ROKU vs TTD Comparison

Roku enables consumers to stream television programming. It has more than 90 million streaming households and provided 127 billion streaming hours in 2024. Roku is the top streaming operating system in the US, reaching more than half of broadband households, according to the company. Roku's OS is built into streaming devices and televisions that Roku sells and on connected televisions from other manufacturers that license Roku's name and software. Roku also operates the Roku Channel, a free, ad-supported streaming television platform that offers a mix of on-demand and live television programming. Roku generates revenue primarily from selling devices, licensing, and advertising, and it receives fees from subscription streaming platforms that sell subscriptions through Roku.

The Trade Desk provides a self-service platform that helps advertisers and ad agencies programmatically find and purchase digital ad inventory (display, video, audio, and social) on devices like computers, smartphones, and connected TVs. It uses data in an iterative manner to optimize the performance of ad impressions purchased. The firm's platform is referred to as a demand-side platform in the digital ad industry, and it generates revenue from fees based on a percentage of what its clients spend on advertising.