Roku Announces Industry-First Advertising Watermark to Protect from Ad Spoofing

Roku, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROKU) today announced Roku’s Advertising Watermark, free technology to help advertisers and publishers validate the authenticity of video ads originating on the Roku platform. As the industry’s first authentication solution built for TV streaming, Roku’s Advertising Watermark gives marketers the confidence that their advertising spend is reaching real Roku users.

Today, device spoofing occurs when scammers pretend that a desktop or mobile device is a TV streaming device. Roku’s Advertising Watermark integrates with the Roku operating system to automatically verify publisher ad requests and impressions so that advertisers know they are reaching genuine Roku users. While ad spoofing in TV streaming remains rare, this technology will help the industry deter bad actors and improve ad effectiveness.

Ad technology providers integrating Roku’s Advertising Watermark at launch include Basis Technologies, Google, HUMAN, Innovid, and Magnite. Publishers using Roku’s Advertising Watermark to sell their own ad inventory include Discovery, FOX, and more. Additionally, OneView by Roku will be the first ad buying platform to offer ad inventory automatically validated by Roku’s Advertising Watermark.

"As America’s No. 1 TV Streaming Platform, we are uniquely positioned to help the industry preempt device spoofing," said Louqman Parampath, VP of Product Management, Roku. “This is powerful and free technology that will help advertisers accelerate their shift to TV streaming with even more confidence.”

“Roku is moving the industry forward with a solution that combats spoofing across the ad supply chain before it becomes a major issue,” said Tamer Hassan, co-founder and CEO, HUMAN. “Together in partnership with Roku, we are creating a collectively protected ecosystem that brings even more trust and quality in a world where all TV will be streamed.”

"Roku’s Advertising Watermark assures our advertiser clients that they are buying genuine Discovery inventory on Roku devices," said Bill Murray, Vice President, Programmatic Solutions, Discovery. "We’re excited that Roku has brought its data, operating system, and ad technology together to easily prevent ad spoofing."

To learn more about Roku’s Advertising Watermark solution, visit https://advertising.roku.com.

About Roku, Inc.

Roku pioneered streaming to the TV. We connect users to the streaming content they love, enable content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and provide advertisers with unique capabilities to engage consumers. Roku streaming players and TV-related audio devices are available in the U.S. and in select countries through direct retail sales and licensing arrangements with service operators. Roku TV™ models are available in the U.S. and in select countries through licensing arrangements with TV OEM brands. Roku is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. U.S.A.

*America’s No. 1 TV streaming platform” is based on hours streamed according to Hypothesis Group, October 2021

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements that are based on our beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to us on the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements include but are not limited to the effectiveness of Roku’s Advertising Watermark. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially are detailed from time to time in the reports Roku, Inc. files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on Roku’s website and are available from Roku without charge.

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