Roku shares fall after-hours following big loss from spending
Streaming device competes with Amazon's Fire TV and Google's Chromecast
Roku Inc posted a bigger net loss in the first quarter on Thursday, as the video streaming device maker spent more to attract subscribers to its free ad-supported channel, sending its shares down 7 percent early in extended trading.
STREAMING SERVICES BY THE NUMBERS
The company, whose devices compete with Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast, said sales and marketing expenses doubled to $68.2 million from a year earlier.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROKU | ROKU INC. | 61.83 | +0.09 | +0.15% |
| GOOGL | ALPHABET INC. | 159.13 | +0.86 | +0.54% |
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 176.59 | -2.92 | -1.63% |
Total operating expenses rose 76 percent to 196.3 million in the quarter.
The company said its ad business saw "higher than normal cancellations" in the quarter, mirroring a broader decline in overall advertisement spending due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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This comes at a time when Roku is shifting its focus from device sales to advertising as more streaming services enter the market.
Roku, however, saw higher engagement on its platform as online entertainment surged due to stay-at-home orders. It added 2.9 million active accounts over the last quarter, bringing the total to 39.8 million at the end of the first quarter.
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Net loss widened to $54.6 million, or 45 cents per share, in the quarter ended March 31, from $9.7 million, or 9 cents per share, a year earlier. On a per share basis, this was in line with the market expectation.
Total net revenue rose 55 percent to $320.8 million, beating analysts' average estimate of $306.7 million, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
