Roku expands into home audio with smart speakers, sound bars licensing program

"Speakers are one of the most popular things to add to a TV," Roku's VP of product Mark Ely told Variety during a recent interview. That's why one main area of focus of Roku and its hardware partners are going to be smart sound bars, which double as internet-connected speakers when the TV screen is turned off. "These smart sound bars will work with any TV, but they work really great with Roku TVs," Ely said. In addition, Roku is also working with consumer electronics companies to make Roku-powered smart speakers. These can be placed around the home, and inter-connect with each other as well as Roku-powered sound bars to play multi-room audio, giving consumers the ability to play the same song synchronized across their home.