Roku partners with Vestel to expand European smart TV presence through Finlux brand

Roku announced on September 5, 2025, a new multi-year partnership with Vestel, positioning the streaming pioneer to expand its European smart TV footprint through one of the continent's largest television manufacturers. According to the announcement, Vestel will begin manufacturing smart TVs featuring Roku's operating system, starting with the Finlux brand in the UK market.

The collaboration represents Roku's latest international expansion as the company seeks to replicate its dominant U.S. streaming position across global markets. According to Tom McFarland, VP of Business Development at Roku TV, "This partnership with Vestel represents an exciting milestone in Roku's international growth. Together, we're making it easier for people across the UK to find great entertainment and enjoy a seamless streaming experience."

Vestel operates as one of Europe's top three TV manufacturers, producing televisions for major brands including Toshiba and JVC across UK retail channels. The Turkish company manufactures products at Vestel City, a 1.3 million square meter production facility in Manisa, one of Europe's largest manufacturing complexes. According to company data, Vestel exports to more than 160 countries with approximately 16,000 employees worldwide.

The partnership establishes Finlux as the 15th TV brand offering Roku OS integration in the UK market. According to the announcement, Roku maintains its position as the leading TV streaming platform in the United States, Canada, and Mexico by hours streamed, reaching over 90 million households globally. The Roku OS provides instant access to popular streaming applications alongside personalized recommendations through its What to Watch feature.

Technical specifications reveal that Roku TV models offer automatic software updates, simplifying the user experience compared to traditional smart TV interfaces. The operating system enables access to global and local streaming applications while maintaining what Roku describes as industry-leading simplicity and ease-of-use characteristics.

Vestel's Chief Marketing Officer Duygu Badem Uylukçuoğlu emphasized the strategic importance of platform technologies in reshaping consumer experiences. "Platform technologies are no longer just an add-on—they are redefining the entire consumer experience and shaping the future of our industry," Uylukçuoğlu said. "While this transformation is rapidly accelerating in the US and Europe, Vestel is spearheading this shift in Türkiye and extending its influence globally."

According to Brand Finance data, Vestel ranked fourth among Turkey's strongest and most valuable brands in 2025 with a brand value of $928 million. The company has maintained its position as the export leader in its sector for 27 consecutive years. Vestel's manufacturing capabilities span consumer electronics, white goods, mobility, and healthcare technologies across 31 subsidiaries, including 20 overseas operations.

The announcement comes as Roku continues expanding its Connected TV advertising capabilities, building on recent partnerships that have created significant advertising inventory access for marketers. Earlier this year, Roku launched its data platform to enhance TV streaming measurement capabilities, providing advertisers with proprietary viewership data through clean room technology.

Market dynamics indicate growing competition in the smart TV operating system space. Companies including Amazon, Google, and reportedly The Trade Desk are developing competing platforms to capture advertising revenue from streaming television consumption. According to industry analysis, control over smart TV operating systems provides companies with direct access to viewing data and advertising inventory.

Roku's expansion through manufacturing partnerships follows the company's established strategy of licensing its operating system to television brands rather than focusing exclusively on standalone streaming devices. This approach has enabled Roku to achieve scale across multiple price points while maintaining consistent user interface experiences across different hardware configurations.

The partnership structure enables Vestel to leverage Roku's software platform while maintaining its hardware manufacturing expertise and existing brand relationships. According to the announcement, plans include expanding Roku OS integration to additional Vestel brands beyond Finlux in future phases of the collaboration.

According to Hypothesis Group data cited by Roku, the company maintains its leadership position in North American streaming markets by hours consumed. This viewing time metric provides Roku with significant advertising inventory that the company monetizes through its advertising platform and revenue-sharing arrangements with content providers.

Vestel's production capabilities include fast turnaround times and competitive pricing structures that have established the company as a key supplier for major television brands across European markets. The company's technological focus encompasses next-generation products designed for sustainable development objectives across its operational footprint.

The Roku operating system architecture supports both global streaming applications and region-specific content providers, enabling localized content experiences while maintaining platform consistency. Technical implementation includes cloud-based software updates that deliver new features and security enhancements without requiring user intervention.

Streaming television consumption patterns continue shifting away from traditional cable and broadcast delivery methods, creating opportunities for platform providers to capture advertising revenue through Connected TV channels. This transition has driven increased investment in streaming advertising capabilities as marketers follow audience migration to on-demand viewing experiences.

According to the announcement, Roku TV models manufactured by Vestel will provide the same feature set available across other Roku-powered television brands, including voice remote capabilities, mobile app integration, and cross-device content synchronization. The platform supports 4K HDR content delivery alongside standard definition streaming options.

Manufacturing logistics indicate that Vestel's European production facilities enable shorter delivery timelines for UK market distribution compared to Asia-based manufacturing alternatives. This geographic advantage potentially provides cost and timing benefits for retail partners seeking to stock Roku-powered television models.

The partnership announcement coincides with Roku's broader international expansion strategy as the company seeks to establish streaming platform dominance beyond its North American stronghold. European markets represent significant growth opportunities given the ongoing transition from traditional television consumption to streaming-first viewing behaviors.

Roku's business model combines hardware licensing revenue with advertising income generated through its platform, creating multiple revenue streams from each active user. The company's advertising capabilities include both traditional video advertisements and innovative formats designed specifically for streaming television environments.

Vestel's commitment to digitalization investments aligns with broader industry trends toward software-centric television experiences. According to the company, these investments aim to drive human-centric transformation across manufacturing and product development processes through technology integration.

The collaboration enables both companies to leverage their respective expertise areas while addressing market demands for simplified streaming experiences. Roku provides the software platform and user interface design, while Vestel contributes manufacturing scale and European market distribution capabilities.

According to the partnership terms, Vestel will begin production immediately with Finlux-branded models expected to reach UK retail channels in the coming months. The companies indicated plans to announce additional brand integrations and geographic expansion details in subsequent phases of their collaboration.

Timeline

• September 5, 2025: Roku announces multi-year smart TV partnership with Vestel
• June 16, 2025: Amazon Ads and Roku announce largest authenticated CTV partnership providing access to 80 million U.S. households
• January 11, 2025: Roku launches data platform to enhance TV streaming measurement capabilities through Roku Data Cloud
• August 4, 2025: Microsoft launches Premium Streaming campaigns including Netflix and Roku advertising integration
• June 13, 2024: Roku launches Roku Exchange platform for TV streaming advertising programmatic capabilities
• May 5, 2024: Roku and iSpot partner to enhance streaming TV measurement addressing fragmentation challenges

Summary

Who: Roku, the pioneer in TV streaming, and Vestel, one of Europe's top three TV manufacturers and Turkey's export leader with a $928 million brand value.

What: A multi-year partnership to produce smart TVs powered by Roku's operating system, starting with the Finlux brand in the UK, making it the 15th TV brand to offer Roku OS in the market.

When: Announced on September 5, 2025, at 10:00 AM, with manufacturing beginning immediately and retail availability expected in the coming months.

Where: Initial launch focuses on the UK market through the Finlux brand, with plans to expand to additional Vestel brands and geographic markets in future phases.

Why: The partnership enables Roku's international expansion beyond its North American dominance while leveraging Vestel's European manufacturing scale and 160-country distribution network to capture growing streaming television consumption and advertising revenue opportunities.