Roku, Inc.

The Challenge

Global entertainment leader Roku, Inc. has been revolutionizing the way people consume media for two decades. With ninety million households relying on Roku for world-class entertainment, the company has established itself as a pioneer in streaming devices, TVs, smart home technology, and advertising services. As Roku's user platform and advertising business has grown, so has the complexity of its financial planning and analysis, driven by new revenue streams and the need for advanced analytical capabilities such as profitability analysis by product area to inform investment decisions. This evolution highlighted the limitations of legacy financial planning and analysis solutions, creating an opportunity for more sophisticated and capable systems that can support Roku's continued growth.  The company needed a centralized, scalable solution that could provide a single source of truth and empower the company to make agile, data-driven decisions in a fast-paced market.

The Solution

Roku partnered with Argano to replace their cumbersome spreadsheet environment with Anaplan's robust platform for connected planning. This was more than a technical implementation; it was a strategic partnership designed to build a foundation for scalable growth. The initiative began by transforming Roku's core financial operations, starting with a flexible headcount and compensation model. This new model moved beyond static data entry, enabling driver-based forecasting and allowing department leaders to engage directly with their own planning scenarios while integrating seamlessly with core HR and finance systems. Building on this foundation, Argano developed a comprehensive operating expense (OpEx) model that automated crucial data flows from across the organization, providing a level of real-time analysis that was previously impossible. By connecting these critical planning functions on a single, unified platform, Argano eliminated data silos and delivered a dynamic solution. This provided Roku with the enterprise-wide visibility and agile control necessary to not only manage its continued growth but to accelerate it with confidence.

The Results

Roku has significantly enhanced its business capabilities by leveraging the Anaplan platform for finance and workforce planning models, enabling faster, data-driven decisions. The implementation of Anaplan has dramatically improved the finance team's operations, reducing the planning cycle for headcount and expenses from three weeks to just a few days. This has allowed the finance team to shift focus from manual data consolidation to strategic analysis. The connected Anaplan models have also improved collaboration across the business, providing real-time visibility into financial submissions and performance. The integration of Anaplan Polaris has further amplified these benefits, offering advanced reporting capabilities, enhanced data analysis flexibility, and streamlined implementation for developers. As a result, Roku has achieved a notable increase in operational agility and strategic decision-making, positioning the company for continued growth and success while navigating the complexities of hyper-growth.