Roku named No. 1 Smart TV in 2021, expands to Sharp TVs

By Neil Jansen January 5, 2022

Roku has announced its second year of smart TV supremacy as the most sold built-in TV interface in the U.S., according to NPD’s Weekly Retail Tracking Service. With its first smart TVs released in 2008, Roku has been steadily growing in popularity with its stand-alone streaming devices as well as its built-in Roku OS on popular smart TVs from numerous partners worldwide. Major competitors Google TV (previously Android TV), Amazon Fire TV, and manufacturers’ own operating systems like LG’s webOS, and Samsung’s Tizen-based system continue to grow, but Roku’s ease of use and simplicity help it stand out to consumers.

Related article: The best Roku TV you can buy

Related Videos

Roku Remote.

Roku also has announced a partnership with Sharp to bring Sharp Roku TV to the market in 2022. Sharp has been a key player in household technology for decades, and its new lineup will offer features similar to other Roku TVs such as a customizable home screen, thousands of streaming channels, live TV, and compatibility with various smart home voice ecosystems. More information will be revealed in the coming months.

As mentioned in the Roku press release, “Sharp, like Roku, is an award-winning, household known brand and we look forward to a productive partnership together in the U.S.,” says Mustafa Ozgen, Roku’s general manager and senior vice president of Account Acquisitions. “We both firmly believe that the power and ease of use of Roku TV, combined with the Sharp brand promise of ‘simply better living’ makes an appealing combination for customers looking for a great TV experience.”

In addition, Roku has signed a licensing agreement in Mexico to expand to 10 total brands, including Aiwa and HKPro. These devices will be on the market in early 2022 as well.

Roku continues to offer high quality and affordable options in the Smart TV market with a wide variety of brand partnerships and an ongoing new line of products for 2022.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Audio / Video

YouTube TV increases its monthly prices by $8 – is now the time to switch?

YouTube TV on Roku.

YouTube TV has raised the price of its monthly subscription by $8, from $65 to $73. The move comes on the heels of its announcement that it will be adding a multiview feature for sports channels. The change in price will hit current subscribers on April 18, however, the streaming service, which is owned by Google, has already started charging new customers the higher price.

It's been a while since YouTube TV last raised its prices. That was in 2020, when the streaming service increased subscriptions from $50 to $65. When the service first launched in 2017, it only cost $35 per month.

Audio / Video

YouTube TV rolls out multiview: watch up to 4 NCAA games at once

An example of YouTube TV's multiview feature.

If you love college basketball and can process more than one game at a time, you're going to go bananas for YouTube TV's new multiview feature, which will be rolling out on a limited, early access basis starting March 14. With multiview, you'll be able to pick up to four channels and see them all simultaneously, with the ability to easily flip the active audio from one to another. The new feature is compatible with any TV-based YouTube TV installations (streaming media players, smart TVs, and game consoles), but it doesn't yet work on mobile devices or computers.

Initially, multiview will only be available to select YouTube TV users, who will be chosen at random. But Google says the goal is to include every subscriber by the time NFL football season starts in the fall. Another limitation, at least for now, is that YouTube TV will preselect the multiview channels you can choose. At launch, only channels that carry NCAA tournament games will be included in that preselected list.
How to use YouTube TV multiview
If you're one of the lucky, randomly chosen users, you'll see an option to watch up to four preselected, different streams at once in your “Top Picks for You” section. After selecting multiview, you can switch audio and captions between streams, and jump in and out of a full-screen view of a game.
It's all about sports
At the moment, YouTube TV sees multiview as an enhancement of the sports viewing experience, so only sports content will be eligible. YouTube TV has had some big sports wins in 2022, including 4K coverage of the Soccer World Cup, and that trend will continue in 2023 thanks to its acquisition of the NFL Sunday Ticket games. However, YouTube TV recently lost access to MLB Network and the MLB.tv add-on, which reduces the amount of sports content available for multiview in 2023.

Entertainment

UFC PPV: How much is Edwards vs. Usman 3?

A UFC championship belt sitting on a table.

MMA fans are getting treated to two UFC pay-per-view events this month, with UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 being the second UFC PPV in March following Jon Jones' return at UFC 285. Since it's a pay-per-view, you'll need to hand over some cash to tune in. ESPN+ is the only outlet for streaming live UFC pay-per-view events like these in the United States, so if you're looking for a way to enjoy all the action online, read on. We've got everything you need to know about UFC pay-per-views on ESPN+, including how to sign up, how much it costs, and how you can save.

ESPN+ is a premium streaming service for all things sports, from MMA and boxing to soccer and much, much more. Since launching its streaming platform in 2018, ESPN has continued to develop a very close relationship with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and in 2023, ESPN+ is the go-to app for streaming UFC content. It's also the only outlet where you can watch UFC pay-per-view events online. ESPN+ is compatible with virtually all modern PC web browsers and streaming-capable devices, which includes smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and Xbox and PlayStation gaming consoles.