Roku Quietly Adds More Than a Dozen New Free Channels
Each month, Roku typically expands its lineup for The Roku Channel users, adding free channels to the mix. The service's most recent expansion was pretty large, with 16 new offerings joining the fold.
"The new additions span multiple genres, catering to diverse interests from families and sports enthusiasts to those interested in international programming and nature documentaries," writes Luke Bouma of Cord Cutters News. "With these channels, Roku continues to strengthen its position in the competitive streaming market by emphasizing free ad-supported streaming television, or FAST, services. This move allows users to enjoy live and on-demand content across a wide range of topics while only needing an internet connection and their Roku hardware."
What are Roku's 16 newest channels?
- 195 Salem News Channel
- 223 Scripps Sports
- 357 Life with Derek
- 414 Inspector Gadget
- 418 Grizzly and the Lemmys
- 975 Shark Tank Latino
- 1011 Vive Kanal D Drama
- 1046 Jail en Español
- 5240 Flo Racing 24/7
- 5241 DP World Tour
- 5242 MotoGP Channel
- 5300 Nat Geo Animals
- 5301 Nat Geo Travel
- 5302 Nat Geo History
- 5303 Roku Moods Nature
- 5304 Game and Fish
This list includes multiple sport and gaming channels, along with cartoons, news, history, reality and current events, among other genres.
Roku also makes big move with Howdy subscription service
Last summer, Roku introduced Howdy, a $3 per month subscription service offering ad-free viewing of more than 3,000 titles.
Since then, Howdy has been a Roku-only venture, but now Roku has teamed with Amazon Prime to offer Howdy to Prime Video subscribers.
“Our goal has always been to make great entertainment more accessible,” said Gil Fuchsberg, Roku's president of Subscriptions, Partnerships and Corporate Development, via Variety. “Expanding to Prime Video builds on our momentum and furthers our mission to deliver an ad-free streaming experience at a price that makes it easy for audiences everywhere to enjoy content they love.”