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Roku announced that The Roku Channel, its section for free, ad-supported content, is now available across the web in the US. Existing Roku users can now watch content on The Roku Channel via browsers on PCs, smartphones, and tablets after logging into their Roku account.

And customers who don't yet have an account will be able to sign up for the channel without first buying a Roku device — the cheapest of which costs $30. The move makes sense for Roku, which is prioritizing its "Platform" segment (software-focused) growth over "Player" (hardware-focused) growth, since Platform revenues are reoccurring and have higher margins than one-time sales of Roku devices.

The announcement came as the video streamer reported its Q2 2018 earnings. Here are the main takeaways:

Roku's total revenue grew at its fastest rate in over four years as it continues to shift to the Platform segment. Roku’s total revenue grew 57% year-over-year (YoY) — it’ fastest growth rate since Q4 2013 — and the segment is being driven by platform growth. Last quarter was the first time that Roku's Platform segment accounted for more than half (55%) of its total revenue. In Q2, that shift continued, with Platform revenues now accounting for 58% of the firm's total, indicating that software is a valuable play for Roku.

Active accounts grew 46% YoY to 22 million. This marks the tenth straight quarter of growth in the mid-40 percentage range. Rising user count is also translating into higher usage and engagement on the Platform — hours streamed on Roku devices increased 57% YoY to 5.5 billion hours, a minute acceleration versus the 56% YoY growth posted last quarter.

As usage grows, Roku could be an attractive distribution partner for publishers that have made the “pivot to video.” Although Roku didn't disclose revenue-share agreements for news publishers, media outlets have cited similar deals where Roku takes a 30% cut from video ad inventory.

Publishers investing heavily in video can partner with Roku for incremental engagement with, and monetization of, their video assets, which in turn could further accelerate the streamer's gains.

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