Reviewed by Peter Berk, President and Chief Media Strategist, Berk Marketing · Last updated 21 October 2026
Connected TV and streaming
Roku sells advertising across The Roku Channel, its home screen and the ad-supported apps on Roku devices and Roku-powered TVs. Berk Marketing places Roku through Amazon Ads, in one streaming buy that also reaches Prime Video, Hulu and the other major apps.
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Short answer. Roku is the streaming system built into a large share of American televisions and streaming players, so it sells more than one thing: commercials on The Roku Channel, its own free channel; video ads inside the apps that run on Roku; and placements on the Roku home screen. We buy Roku through Amazon Ads, which since 2025 has been the route to Roku’s logged-in household data and its inventory. That puts Roku in the same buy as Prime Video, Hulu and the other major apps, with a non-skippable :30, one frequency cap and billing only for completed views. Roku is often one of the more efficient parts of a connected TV plan, because so much of what is watched on it is free and paid for by commercials.
What you are buying
Roku is a platform before it is a channel, which is why there is more than one thing to buy.
| Placement | What it is | In our buy? |
|---|---|---|
| The Roku Channel | Roku’s own free, ad-supported channel: on-demand movies and shows plus a large lineup of free live channels. | Yes. Broad reach in every market and plenty of ad breaks, often the efficient core of the Roku portion. |
| Apps on Roku | Video ads inside ad-supported apps that run on Roku devices and Roku-powered TVs. | Yes, reached with Roku’s household data, so the spot lands in the right home whichever app is open. |
| Home screen | Sponsored tiles and banners on the Roku interface, seen before anyone opens an app. | No. A larger, direct buy with Roku, and an awareness play rather than response. |
| Interactive formats | Units where a viewer presses OK on the remote to receive an offer by email or text. | Not in our standard plan, which runs a full :30 with a tracking number or short web address on screen. |
A Roku proposal that does not say which of these it is quoting is not a plan, it is a package. Ask which placements, which apps, and what the frequency cap is.
Free streaming
A growing share of streaming in America is free television paid for by commercials: The Roku Channel, Tubi, Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus and others, known in the trade as FAST, for free ad-supported streaming television. Many of those viewers never signed up for a paid service, which is exactly why a subscription service’s ad tier cannot reach them.
For an advertiser, free streaming tends to mean more ad breaks, broad reach and a lower cost per thousand than premium subscription services, with less control over the exact program. That is why Roku and the free outlets so often carry the reach in a connected TV advertising plan, while services like Hulu carry the premium programming.
How our Roku buy works
Roku also sells a self-serve tool, Roku Ads Manager, and direct deals through its own sales team. Both work. The difference is that our buy carries Roku together with Prime Video, Hulu and the other major apps, so the plan, the frequency cap and the report are one thing rather than several.
Fit
Self-serve or through us
Sometimes, yes. If you only want Roku, have a finished commercial, one market and the time to watch it, Roku’s self-serve tool works, and we will tell you so.
What we add is everything around the buy. Roku runs in the same plan as Prime Video, Hulu and the other major apps, so one household is not reached five times from five separate campaigns. You pay only for completed views. You get a weekly reporting dashboard and a tracking number or web address on screen, and we move money toward what responded. We price the streaming line beside cable and radio for the same audience. And because the people selling streaming television now are, in many cases, the same people who sold radio for decades, we can usually get a real person on the phone when a campaign needs a fix.
Worth knowing first
We work with advertisers who have not already been quoted directly by a station, network or platform. We are not in the business of taking clients away from sellers, and once an advertiser has been quoted directly, our ability to negotiate that inventory on your behalf is limited.
The consequence lands on you rather than on us. If connected TV is on your list and you have not spoken to anyone yet, that is exactly when this is worth a call.
We will run a competitive monitoring report at no charge and with no obligation. It shows which stations, networks and channels your competitors are on, at what times of day, how many spots, and it includes the actual audio or video of their commercials.
In many cases nothing shows up at all, and that is worth knowing too.
Get the ReportQuestions
Yes. A Roku campaign can be limited to one metro or a set of zip codes, and you pay only for completed views. As with any television, the commercial is usually the harder part, not the budget.
Through Amazon Ads. Since 2025 Amazon’s platform has been the route to Roku’s logged-in household data and its inventory, including The Roku Channel, in the same buy as Prime Video, Hulu and the other major apps.
Our Roku buys are priced per thousand completed views on a non-skippable :30, so you pay only when the whole commercial plays. Free channel inventory usually costs less per thousand than premium subscription services. We do not publish rates. A written plan prices the streaming line beside cable and radio for the same audience.
Yes. The buy can be limited to a metro or a list of zip codes, which is how a local advertiser uses it. The commercial should still say where you are.
A high definition :30 that meets the platform’s technical specifications and advertising policies. Every spot is reviewed before it runs. If you do not have one, we can arrange production.
They do different jobs. Roku and the free channels usually deliver reach at a lower cost per thousand, while Hulu delivers premium programming to paying subscribers. Our buy reaches both in one plan, under one frequency cap.
No. We represent advertisers, not Roku or any other seller, and we hold no inventory.
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Berk Marketing represents advertisers, not networks, stations or streaming platforms.
