Roku's adding a bunch of free live TV channels with a new channel guide interface
Folks can never have too many things to watch, so Roku is giving owners of its devices more options to choose from.
Roku announced Tuesday that the free Roku Channel app would expand its free live broadcast selection to include north of 100 channels. In other words, there is now a triple-digit number of TV channels Roku device owners can watch without paying a cent using the Roku Channel app. They include Cheddar and Reuters for news, Stadium for sports, and Bon Appétit for food fans.
To make navigating these channels easier, Roku has also introduced a new interface for the Roku channel. It's visually and functionally similar to a typical channel guide you'd find on a cable or satellite box. Previously, the Roku channel arranged things more like your average streaming service, making it kind of difficult to find out what was on at any given time.
It should be noted that this is not a free replacement for an actual TV service or even a streaming alternative like YouTube TV or Sling. Things like ESPN and HBO still need to be accessed via separate apps or add-on subscriptions.
It does, however, give you something to watch if you're bored. Considering Roku's sizable share of the streaming device market, there are probably a bunch of Roku device owners out there who could use it.
Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.
