After at least a year in beta, Roku has officially launched Roku Ads Manager, a self-service platform for buying, managing, and optimizing CTV inventory. This includes both Roku’s own inventory and third-party streaming inventory from services such as Netflix, Peacock, and Max.
Additionally, the company has announced an integration with Shopify to allow Shopify merchants to easily create and launch shoppable CTV ads, so viewers can buy directly from the ad using a Roku remote. (The Shopify partnership to do these formats was announced last year but the self-serve capability in the ads manager is new.)
Why This Matters:
“Roku is focused on democratizing access to CTV,” reads the press release. The self-serve ads manager lowers the CTV entry barriers for marketers, especially smaller and mid-sized brands who previously thought agency support was necessary. With a minimum spend of just $500, Roku is making CTV advertising more accessible to a broader range of advertisers.
Aside from access and simplicity, the platform’s key advantage is also its unique ability to scale buys across both Roku content and 100 ad-supported streamers that Roku has inventory agreements with. This consolidation simplifies buying for newbie CTV advertisers.
Additionally, Roku Ads Manager is made to target performance-minded brands with its cost-efficient reach, data and optimization tools, and engagement-based “Action Ad” units, which allow viewers to request info or shop directly from their remote (via Shopify). This approach appeals to DTC and e-commerce advertisers, in particular, positioning CTV as an alternative to traditional performance channels, like social (as ad costs go up) or search (as AI upends everything).
Experts React:
According to Jonathan Kriner, Head of Roku Ad Growth Marketing, Roku Ads Manager is “the best way to buy across the Roku ecosystem,” and is a massive opportunity for “growth marketers.”
Performance is definitely the word of the moment for Roku’s ads manager. In an interview about the launch with the great AdTechGod, Peter Hamilton, Roku’s Head of Ad Innovation, said, “All ranges of budgets will perform, and we can apply optimizations towards specific goals you have (sign ups, conversions, etc) that Performance Marketers are used to.”
Our Take:
So, Roku Ads Manager is now Roku’s primary buying platform for all advertisers.
But what about OneView? Digiday had previously reported that Roku has “told buyers using the OneView platform that the streaming service would start moving resources toward Roku Ads Manager.”
This week’s ads manager news simply reinforces the idea that Roku will phase out its OneView DSP, moving fully towards a third-party DSP strategy with partners like The Trade Desk and Yahoo. (Ultimately, Roku Ads Manager will serve SMB and mid-market advertisers, while enterprise brands will use their preferred DSPs.)
