Roku becomes first streaming platform to optimize ads using iSpot outcomes

Roku announced on January 6, 2026, that the company has become the first major streaming publisher to use iSpot's Outcomes at Scale product specifically for optimizing advertising campaigns based on business outcomes rather than traditional reach metrics. The integration represents a significant expansion of the partnership that began with measurement capabilities in spring 2024.

This marks a fundamental shift in how streaming television platforms approach campaign management. Rather than optimizing solely for impressions or viewership, Roku's advertising system now adjusts campaigns based on actual business results like web conversions, store visits, and lead generation, according to the announcement.

Early testing with SimpliSafe, a home security company, demonstrated measurable performance improvements. The optimized campaign group achieved a 23% increase in leads and a 31% increase in website visits compared to the control group, according to data provided in the announcement.

"This advancement with Roku and iSpot gives us a powerful way to ensure our advertising spend works as effectively as possible," stated Courtney Strauss Manning, Manager of Media & Customer Acquisition at SimpliSafe. "Our test campaign delivered positive results, showing significant gains across key performance indicators among the Roku audience. This partnership is clearly improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our media investments."

The technical implementation allows advertisers using the Roku platform to track return on investment through iSpot-attributed outcomes, adjust creative strategies during active campaigns, and measure specific business results such as online conversions. This capability differentiates Roku from competitors who offer measurement but not optimization based on these lower-funnel metrics.

Stuart Schwartzapfel, EVP of Media Partnerships at iSpot, characterized the development as a pivotal moment for streaming television advertising. "This deeper integration with Roku marks a key moment for outcome-based streaming," Schwartzapfel stated. "With iSpot's trusted attribution powering Roku's optimization engine, we're not just measuring performance; we're helping drive it, ensuring advertisers gain new levels of efficiency and ROI directly on the Roku platform."

The announcement builds upon Roku's data and measurement partnership with iSpot first announced in May 2024. That initial collaboration designated iSpot as a preferred third-party measurement partner for Roku's platform, providing advertisers access to metrics including reach, frequency, ad exposure verification, and campaign outcomes. The partnership also facilitated two-way data exchange between the companies and integrated Roku's Advertising Watermark technology into iSpot's measurement systems.

The progression from measurement to optimization addresses longstanding challenges in television advertising. Traditional TV campaigns have historically focused on upper-funnel metrics like reach and frequency, with limited ability to connect advertising exposure to business outcomes or adjust campaigns based on performance signals during active flights.

Miles Fisher, Senior Director of Strategic Advertising Partnerships at Roku, positioned the expanded partnership as advancing the company's mission in streaming advertising. "Our expanded partnership with iSpot represents an important step in our mission to give advertisers the most effective and measurable streaming advertising solutions," Fisher stated. "By integrating iSpot's attribution directly into our optimization algorithms, we're enabling brands to achieve even stronger outcomes on the Roku platform."

The technical architecture involves embedding iSpot's attribution capabilities within Roku's advertising optimization algorithms. This integration allows the platform to process outcome data and adjust campaign parameters automatically, moving beyond manual optimization that relies on post-campaign analysis.

iSpot's Outcomes at Scale product, which powers this integration, was launched in March 2025 as a solution addressing attribution speed, accessibility, and actionability for television and streaming campaigns. The system provides continuous data feeds connecting verified, on-screen ad impressions to specific business performance metrics.

Roku's adoption of outcome-based optimization reflects broader industry movement toward performance-focused television advertising. The streaming platform has consistently expanded measurement and targeting capabilities throughout 2024 and 2025, including launching Roku Data Cloud in January 2025, partnering with Amazon Ads in June 2025 to create the largest authenticated connected TV footprint, and deepening Nielsen collaboration in December 2025.

The competitive landscape in streaming television measurement has intensified throughout 2025. Multiple measurement providers have launched attribution solutions aimed at connecting advertising exposure to business outcomes. Innovid introduced pixel-free purchase attribution in June 2025, while Comcast unveiled performance-based television solutionspartnering with Mastercard for attribution capabilities.

However, Roku's implementation differs from these measurement-only approaches by embedding attribution data directly into campaign optimization systems. This closed-loop integration enables real-time campaign adjustments based on outcome signals rather than requiring manual intervention following measurement analysis.

The announcement arrives as streaming television advertising budgets continue growing. Nielsen data from October 2025 indicated that streaming on Roku devices alone represents more than 21% of all television viewing, while streaming platforms account for seven in 10 television streaming hours that are ad-supported, according to Nielsen.

Research analyzing optimal connected TV investment strategies found that top-performing brands allocate 23.7% of their impressions to CTV compared to 17.4% for average advertisers, representing a 6.3 percentage point difference correlated with substantial performance improvements, according to iSpot's Unified Measurement dataset examining 224.2 billion television advertising impressions from 87 brands.

The technical capabilities enabled by outcome-based optimization extend beyond basic conversion tracking. Advertisers can measure incremental lift, compare performance across different creative approaches, and identify which audience segments drive the strongest business results. This granularity enables more sophisticated budget allocation decisions during active campaigns.

For performance-focused marketers accustomed to digital advertising platforms, the integration addresses a fundamental gap between streaming television and search or social media advertising. Digital platforms have long offered optimization based on conversion outcomes, while television advertising has traditionally relied on audience targeting combined with reach and frequency planning.

Roku's business model centers on advertising revenue rather than subscription fees, distinguishing the platform from content-focused streaming services like Netflix or Disney+. This approach aligns with advertiser interest in free ad-supported television platforms where audiences demonstrate engagement with commercial messaging. The Roku Channel, the company's free streaming service, became the second-largest streaming app based on share of ad-supported TV time according to Nielsen data from October 2025.

The announcement did not specify whether outcome-based optimization will be available across all advertising products within Roku's portfolio or limited to specific campaign types. Roku offers multiple advertising solutions including standard video ads, Roku Exchange for programmatic buying, Roku Ads Manager for self-service campaigns, and advanced formats like Home Screen placements and interactive shoppable ads.

Privacy considerations remain central to attribution methodologies as regulatory frameworks limit traditional tracking approaches. The integration between Roku and iSpot processes attribution through clean room technology and consented data flows rather than third-party cookies or probabilistic matching, addressing compliance requirements while enabling outcome measurement.

Industry observers note that the first-mover advantage in outcome-based optimization could strengthen Roku's competitive position against other streaming platforms and traditional television networks. Advertisers allocating budgets across multiple channels increasingly prioritize platforms offering both scale and performance measurement capabilities.

The SimpliSafe test results provide initial validation of the optimization approach, though the announcement did not specify the campaign duration, budget levels, or detailed methodology for the control group comparison. SimpliSafe operates in the home security category, which may demonstrate different performance patterns compared to other advertiser verticals.

Future developments will likely determine whether outcome-based optimization becomes standard practice across streaming television or remains limited to specific platform partnerships. The technical infrastructure required for real-time attribution and optimization represents significant investment in data processing, identity resolution, and machine learning capabilities.

The announcement also noted that additional information is available at advertising.roku.com, though specific pricing, minimum spend requirements, or availability timelines for outcome-based optimization were not disclosed in the press release.

Roku is headquartered in San Jose, California, and operates streaming devices, smart TV operating systems, and The Roku Channel free ad-supported service across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and United Kingdom. The company's platform strategy aggregates multiple content sources under unified advertising management, distinguishing it from individual streaming services that control only their own inventory.

iSpot, founded in Bellevue, Washington in 2012, operates as a cross-platform television measurement company providing real-time, always-on measurement for the complete television advertising lifecycle from creative testing through audience verification and business outcomes measurement. The company maintains offices across major U.S. cities and serves hundreds of brands alongside all major television networks.

The outcome-based optimization capability addresses advertiser demands for accountability and performance metrics comparable to digital advertising channels. As television viewing continues shifting toward streaming delivery, platforms offering sophisticated measurement and optimization tools may capture increasing shares of advertising budgets previously allocated to traditional broadcast and cable networks.

Timeline

• May 2024: Roku and iSpot announce data and measurement partnership, designating iSpot as preferred measurement partner
• June 2024: Roku launches Roku Exchange programmatic advertising platform
• September 2024: Roku introduces Ads Manager self-service platform with Shopify integration
• March 2025: iSpot unveils Outcomes at Scale attribution solution for rapid performance tracking
• January 2025: Roku launches Data Cloud providing proprietary streaming data access
• June 2025: Amazon Ads and Roku announce largest authenticated CTV partnership reaching 80 million households
• December 2025: Nielsen and Roku deepen partnership with Roku Channel becoming #2 in ad-supported TV
• January 6, 2026: Roku becomes first major streaming publisher to use iSpot Outcomes at Scale for outcome-based optimization

Summary

Who: Roku, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROKU) partnered with iSpot.tv to implement outcome-based optimization, with SimpliSafe serving as early testing partner. Miles Fisher (Senior Director, Strategic Advertising Partnerships, Roku) and Stuart Schwartzapfel (EVP of Media Partnerships, iSpot) provided official statements. Courtney Strauss Manning (Manager, Media & Customer Acquisition, SimpliSafe) confirmed test results.

What: Roku became the first major streaming publisher to use iSpot's Outcomes at Scale product explicitly for optimizing advertising campaigns based on business outcomes rather than traditional reach metrics. The integration allows advertisers to use iSpot-attributed outcomes for tracking ROI, adjusting creative strategies, and driving measurable business results like web conversions.

When: The announcement was made on January 6, 2026 at 3:00 PM. The integration builds upon the data and measurement partnership first announced in spring 2024. Early testing with SimpliSafe occurred prior to the January 2026 announcement.

Where: The partnership operates on the Roku platform, which includes Roku streaming devices, Roku TV operating systems, and The Roku Channel across the United States, with the company headquartered in San Jose, California. iSpot is based in Bellevue, Washington with offices across major U.S. cities.

Why: The integration addresses longstanding television advertising challenges around accountability and performance measurement. Advertisers increasingly demand optimization capabilities comparable to digital advertising channels. Early SimpliSafe testing showed 23% increase in leads and 31% increase in website visits (optimized group versus control), demonstrating the business value of outcome-based campaign management versus traditional reach-focused approaches.