Roku is a pioneer company based in San Jose, California. It makes a variety of digital media players that are used to stream shows and movies across the world, one of which you may be familiar with, called the set-top-box, also known as that black rectangle thing connected to or next to your tv. Roku also manages in selling advertising and licenses its hardware as well as software to other businesses, such as Netflix. Anthony Wood was the one to have launched the company back in 2002 and ever since has been regarded as one of the forerunners of streaming to television. Roku also managed 1,650 employees with $1.12 billion revenue turnover in 2019.
1. Comcast
- Founded: June 28th, 1963
- Headquarters: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
Need to Know
Comcast is a company that creates, produces, and distributes entertainment material. It offers the X1 platform, which includes cloud-enabled set-top boxes (little black brick delivering your streaming services). Digital video recording, on-demand video, and live video feeds are all available on the platform. It has search capabilities as well as personalized recommendations. Comcast also employs 190,000 employees and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania while being able to generate billions each year as they did in 2019, making $109 billion in revenue.
Interesting Facts
Comcast’s name was formed by combining the words “communication” and “broadcast.” In 1972, Comcast went public, and company stock (CMCSA) was listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market. In 1974, Comcast expanded its reach by acquiring the Philadelphia Flyers, the city’s hockey champion.
>>MORE: Top Doordash Competitors & Alternatives
2. Hulu
- Founded: October 27, 2007
- Headquarters: Los Angeles, California USA
Need to Know
When you hear about Hulu, you might think of the video streaming service that has been providing on-demand TV shows and movies for years. However, you may not have been aware that Hulu also offers a live TV streaming product called Hulu + Live TV, which includes several of the most popular Television networks available.
Hulu was launched in 2007 by NBC Universal and News Corporation as a joint venture. The company is presently owned by Walt Disney and Providence Equity Partners and is based in Los Angeles, California. Hulu is a premium streaming service that offers live and on-demand television and movies. Hulu now has around 35.5 million paying customers. In 2019 it employed 2,900 people and had $1.82 billion in revenue.
Interesting Facts
Hulu was exclusively available in the United States, its overseas territories, and Japan as of 2014. The most significant stumbling block to expansion for Hulu is licensing agreements. Hulu claims on its website that expansion necessitates dealing with content producers to clear the rights on every show or film in each specific area, and those agreements can take a long time to achieve.
>>MORE: Top Google Competitors & Alternatives
3. Amazon Fire TV
- Founded: April 2014
- Headquarters: Seattle, Washington USA
Need to Know
Amazon Fire TV is a brand of streaming media players that Amazon introduced in 2014. The Fire TV Cube, Fire TV Stick, and Fire TV Stick 4k are all included. The devices broadcast audio and video from the internet to the television. Among the streaming services available to users are Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Showtime, and Spotify.
Users can also use the bundled remote control or another gaming controller to play video games. Amazon has 840,400 employees and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. The corporation made a whopping $280.52 billion in revenue in 2019. The Amazon Fire TV platform has over 40 million active users and is available in more than a hundred countries across the world.
Interesting Facts
Amazon Fire TV may be set up for karaoke parties in addition to voice search capabilities. Because the Fire TV has a microphone, you won’t have to worry about time-consuming on-screen typing to find your favorite movies or TV series.
>>MORE: Top Freshly Competitors & Alternatives
4. Apple TV
- Founded: January 9th, 2007
- Headquarters: Culver City, California USA
Need to Know
Apple TV is a digital media player and micro-console created by Apple that allows users to broadcast music and video content to their televisions. It can also be used to obtain access to the display of other devices’ screens. An Apple TV Remote app, a Siri Remote control, or some third-party game controllers and infrared remotes are all used to control Apple TV.
Apple TV was released for the first time in 2007. Apple, headquartered in Cupertino, California, employs 137,000 people and generated $260.17 billion in revenue previously in 2019. Users of Apple TV have the ability to watch 4K HDR content and listen with Dolby Atmos surround sound. However, in general, some would say Apple TV outperforms the competition in many ways. It features a user-friendly interface, is easy to set up, is comprehensive, faster, and provides a great user experience, even for some Android users.
Interesting Facts
To control your Apple TV, you don’t need a remote. You can do it straight from your iPhone or iPad, and it’s a rather simple process. You only need to download a remote app to your iPhone and you’re ready to go. You may operate your Apple TV via your home WiFi network using the remote app loaded on your iPhone. Furthermore, the remote app allows you to complete tasks more quickly and efficiently.
>>MORE: Top Boeing Competitors & Alternatives
5. Google Chromecast
- Founded: July 24th, 2013
- Headquarters: Mountain View, California USA
Need to Know
Chromecast is a collection of dongles for your television that connect to the HDMI port on your TV to add smart features. Chromecast establishes a connection to your home network and may subsequently be operated using your smartphone. This allows you to open an entertainment app on your phone and stream material to your TV via Chromecast. Importantly, it uses the Google Cast protocol to deliver that content onto your TV, so the source you’re utilizing must support it.
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Chrome (the browser), Android, and many other services support Google Cast, making it an excellent streaming platform. Google released the first Chromecast in 2013, followed by the Chromecast 2 in 2015, and then the Chromecast 3 in 2018. These Chromecast devices have gotten progressively quicker, with stronger Wi-Fi to better accommodate full HD content.
Interesting Facts
Chromecast uses your phone, tablet, or computer as a remote control, but the material is streamed directly from the cloud rather than through your device. Chromecast will download the highest-quality version available, up to 1080p with video, automatically.
>>MORE: Top Wayfair Competitors & Alternatives
6. Onn Android UHD
- Founded: June 2021
- Headquarters: Bentonville, Arizona USA
Need to Know
Like other Android Television devices, the Onn streamers can be used as Chromecast devices. That means you can play media from your phone’s music or video apps on your TV, and you can utilize Google photos as a screensaver. (Unfortunately, Android TV players still can’t join multiple-room music setups with other Chromecast devices in the house.)
The Onn Android UHD device is one of the most economical 4K display media streamers on the market, with a starting price of $30 and a current price of $20. While one disadvantage of buying many cheap Android phones is that they never get software upgrades, this hasn’t been the case with this Android TV dongle. The device, which is only available at Walmart, has received many updates in recent months, the most current of which improves security, performance, and features.
Interesting Facts
It’s unclear what the retailer’s motivation is for undercutting Roku and Amazon in price. Walmart would not say whether the hardware is lucrative or if it makes money in any other manner from it (like, perhaps, sharing in whatever ad revenue the device generates). Regardless of the motivation, Walmart has created a pair of gadgets that compete with, and in some cases outperform the cheapest Roku and Fire TV Sticks.