Roku's longtime platform leader Scott Rosenberg to exit

Scott Rosenberg, Roku’s head of advertising and platform partnerships, is leaving the company after almost a decade helping develop the fast-growing over-the-top TV. On Friday, Roku announced the upcoming departure of the key executive, who is well known in advertising and media circles. Rosenberg has been with Roku, the connected TV device maker and media streaming service, for nine years and plans to leave this spring. Rosenberg did not say where he would land next. “Deciding to leave was difficult, but made possible by my belief in the incredible bench strength of the Platform team and the company as a whole,” Rosenberg said in the announcement. Roku did not announce a successor to fill the position of senior VP and general manager of its platform business. “While Scott remains deeply invested in the company’s success, he’s ready for his next professional challenge and believes this is the right timeframe for him to make a change. I respect and fully support his decision,” Roku CEO Anthony Wood said in the announcement. “I look forward to working with Scott to ensure a smooth transition, while maintaining our relentless focus on building the best TV streaming platform.” Roku now reaches 56.4 million subscribers, according to its latest public financial reports. See the latest news from CES here. Rosenberg has helped grow Roku’s ad business since 2012. It has turned into one of the top rivals in the connected TV space competing with giant rivals like Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Google. In the third quarter of 2021, Roku’s ad business grew 82% year over year, generating $582.5 million in revenue. Roku has expanded the business by striking more content distribution deals with streaming apps like ViacomCBS’ Paramount+, NBC’s Peacock and Discovery+. Roku also has developed The Roku Channel, where it distributes more of its own content. However, connected TV partnerships can also lead to fraught negotiations, mimicking the competitive landscape that affected carriage rights in cable TV for decades. Roku has had high-profile distribution battles with Google and Fox. In December, Roku and Google settled a standoff, enabling Roku to continue to distribute YouTube and YouTube TV services. Rosenberg is an active member of the digital advertising community, sitting on the boards of the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Mobile Marketing Association. See Ad Age’s 2021 Year in Review here.

Roku's longtime platform leader Scott Rosenberg to exit

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