Feb 21 (Reuters) - U.S. television start-up Roku is aiming to launch an initial public offering this year, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
The company, which makes set-top boxes that connect TVs to the Internet, recently spoke to banks about the possibility of going public but is yet to hire a lead bank for the process, the report said. ()
Roku competes with Apple Inc's Apple TV and is working with U.S. cable operators such as Time Warner Cable Inc to let users stream their cable TV through the box.
The company raised $60 million last May in a funding round that included Hearst Corp, News Corp and British Sky Broadcasting as well as institutional investor Fidelity.
Roku spokeswoman Tricia Mifsud said Roku, as a matter of policy, does not comment publicly about its future financing plans.