash flow on a trailing twelve-month basis reached an all-time high. Source
  • Streaming hours grew 8%: Streaming Hours reached 38.7 billion in the quarter, up 8% YoY. Source
  • Gross profit up 27%: Total gross profit was $565 million, up 27% YoY, with total gross margin of 45.2%, up 1.6 points. Source

Segments: Advertising and Subscriptions

  • Advertising grew 27% to $613 million: Advertising revenue was $613 million, up 27% YoY, with gross margin of 60.5%. Source
  • Subscriptions grew 30%, 23% ex-Frndly: Subscriptions revenue was $519 million, up 30% YoY, and grew 23% YoY excluding Frndly. Subscriptions gross margin was 41.1%. Source
  • Two segments now reported separately: Management began breaking out Advertising and Subscriptions as separate operating segments to give investors greater visibility. Source

“The success of Super Bowl LX and the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Roku underscored the power of our platform.”

Anthony Wood, Founder and CEO, and Dan Jedda, CFO and COO

Advertising demand and products

  • Programmatic ad spend up over 40%: Ad spend through third-party programmatic partners rose more than 40% YoY, with deeper integrations with major demand-side platforms. Source
  • Self-service advertiser count doubled: The number of advertisers using Ads Manager, the self-service platform for performance and small and medium-size business advertisers, more than doubled YoY in the quarter. Source
  • Non-M&E brands near 30% of RX: Ad spend from non-Media and Entertainment brands reached nearly 30% of total Roku Experience advertising revenue, an all-time high. Source
  • Marquee Ad Video advertisers doubled: Advertisers using Marquee Ad Video doubled YoY and ad spend tripled YoY, though the format is still small within total Advertising. Source
  • Video ad growth outpaced markets: Management said video advertising growth on the platform outpaced both the U.S. OTT and digital ad markets, per SMI data cited. Source

Subscriptions and content partners

  • Record Premium Subscription sign-ups: Management said the first quarter was the highest quarter ever for Premium Subscription sign-ups on the platform. Source
  • Apple TV and Peacock added: Apple TV launched within Premium Subscriptions in March and Peacock in April, letting viewers reach both services through The Roku Channel. Source
  • Peacock sign-ups tied to RX: More than half of Peacock sign-ups on the Roku platform in February originated from the Roku Experience. Source
  • Howdy expanded to mobile and Prime Video: Howdy, a $3 per month ad-free service, was expanded through Prime Video and a standalone mobile app and launched in Mexico. Source
  • Roku Channel ranked second app: The Roku Channel was the number two app on the platform by engagement in the U.S. during the quarter. Source

“We believe this widening cost differential will drive more TV OEMs to partner with us.”

Anthony Wood, Founder and CEO, and Dan Jedda, CFO and COO

Devices and OEM licensing

  • Devices revenue down 16%: Devices revenue was $118 million, down 16% YoY, with gross margin of (16.3)%, driven by lower player unit sales and promotional pricing. Source
  • Roku-made TV units grew: Roku-made TV unit sales grew YoY, helped by the Hiro Roku TV ramp at Target, relaunches at Best Buy, and strength on Amazon. Source
  • Over 100 million Roku TV OS households: In April, more than 100 million streaming households worldwide used a device running the Roku TV operating system. Source
  • Memory chip pricing pressure: Management is monitoring memory chip pricing pressure across the electronics industry, and says the Roku TV OS uses less DRAM and Flash memory than competing platforms. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Operating expenses up 2%: Total operating expenses were $513.2 million, up 2% YoY, and the company reported income from operations of $51.8 million, against a loss of $57.7 million a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin up 6.4 points: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 11.9%, up 6.4 percentage points YoY. Source
  • Subscriptions margin down 7.6 points: Subscriptions gross margin was 41.1%, down 7.6 percentage points YoY, while Advertising gross margin rose 4.5 points to 60.5%. Source

Cash, capital and buybacks

  • Operating cash flow rose to $199 million: Net cash provided by operating activities was $199.1 million in the quarter, compared with $138.7 million a year earlier. Source
  • $100 million of shares repurchased: The company repurchased $100 million of common stock in the first quarter, bringing the total to $250 million since the third quarter of 2025. Source
  • Cash and short-term investments: Cash and cash equivalents were $1.65 billion and short-term investments were $730 million at March 31, 2026. Source
  • Net share settlement taxes: Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards were $51.5 million in the quarter, compared with $38.5 million a year earlier. Source
  • Capital expenditure of $3.1 million: Purchases of property and equipment were $3.1 million in the quarter, compared with $1.9 million a year earlier. Source

Strategy and monetization

  • Roku Experience seen as advantage: Management described the Roku Experience, including the Home Screen, content discovery and AI-powered recommendations, as a competitive advantage that drives engagement, advertising and subscriptions. Source
  • Small and medium business ad spend target: Management said it sees a long-term chance to reach a meaningful share of roughly $600 billion in annual small and medium business ad spend, using generative AI to lower video creative costs. Source
  • Blu Dot campaign returns: Blu Dot, in an 11-week campaign using Roku Ads Manager and the Shopify integration, reported an overall return on ad spend of over 2,000%. Source

Coming up, as management said on 30 April 2026

  • New OEM partnerships to add units: Management expects new OEM partnerships to start contributing to Roku TV model unit volume in the second half of 2026. Source
  • Higher memory costs in second half: Management expects higher memory costs to weigh on Devices margins in the second half of 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Streaming Households Sourcemore than 100 million worldwide
Streaming Hours Source38.7 billion, up 8% YoY
Capital expenditure Source$3.1 million (first quarter)

Risks management discussed

  • External: Memory chip supply tightening is raising costs across the electronics industry, which management expects to weigh on Devices margins in the second half. Source
  • Demand: Devices revenue declined on lower player unit sales and promotional pricing during the quarter. Source
  • Operational: Operating expenses are expected to be weighted to the second half because of the timing of distribution expenses. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management reiterated its goal of $1 billion of Free Cash Flow by 2028, if not sooner, without stating progress against it. Source
  • Not stated: Management reported $250 million repurchased since the third quarter of 2025, including $100 million in the first quarter, under the $400 million program. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.