ROKU 3 STREAMING TV PLAYER NECK AND NECK WITH APPLE AND PLANS TO TAKE OVER

While Apple’s set-top box is the worldwide leader in sales, the two companies are nearly neck-and-neck in the US market. What’s more, the Saratoga, Calif.-based gadget maker believes it’s in a position to pull ahead.
“This is going to be the biggest holiday season for streaming; it’s going mainstream,” said Roku’s marketing chief, Matthew Anderson.

Roku, which makes set-top boxes that stream video and subscription services to TV sets via the Internet, has stepped up the rivalry with an in-theater ad push touting its content advantage over Apple TV and other streaming players.

“We’ve got NHL, MLB and just launched Watch ESPN. We are looking at things people love — cooking, fitness, health,” Anderson said. “We have 47 different news services.” It also boasts 1,000 TV channels and access to 31,000 movies.

And while Roku has been pitching TV networks this week to get more to sign on to its service, Apple has fewer than 20 on board, according to Anderson.

Apple declined to comment.

Apple TV offers access to the company’s iTunes service, allowing consumers to buy movies or watch TV shows they’ve bought on other Apple devices.

Roku’s most recent report in April showed it had sold a total of 5 million players in the US. But Apple doesn’t break out its sales figures; as of May, its global sales were 13 million.

Roku appears to have the advantage over Apple in the US. In the latest survey of US households with broadband service that had recently purchased a streaming player, trend tracker Parks Associates found 39 percent bought a Roku box, compared with 26 percent for Apple.

An earlier Parks Associates survey also found Roku was the favorite among 37 percent of US households with such devices, compared to Apple’s 24 percent.

Roku sells several models at prices between $49 and $99, while Apple TV retails for $99. Some reports suggest that certain retailers will drop Apple’s price to $75 on Black Friday.

While hardly a craze, growth in the new set-top box industry has been impressive. Around 17 percent of US households with broadband own at least one streaming media player, up from 14 percent in the first quarter, according to Parks Associates.

In September, Roku released new versions of its devices, adding some enhancements, cheaper models and more content.

Meanwhile, Apple disappointed some fans when it failed to announce a refreshed Apple TV this season. The company isn’t expected to roll out an updated Apple TV device with faster hardware until 2014.

Both devices can stream video and music to TVs, and allow users to subscribe to services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

They compete with Sony and Microsoft video game consoles and, more recently, with Google’s Chromecast, which starts at just $35. Amazon is also reportedly close to releasing its own device.