100 Years of Preservation: A Conversation with Anthony C. Wood ...
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Anthony Wood BiographyThis is all to say that if you had to bet on Roku’s survival, its leader is the reason to go “yes.” Recently Wood told the “TV of Tomorrow Show” that his brain-child the DVR is dying. The same could eventually happen to set-top boxes, like Roku, if Smart TV takes over. Here’s why that is okay with him.
Wood had a fairly simple concept from its inception: Offer an affordable, unobtrusive device that streams as much content as possible. Though some punted cable/satellite thanks to Roku, the box was meant to augment regular TV watching. The average Roku owner now streams 12 hours of television per week, compared to 35 hours of overall average TV watching.
“It’s gone well,” Wood says in a telephone interview. “We’ve sold more than 3 million devices and its rapidly growing.”
The critical point that keeps Wood relaxed while tech behemoths stomp into his space: They’re stomping, primarily, with the device in mind. As my colleague Michael Kanellos points out, “The sad truth of the matter is that hardware is ultimately a vehicle. It exists … to ferry information from server A to consumer B.”
Wood gets that.
“Our goal is to be a distribution platform for television directly from the Internet,” he says. “And we’re focused on building scale, because in TV you’re only relevant if you have a large number of customers.”
Wood says there might be a day when Roku exists device-free. So even if Google and Apple do to Smart TV what they did to Smartphones, Roku would hardly be irrelevant. It’s building a content platform that would be much easier for hardware makers to invite in than try to replicate. The latest example addresses a pet peeve of mine — that TV can’t travel internationally with more ease. Roku recently partnered with DISH to create DISHWorld service, “with more than 50 international channels to the Roku platform in the U.S. – including the leading Hindi, Arabic, Urdu, Bangla and Brazilian channels.”
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Anthony Wood and other top speakers and celebrities.
-IGNITION: The Future of Digital will take a look at this trend and welcome many industry leaders on stage December 8-9 at Time Warner Center in New York City.
Users also viewed these speakers:This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
If you are the talent, and wish to request removal from this catalog or report an issue with your profile, please click here.
This is all to say that if you had to bet on Roku’s survival, its leader is the reason to go “yes.” Recently Wood told the “TV of Tomorrow Show” that his brain-child the DVR is dying. The same could eventually happen to set-top boxes, like Roku, if Smart TV takes over. Here’s why that is okay with him.
Wood had a fairly simple concept from its inception: Offer an affordable, unobtrusive device that streams as much content as possible. Though some punted cable/satellite thanks to Roku, the box was meant to augment regular TV watching. The average Roku owner now streams 12 hours of television per week, compared to 35 hours of overall average TV watching.
“It’s gone well,” Wood says in a telephone interview. “We’ve sold more than 3 million devices and its rapidly growing.”
The critical point that keeps Wood relaxed while tech behemoths stomp into his space: They’re stomping, primarily, with the device in mind. As my colleague Michael Kanellos points out, “The sad truth of the matter is that hardware is ultimately a vehicle. It exists … to ferry information from server A to consumer B.”
Wood gets that.
“Our goal is to be a distribution platform for television directly from the Internet,” he says. “And we’re focused on building scale, because in TV you’re only relevant if you have a large number of customers.”
Wood says there might be a day when Roku exists device-free. So even if Google and Apple do to Smart TV what they did to Smartphones, Roku would hardly be irrelevant. It’s building a content platform that would be much easier for hardware makers to invite in than try to replicate. The latest example addresses a pet peeve of mine — that TV can’t travel internationally with more ease. Roku recently partnered with DISH to create DISHWorld service, “with more than 50 international channels to the Roku platform in the U.S. – including the leading Hindi, Arabic, Urdu, Bangla and Brazilian channels.”
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Anthony Wood and other top speakers and celebrities.
Anthony Wood is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Anthony Wood for your event is available upon request. Anthony Wood generally travels from and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Gene Munster, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Henry Blodget and Mark Pincus. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Anthony Wood for an upcoming event.
IGNITION: The Future of Digital will take a look at this trend and welcome many industry leaders on stage December 8-9 at Time Warner Center in New York City.
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This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
If you are the talent, and wish to request removal from this catalog or report an issue with your profile, please click here.
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