Netflix Player By Roku Nearing 100,000 Units Sold: 1% Of Netflix’s Subscribers

In an article I wrote for GigaOm.com yesterday entitled "Content Offerings Only Reach a Few Million TVs", I broke down of the number of non-PC related products like the Xbox 360, Roku, PS3, TiVo Series 3 and VUDU devices that are really capable of getting movies and other online video content. For my sales estimate of the Netflix player by Roku, I estimated that to date, Roku had sold 10,000 units.

Since publication of the article, I've now learned that the accurate number of units sold is closer to 100,000. While it surprised me the number was that high, it does seem possible, as that would equal about 1% of Netflix's 8.2 million customers. Considering the price point ($99) and the fact that the product's marketing is very focused, to a targeted audience, Roku's penetration rate would be higher than the average product that has only been on the market for eight weeks. Plus, once you have the Roku box, the content is free.

At this rate, it will not take too long for the Roku box to outsell Apple TV. Apple TV has been on sale for 20 months now and based on published reports, has sold a bit less than 400,000 units. Roku has sold nearly a quarter of that in only 2 months time. And with the promise of the Roku player being capable of getting more than just Netflix content down the road, this little device has some real potential to make a real impact in the market.