- Free, ad-supported channels are now available on Roku TVs and streaming devices.
- The selection is very US-centric.
- The UK's biggest broadcasters are still using their apps
Year has added a host of new free-to-air channels for UK viewers, with some familiar names joining the lineup including Deal or No Deal, PGA Tour Golf and MLB.
All 40 new channels are available now, and you can find them on the Roku Channel and Live TV area on your Roku TV or Roku streamer. You don't need to subscribe to anything or install any additional apps.
These channels were first announced in September.and while this is an overdue addition—Roku has long offered free, ad-supported TV channels in the US, Canada, and South America—I'd like to see more channels added soon to make the live TV section worth visiting.
What channels do UK Roku users get?
Roku has listed a dozen highlights of the new live TV section (full composition here). And they:
- Sport: PGA TOUR, TNA Wrestling, MLB
- Entertainment: Deal or No Deal, Fear Factor
- Drama: Bold and the Beautiful
- House: Martha Stewart Channel, This Old House
- Crime and medicine: Unsolved mysteries, untold stories of emergency medicine
- Nature and Wildlife: NatureTime, I love pets
While it's nice to get more free content, the channels listed have a distinct “page 20 EPG” vibe to them. And if these are the best of them, then that means Roku is still behind the likes of Amazonwhose Fire TV live channels also include UK broadcasters such as BBC and ITV. They are not listed as Live TV on Roku.
Of course, you can still get these channels on Roku. But for this you need separate applications. Which means the live TV section doesn't feel like the one-stop destination for all your favorite channels and shows—which it needs to be if Roku is going to make money selling ads on it.
Let's hope this means that this is the start of many improvements in the UK, and that there will be more to come soon.
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