Monetization overview

Whether it be through on-device subscriptions, in-app purchases, or video advertisements, there are many ways to monetize an app on the Roku platform. A primary goal for the Roku Publishing Platform is to share this revenue with our app partners.

Monetization terms and options

Publishers can monetize their apps in a variety of ways, depending on their business models. Below is the complete list of app monetization options:

  • Ad-supported apps — Apps have the opportunity to monetize their content with video advertisements. By default, this is accomplished by entering an inventory split with Roku. For more information about Roku's ad monetization options, see our document on monetizing an app with video advertisements.
  • Transactional apps — A transactional app is any app that requires payment to install, or that monetizes through subscriptions or in-app purchases. Apps can enter into a revenue share program with Roku, in which the app receives 80% of net revenue (net of credits, refunds, etc.), while Roku retains 20%.

Roku manages the billing, ad reports, and payment processing for apps.

Detailed terms of the monetization options outlined above are available in the Commercial Terms Exhibit of the Roku Distribution Agreement.

Aspects of monetization

Several important aspects of monetization are covered by separate articles in this section:

  • Video advertisements — As stated above, publishers can run ads on their content, receiving revenue according to terms, for which they are eligible and approved by Roku. This article discusses the available terms and revenue models. It also examines, at a high level, a publisher's obligations and responsibilities for implementing an ad-supported app.
  • Subscriptions and one-time purchases — Transactional apps use Roku Pay, Roku's proprietary billing platform, for offering viewers subscriptions and one-time purchases such as movie rentals, sporting events, and pay-per-views. This article provides an overview of Roku Pay and explains how it helps publishers drive content monetization.
  • Publisher payouts — In order to receive payments from Roku, a publisher must sign up for the Roku Partner Payouts Program. This article covers the requirements and process for signing up and the available options for payment method. It also includes a FAQ section, which answers miscellaneous questions about Roku Partner Payouts Program and the payment process.

In addition, publishers can monitor their apps' monetization activity using reports that are available through the Developer Dashboard, including Sales Activity and Transaction details.

Privacy law compliance

Regional privacy law can affect how or whether an app can serve video advertisements to its viewers. When an app's programming is aimed at children, for instance, Roku considers it to be a "children's app," subject to a variety of laws, most notably COPPA (the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) in the United States. Similarly, any apps that are made available in European countries (whether aimed at children or not) are subject to the European Union's GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

Apps that have been custom built using Roku's SDK may serve ads through their own (or third-party) servers, subject to Roku Certification Requirements. This must always be done in a way, however, which complies with applicable regional law, including relevant privacy laws.

For more on custom built apps, see the overview of Roku's two models for app development.

For additional information regarding compliance considerations, review Roku's compliance summary.