Apple’s decision to also use the platform of third parties to air its new streaming TV service is not a usual move made by a company which is known for having policies to stand apart, but the choice it made highlights that Apple is foreseeing it beneficial to break down its walls to have an access to the cord cutters who are already going for other streaming platforms, Roku CEO Anthony Wood said in an interview on CNBC Tuesday.
Apparently, Apple was mostly relying upon all of its iPhone, Mac and iPad customers for strong start of its TV service, but ground realities are that most of the customers use smart TVs for viewing streaming services especially when it come to long-form of streaming services which is segment where customers spend most of their TV hours. So for any streaming service to be successful, it is necessary to be on the leading streaming TV platforms, Wood said.
Using variety of devices, including smart TVs as well as players to connect standard TVs to streaming services, to provide the customer with an access to stream content, helped the Roku to maintain its dominance. As of early 2018, Roku was enjoying a large market share of 37 percent of streaming media players, according to a report by Parks Associates.
Apple’s market share of 15 percent which is relatively small in the streaming media player market is seems to be the encouraging factor that led the Apple to take a new direction in its walled garden strategy, Wood analyzed.
At its media event last week, Apple announced that its Apple TV Channel will not only be available on Apple devices but will also on third-party devices like TV boxes of Amazon and Roku; and smart TVs of Sony, Vizio, Samsung and LG.
