Fox Corporation’s planned acquisition of Roku for $22 billion highlights the value of controlling the platform that connects viewers with content, advertising, and streaming services. Parks Associates research based on surveys of more than 8,000 U.S. internet households found that 43% identify a Roku device as their most-used streaming media player, while 17% of smart TV owners say their primary television runs on Roku OS. Fox would contribute premium live sports and news content, along with Tubi, while Roku would bring its operating system, The Roku Channel, Frndly TV, Howdy, advertising capabilities, and first-party data. Fox says Roku reaches more than 100 million streaming households globally. The combination would give Fox two major free ad-supported streaming television (FAST, free streaming funded by advertising) properties through Tubi and The Roku Channel, alongside Roku’s audience data, discovery, advertising, and distribution capabilities. Parks Associates says competition increasingly depends on ownership of the viewer relationship, with platforms shaping content discovery, audience engagement, and monetization. The firm will share related research at webinars and events on September 24 and November 17-18.