Roku just landed a partnership that could flood the UK market with (more) cheap smart TVs, which use Roku’s simple streaming operating system.
The streaming company has teamed up with Vestel, Europe’s TV manufacturing powerhouse that quietly produces millions of sets each year for brands like Toshiba and JVC.
The collaboration will start with Finlux-branded TVs in the UK before expanding to other Vestel brands across Europe.
For Roku, this represents another step in an increasingly ambitious UK expansion that’s been gathering pace throughout the past couple of years.
Roku’s Growing UK Ambitions
Roku has been steadily building its UK presence since arriving in 2012, but this year has seen a notable acceleration in their efforts.
The company currently offers three streaming devices: The basic Streaming Stick (HD) for £29.99, the Streaming Stick Plus with 4K support for £39.99, and the premium Streaming Stick 4K with Dolby Vision for £49.99 (check my comparison of all three).
On the TV front, Roku already partners with manufacturers including Hisense, JVC, Metz, Sharp, and TCL to produce complete television sets with Roku’s operating system built in.
This Vestel partnership makes Finlux the 15th TV brand to offer Roku OS in the UK, a milestone that demonstrates the platform’s significant growth (at least with TV sets).
But it’s the software developments that really highlight Roku’s UK ambitions. Back in July, the company finally rolled out its content discovery features to television sets after keeping them exclusive to streaming sticks for two years.
The ‘What to Watch’ hub, ‘Continue Watching’ feature, and universal ‘Save List’ are now available across all Roku TV models in Britain.
More importantly, this update included the first meaningful integration between Roku’s interface and traditional TV in the UK.
The ‘What to Watch’ hub now includes an “On Freeview Play Now” row which displays thumbnails from live channels currently broadcasting, assuming you have an aerial connected.
It’s not comprehensive integration, but it shows Roku is finally working to bridge the gap between streaming and broadcast content.
Then last week, Roku announced 40 new FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) channels launching in October, alongside a “Live TV Zone” feature that’s been available in the US since 2022.
This dedicated section recreates the traditional TV browsing experience with a proper TV guide-style interface, putting all live content in one place rather than forcing you to hunt through individual apps – but it remains to be seen whether it will include live channels other than the Roku ones.
The Partnership Details
“This partnership with Vestel represents an exciting milestone in Roku’s international growth,” said Tom McFarland, VP of Business Development at Roku TV.
From Vestel’s perspective, this collaboration fits into their broader strategy around platform technologies. “Platform technologies are no longer just an add-on – they are redefining the entire consumer experience and shaping the future of our industry,” said Vestel’s Chief Marketing Officer Duygu Badem Uylukçuoğlu.
Vestel is a Turkish home and professional appliances manufacturing company and one of Europe’s largest TV manufacturers, though most people have never heard of them.
That’s because most TVs produced by Vestel are sold under licensed brand names such as Toshiba, Hitachi, Polaroid, JVC, Bush, Alba and dozens of others.
The company operates from what it describes as “a 1.3 million square metre production facility in Manisa, Turkey, one of the largest manufacturing complexes in Europe,” and exports to more than 160 countries with around 16,000 employees worldwide.
Finlux represents one of Vestel’s own brands rather than a licensed name. It has been owned by the Turkish appliances manufacturer Vestel since 2006, following a complex history that saw the originally Finnish brand go through various ownership changes including a stint under Nokia.
In the UK market, Finlux operates as a budget TV brand, and is typically cheaper than equivalent Samsung or LG offerings.
Timing and Reality Check
For Roku, this partnership is significant primarily because of Vestel’s scale as one of Europe’s largest TV manufacturers.
While Roku announces new TV partnerships regularly, Vestel can bring something extra – the production capacity and distribution network to potentially get Roku TVs into more homes at competitive prices.
The real test will be whether this translates into better value for consumers.
Fire TV already offers a “Live” tab that combines live streams from BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and other services in a single interface, giving Amazon a head start in integrated TV experiences. Can Roku compete, via its upcoming ‘Live TV Zone’?
The other big unknowns are pricing and execution. Budget TV brands serve an important purpose, but success will depend on whether Vestel can maintain Finlux’s competitive pricing while integrating Roku’s platform effectively.
For more TV and streaming news, Sign up for our free e-mail newsletter.