Roku

Overview

Roku is a streaming media company headquartered in San Jose, California, best known for its line of streaming devices and smart TVs. Roku's OneView ad platform (formerly Dataxu, acquired in 2019) provides a full-stack advertising solution spanning connected TV (CTV), desktop, and mobile inventory. The OneView pixel appears on advertiser websites to close the attribution loop between digital ad impressions — including ads shown on Roku streaming devices — and web-based conversions. Roku reaches approximately 80 million active accounts in the US, making it the dominant CTV platform for advertisers seeking to measure the impact of streaming TV advertising on downstream website activity.

What This Script Does

Script Files and Domains

The Roku OneView pixel loads from pixel.rubiconproject.com or beacon.rubiconproject.com (inherited infrastructure from Magnite/Rubicon, which Roku's ad platform integrates with), and Roku's own endpoints at go.onelink.me and adsrvr.org (The Trade Desk shared infrastructure). The Roku/OneView conversion pixel tag fires a 1×1 transparent GIF or JavaScript beacon to pixel.rubiconproject.com/tap.php or similar endpoints, passing conversion event parameters as URL query strings.

Cookies Set

• put_ — Rubicon/Roku's primary cross-site user identifier cookie. Persistent, 1-year expiry. Third-party cookie set on rubiconproject.com. Used for cross-site ad attribution and audience syncing.
• rpx — Rubicon audience cookie for segment storage and DSP bid qualification.
• ruid — Rubicon user ID, synced with partner DSPs for cross-platform reach extension.
• kpuid — Krux/Salesforce DMP identifier inherited from Roku's partner integrations.

Conversion Event Capture

The pixel captures: page views (event=click), product views, add-to-cart actions, purchase completions (with order value and transaction ID), and custom conversion events defined by the advertiser. Each event payload includes the page URL, referrer, timestamp, and advertiser-assigned campaign and segment identifiers.

Cross-Device Attribution

Roku's core value proposition is linking CTV ad exposure (a Roku device showing a streaming ad) to a subsequent web conversion (the viewer later visiting the advertiser's website on a laptop or phone). This cross-device matching uses Roku's account graph — Roku account holders who authenticated on streaming devices are matched to browser sessions via deterministic (email-based) and probabilistic methods.

Audience Retargeting

Website visitor data feeds Roku OneView Custom Audiences, enabling advertisers to serve retargeting ads to previous site visitors across Roku's CTV inventory, desktop display, and mobile. Audience segments created from the pixel feed can target users by: visited specific pages, viewed specific products, abandoned cart, completed purchase.

Identifier Syncing

The pixel participates in real-time cookie syncing with The Trade Desk (via adsrvr.org syncs), Google, Amazon, and other major DSPs via pixel chain calls, enabling audience reach extension across the open programmatic ecosystem.

Consent & Compliance

Category: Marketing

Under GDPR, the Roku OneView pixel requires explicit prior consent. It sets persistent third-party cookies, performs cross-device identity matching for advertising, and transmits personal data to US-based servers. Cross-device tracking using deterministic identity resolution (matching email addresses across devices) constitutes profiling under GDPR Article 4(4) and requires a valid legal basis — which for advertising purposes is consent (Article 6(1)(a)).

Roku participates in IAB TCF 2.2 via its Magnite/Rubicon infrastructure (Rubicon Project Vendor ID: 52). TCF purposes exercised include Purpose 1, Purpose 3, Purpose 4, Purpose 5, Purpose 6, and Purpose 7.

Under CCPA/CPRA, behavioral data collected by the Roku pixel and shared with Roku's advertising platform constitutes "sharing" for cross-context behavioral advertising. The "Do Not Sell or Share" opt-out applies.

Roku is covered by the EU-US Data Privacy Framework for transatlantic data transfers.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Yes. The Roku OneView pixel sets persistent third-party cookies, performs cross-device identity matching for advertising attribution, and shares behavioral data with Roku's CTV advertising platform. Its sole purpose is advertising measurement and audience building — it provides no site functionality. Block until explicit marketing consent is obtained.