
Richard Halton, UK MD, Roku, tells TVBEurope why every year feels like a revolution in the broadcast industry
By Contributor
Published: December 18, 2024 Updated: December 19, 2024
Richard Halton, UK MD, Roku, tells TVBEurope why every year feels like a revolution in the broadcast industry
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Richard Halton, UK MD, Roku, tells TVBEurope why every year feels like a revolution in the broadcast industry
https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/people/meet-the-uk-managing-director title=Share via Email class=share-email>
Talk us through an average day in your role There's no typical day, but with a focus on working with partners, it's not unusual to start with a breakfast meeting (ideally in West London!) and if I don't have an early meeting, I'll submit to my training schedule and head out for a run or row before work.
Richard Halton, UK MD, Roku We have a great team and once in the office we'll catch up on the latest goings on in the industry, and if it's early in the week, last week's sales data. The most important meeting brings together the UK leadership group, always at 9:59am Tuesday (I was once told 10am is the most productive hour of any day so start early I say ) or later in the day once a month to involve colleagues in the US. Roku's operation in the UK is a complete snapshot of the business, including engineering and ads team with global responsibility, so it's a good pulse check for the organisation. We might hear from one of the team about the quarterly business review they had with ITV or Channel 4, a second about new Players and Roku TV deals that we've got coming up with retailers, and another about upcoming enhancements to our user interface.
Lunch is normally on the hoof and from 1pm teams in New York are online and the buzz in the office grows, with another step up at 4pm once our HQ in the West Coast wakes up. My boss is based in California and he's happy to start the day in the car as he passes Pismo beach on the way to San Jose.
Part of my role is to keep Roku plugged into what's happening in the industry. This might mean that we're going to an RTS planning meeting for their next convention, or recently meeting with the new team at the Department of Media, Culture and Sport to discuss how Roku can be a positive force in UK broadcasting. Calls continue late into the evening, so I'll try and get home for those, then brace for the inbound email which arrives while I'm sleeping.
How did you get started in the media industry? I spent most of my university career imagining working in journalism; I was editing the newspaper at Warwick University and studying English Literature. After graduating I started work in retail for Andersen Consulting and loved learning about business, but soon realised I really wanted to work in the media industry. I applied for a job at the BBC and for a journalism course at City University and got accepted for both on the same day. I chose the BBC because it took me straight into participating in media and I was gripped from day one. I joined just as the digital TV revolution was kicking off, at this curious crossroads of the new and old world as pay TV took off and digital broadcast launched in the UK. I was hooked by the creative and commissioning side of television, channel planning and later the future of delivery and distribution.
One of my very first projects was trying to find the successor to the 1996 Pride and Prejudice series. The BBC had commissioned author David Lodge to write a treatment of every single major English novel and I was asked to add an opinion on which book could be the next big series. At the same time I was working with NTL on near video on demand' (where I met Gidon Katz, now a colleague at Roku) and I think that was a defining period half of my brain was in a Victorian novel and the other in the future of TV distribution.
What training did you have before entering the industry? The media industry is fascinating because it exercises those two parts of your brain. One is the editorial and content part, and the other is strategy focused. At university I trained the creative and editorial side and then my time in consulting trained the strategy side. Retail consulting also gave me a fantastic view of, and knowledge of, audience trends, the opportunity of big data to improve the customer experience and how that could and should direct innovation and investment into digital media and entertainment.
Now I have the opportunity to help others kick start their careers too, as I sit on the advisory board for the RTS's Mini MBA Program. It's a brilliant multidisciplinary introduction to the industry that will help to create the generation of leaders and innovators.
Why do you enjoy working in the industry? Since I started at the BBC, every year feels like a revolution with constant change and innovation in TV. That feeling has stayed for the last twenty-five years. I've been able to witness and take part in huge restructuring, from the traditional four or five channels many of us grew up with, through to YouView, Freeview and the growth of the EPG as we transitioned to digital TV. Now we're into the next phase with a focus on streaming, content, and collaboration. Figuring out what kind of business model can be successful at each of those points and how partnerships help drive better outcomes has been fascinating.
Working in the UK is so rewarding as we have this long, deep history of British broadcasting innovation in content and technology and it remains a privilege to be part of that conversation. Working for a US tech company, having led YouView and working in the ads business at Origin gives a totally new perspective.
What piece of advice would you offer someone look
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
08/09/2026
Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) has announced a multi-year agreement with A E...
08/09/2026
Spectra Logic today announced the availability of Media Insight, a new capabilit...
08/09/2026
Rogers Communications and Quebecor have announced a 12-year sublicensing agreement for French-language national NHL games beginning with the 2026-27 season. TVA...
08/09/2026
Skyline Communications and Bridge Technologies will demonstrate two integrations...
08/09/2026
Boland Communications will make the European debut of its 4K55HDR7SNB 55-inch super-narrow-bezel monitor at IBC2026 (Stand 12.C57, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-1...
08/09/2026
Ateme and Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) have announced a collaboration comb...
08/09/2026
Haivision has joined the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme as part of t...
08/09/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced price reductions on its PYXIS 6K and Cinema Camera 6K models, effective immediately through Blackmagic Design resellers worldwid...
08/09/2026
AI-Media will demonstrate its LEXI Suite at IBC2026 (Booth 5.C34, September 11-1...
08/09/2026
Bitmovin and Ad Insertion Platform (AIP) have announced the first live deploymen...
08/09/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate story-centric media workflows at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), connecting newsroom production, content ma...
08/09/2026
M2A Media and Ateme have announced a partnership integrating Ateme's video processing solutions into M2A Media's MediaToAnywhere platform for live sport...
08/09/2026
Ikegami will exhibit at IBC2026 (Stand 12.A31, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), including a Day 1 introduction of new cameras in the UNICAM XE series. Additiona...
08/09/2026
Broadcast industry analysts will be gathering plenty of insights at the 2026 IBC Show this weekend in Amsterdam, but Caretta Research has offered up some though...
08/09/2026
SENSHI and DAZN have announced a global broadcast partnership that will bring SENSHI's live events free to viewers in more than 200 markets. The partnership...
08/09/2026
New architecture built with Evertz will bring 4K HDR to Monday Night Football, N...
08/09/2026
Built for rap producers, by rap producers
Sauceware Audio, the independent plug-in company founded by Grammy-nominated producer Jacob (Travis Scott, 21 Sava...
08/09/2026
Classic Sound Techniques design revived
Warm Audio's latest release delivers a meticulous recreation of the preamp circuitry employed by the Sound Techn...
08/09/2026
Latest soft synth inspired by the Memorymoog
XILS Lab have just launched a software instrument that draws its inspiration from Moog's iconic Memorymoog,...
08/09/2026
The Airport Chaplain takes off as SBS's biggest launch of 2026
8 September, 2026
Media releases
1.67 million viewers on National Total TV to date
Best...
08/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/09/2026
Mo-Sys, the world-leading developer of virtual production, camera robotics and image tracking technology, has completed a business restructuring, which has incl...
08/09/2026
New York, September 8, 2026 The TSAmediaHUB audiovisual contribution and distribution infrastructure developed by Telef nica's Audiovisual Services area re...
08/09/2026
Expanded Riyadh operation brings Asharq and Thmanyah services together on a resilient on-premises Pebble platform.
Pebble, the leading automation, content mana...
08/09/2026
Techex, a pioneering leader in live video workflows, will showcase its broadest software feature set to date at IBC 2026 (Stand 2.B45), extending its lead in so...
08/09/2026
Visitors to Grass Valley's booth at IBC2026 will be introduced to new Framelight X capabilities that connect content acquisition, management, editing and pu...
08/09/2026
BCNEXXT will showcase the latest evolution of Vipe at IBC2026 (Stand 2.B09), introducing a series of innovations designed to deliver higher-quality audience exp...
08/09/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Ad Insertion Platform (AIP), a leading innovator in advanced ad insertion technologies, to...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics and augmented and virtual production, is announcing a major package of enhancements to its Suite 7 soft...
08/09/2026
Big Blue Marble is supporting TDF, French infrastructure and network operator, broadcasting Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and radio services, as a techno...
08/09/2026
Agents work inside a single production environment, from incoming wire copy to a live studio show...
08/09/2026
Building on their strategic partnership, Ceeblue and Layercake make the unthinkable possible: scalable sub-second streaming over standard DRM, SSAI, and CDN wor...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics, augmented and virtual production, is completing the environment for fast-paced broadcast production wi...
08/09/2026
A SaaS portfolio built to work together, helping operators grow audiences, monetise smarter and run leaner, on their own terms
At IBC 2026 (stand 1.B49) Synam...
08/09/2026
Accedo, global provider of video streaming software and services, has been selected by PlayOn Sports, a national leader in high school sports technology, to exp...
08/09/2026
LiveU, the leader in live IP-video solutions, is enabling The Associated Press to take global newsgathering to the next stage with intelligent connectivity and ...
08/09/2026
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced the latest evolution of it...
08/09/2026
Compact, power-efficient X Platform performance brings broadcast-grade reliability and ultra-low latency to space-constrained remote production (REMI) workflows...
08/09/2026
Zixi, the leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, and Kiloview, a leading provider of professional IP video encoding and decoding solutions, t...
08/09/2026
Collaboration gives content owners scalable CDN capacity and broadcasters enhanced flexibility, including for C-band transition planning
Quortex today announce...
08/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/09/2026
Telos Alliance and Pluxbox Announce Dynamic Media Facility Integration Partnersh...
08/09/2026
J nger Audio Showcases Industry-First S-ADM Cloud Workflow at IBC 2026
Search
Dolby, MainConcept, Techex and J nger Audio will showcase the industry's ...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Sky Go gets a major upgrade for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers
Today, Sky launches a new version of the Sky Go app for Sky Glass ...
08/09/2026
Documentary thriller simulating a Russian attack on UK soil will culminate in a live final episode reuniting the playersTuesday 8 September 2026
Trailer releas...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Jamie Demetriou and Amelia Dimoldenberg to host next t...
08/09/2026
Wuppertal September 8, 2026
Riedel Introduces New OnAir Headset PlatformRiedel Communications today announced the launch of its new OnAir headset platform, a...