Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Roku streaming hardware is getting more expensive.
- Listed MSRPs for Roku streamers have increased by between $10 and $50.
- As of writing, the streaming devices can still be purchased for less than their new sticker prices.
Roku devices are getting more expensive. The streaming hardware maker quietly raised the prices of its products this week, with increases ranging from $10 to $50.
As spotted by The Desk (via The Verge), the listed retail prices of Roku’s current-generation streaming hardware have gone up. The Roku Ultra and the Roku Streambar SE saw the largest increases: both have jumped 50% from $99.99 to $149.99.
The entry-level Roku Streaming Stick has increased from $29.99 to $39.99. The Streaming Stick Plus and Streaming Stick 4K are both up $20, now retailing for $59.99 and $79.99, respectively.
In practice, Roku’s MSRP adjustments aren’t affecting consumers just yet. Roku’s own online storefront currently lists all of the devices mentioned above at sale prices that conveniently match their former sticker prices (though it makes clear that’s a “Limited time offer”). It looks like third-party retailers like Amazon and Walmart haven’t raised their own prices on Roku devices yet, either, so the changes to listed MSRPs may be Roku’s way raising prices more gradually.
Roku hasn’t made any announcements about the latest price adjustments, but the company is hardly alone in increasing sticker prices on its products this year. From Apple and Samsung to Valve and Nintendo, makers of consumer electronics have been grappling with increasing component costs as the ever-growing AI industry has rapidly increased demand for hardware components, particularly memory. This has invariably led to higher costs for consumers as manufacturers try to protect their margins.
Last month, Fox announced that it’s acquiring Roku for a combination of cash and stock valued at a total of $22 billion.
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