In a January 2026 research note, Evercore ISI analyst Mark Mahaney raised his rating on Roku shares from In Line to Outperform, citing the company’s accelerating revenue trajectory and expanding advertising ecosystem. Mahaney sees a potential upside of 31% from current levels, driven by expectations that Roku will exceed $6 billion in platform revenue in fiscal 2026. He highlighted a 45% year-over-year increase in active accounts during the third quarter and projected that Roku’s average revenue per user (ARPU) could climb above $45 by year-end, as more advertisers shift budgets to its targeted ad-insertion technology.

At CES 2026, Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood announced plans to extend Howdy—its $2.99 per month ad-free library service launched last August—beyond the company’s own devices. Wood emphasized that with legacy streamers continuing to raise prices and ad loads, Howdy fills a gap in the low-cost, no-ads segment. While he declined to disclose current subscriber totals, Wood told TechCrunch that Roku intends to distribute Howdy “everywhere,” including mobile apps and web platforms, as it pursues broader market share and positions the channel as a standalone service competing with established streaming players.