Roku integration with AppsFlyer

At a glance: Integrate your Roku Connected TV (CTV) app with AppsFlyer to receive attribution and event data for your campaigns on Roku.

About Roku CTV attribution

The Roku OS for streaming runs across all Roku devices, including streaming players and Roku TVs. 

CTV apps, AKA channels, streaming on Roku can integrate with AppsFlyer via API to receive attribution data and performance measurements about which sources (non-organic or organic) and paid campaigns drive app installs and post-install events. Marketers rely on these insights to measure and optimize marketing activities.

The Roku API integration supports:

  • Roku Smart TV and CTV devices. The integration doesn't support mobile, tablet, or desktop devices.   
  • CTV-to-CTV attribution and event recording. Meaning, attribution and recording of Roku app installs and events that occur on a user's Roku device.

Roku attribution flow

7435_CTV__3_.png

Integration procedures

The following table lists the tasks required to integrate your Roku CTV app with AppsFlyer.

Task Actions Who's involved

App setup

Marketer

API integration with your app (via S2S or SDK)

There are two methods of integration you can use: S2S and SDK.

For the S2S method, integrate the AppsFlyer API into your app with commands to report the following events to AppsFlyer.

  • Installs
  • In-app events
  • Sessions

Note:

  • Installs must be reported before in-app events and sessions.
  • Send events using the API. Tell your developer which events to send. Verify that when you set up the API, you set up and map the events to send to AppsFlyer. 

To report owned media engagements, integrate the impression engagement API.

For the SDK method, see the developer hub for Roku (BrightScript) documentation.

App developer
Partner integration

Add Roku as an ad network (integrated partner) in AppsFlyer:

  1. Activate partner
  2. [Optional] Edit Click-through attribution. Default is 14 days.
    The click-through attribution setting lets you set the maximum time from click to install. Only installs (first launches) that take place within this lookback window can be attributed to Roku. See click lookback windows.
  3. [Optional] Turn on and edit View-through attribution. Default is 14 days.

    Use the slider to set the maximum time from impression to install. Only installs (first launches) that take place within this lookback window, following an ad impression, are attributed to the partner, providing there was no other relevant ad click. See view-through attribution.

Marketer
Report setup/view data Learn about data availability in dashboards and reports Marketer/Data engineer 

Roku discrepancies with AppsFlyer

Cause Roku AppsFlyer
Click attribution lookback window

14 days

1 hour-14 days. Make sure to set to 14 days in Roku partner integration.

View-through attribution lookback window

14 days

1 hour-14 days. Make sure to set to 14 days in Roku partner integration.

Install

Roku records new installs on the install time.

AppsFlyer records new installs on the first launch of the app.

Cross-device attribution

Roku attributes its users that click and install on different devices, for example, 2 different TVs.

AppsFlyer attributes single devices, which perform both the engagement and the install.

Traits and limitations

Trait Remarks
Retargeting

Not currently supported

Cost data Cost data must be sent via Cost Import using the upload file by email method.