Roku built its streaming player business around a simple proposition: spend relatively little money, plug one into an HDMI port and escape whatever miserable interface came installed on the television.
That escape route just became considerably more expensive.
Roku has raised the U.S. list prices of its entire standalone streaming lineup, with the Roku Ultra increasing from $99.99 to $149.99 and the Streaming Stick 4K climbing from $49.99 to $79.99. The hardware has not been redesigned, and Roku has not announced new features to soften the blow. You are paying more for the same streamer because the AI industry has apparently reached the television stand.
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New Roku Streaming Player Prices
The new U.S. list prices are:
| Roku Product | Previous Price | New Price | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roku Streaming Stick | $29.99 | $39.99 | $10 |
| Roku Streaming Stick Plus | $39.99 | $59.99 | $20 |
| Roku Streaming Stick 4K | $49.99 | $79.99 | $30 |
| Roku Ultra | $99.99 | $149.99 | $50 |
| Roku Streambar SE | $99.99 | $149.99 | $50 |
The Streaming Stick 4K receives the largest percentage increase at approximately 60%, while the Ultra and Streambar SE each rise by 50%.Â
Roku is temporarily discounting several products back to their previous prices through its online store, while Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers may continue selling remaining inventory at the older figures until it is replenished. That makes the current sale more useful than the usual countdown clock designed to create panic over a remote control.Â
Why Is Roku Raising Prices?
A Roku executive told The Desk that shortages involving memory and other components forced the company to increase prices. Manufacturers have shifted more production capacity toward higher margin chips used by AI data centers, tightening supplies of the less glamorous components found inside streaming players, televisions and other consumer electronics.Â
The timing is slightly awkward.
Only in May, Roku CEO Anthony Wood argued that Roku OS required less…