Roku TV owners get 8 new freebie live channels – and there’s a sneaky trick for Amazon Fire Stick owners to claim too
ROKU is getting two big upgrades that add eight new live TV channels totally free of charge.
The updates mean your library of no-cost streaming options is larger than ever.
First up is an upgrade to Pluto TV, one of the most popular free streaming apps.
It already offers more than 250 free live channels, as well as “thousands” of on-demand movies and TV shows.
This generous selection is made possibly thanks to ads – you’ll have to endure commercials to watch for free.
But there are no sign-up fees, no need to make an account, and no surprise subscriptions.
And in a new update live right now, the following five channels were added:
- Nash Bridges Channel
- Ebony TV Drama
- MTV Pluto TV
- Pluto Emergencia
- La Academia
“Pluto TV is the leading free streaming television service delivering hundreds of live linear channels and thousands of titles on-demand,” Pluto explains on its website.
“We curate a diverse lineup of channels, in partnership with hundreds of international media companies, offering a wide array of genres, languages and categories.”
ROKU STARS
The other update is on The Roku Channel, which (as the name suggests) is Roku’s own free streaming service.
Like Pluto TV, The Roku Channel is ad-supported so involves viewing commercials.
But it has an enormous library of content that includes over 350 live channels plus more than 80,000 movies and TV shows.
“The Roku Channel is home to Roku Originals, plus offers thousands of free movies and TV shows, kids’ entertainment and more for free, and all with fewer ads than traditional broadcast TV,” Roku explained.
“All titles in the large library of free content are presented together in a single channel
“Creating a simple way for you to browse, search, and watch a wide variety of entertainment without switching between multiple streaming channels.”
The list of channels has grown too, with the following three additions:
- La Academia 24/7 Fast Channel
- Dr Phil
- Gary Vee TV
You can install The Roku Channel during your Roku streamer’s initial setup.
Or you can add it from the Roku Channel Store at any time.
The Roku Channel – what you need to know
Here's the lowdown...
The Roku Channel is a streaming app that’s available on a range of devices.
It offers more than 400 live TV channels.
And it promises over 80,000 movies and TV shows on an on-demand basis.
Roku says that the app is available on:
- Roku streaming devices
- Compatible Samsung Smart TVs
- Compatible Amazon Fire TV devices
- TheRokuChannel.com website
- Roku mobile apps (iOS and Android)
Roku notes that the app is only available in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It’s also available in Mexico, but only on Roku devices.
Just press the Home button on your Roku remote, scroll and select Streaming Channels, then choose Search Channels.
Enter “The Roku Channel”, highlight it, press OK, and then select Add Channel.
THis should add a tile for The Roku Channel in the grid on your Home Screen.
You can reposition the app by using the star (*) button on your Roku remote.
STICK TO IT?
The good news is that Amazon Fire TV Stick owners can claim the same free channels.
It’s not exactly a surprise that you can get the Pluto TV library.
But Fire TV owners might not have realized that The Roku Channel is available as a download from the official Amazon Appstore.
That’s despite the fact that Amazon and Roku make rival streaming devices.
Stream swapping – the easy way to cut your bills?
Here’s what Sean Keach, The Sun’s Head of Technology and Science, thinks…
It’s no secret that TV streaming apps are costing more and more.
Not only are prices shooting up, but we find ourselves asked to pay for an increasing number of apps and services.
And when you combine those TV bills with your music streaming, mobile and internet fees, and every other drain on your bank account, it all starts to get a bit much.
One of the best ways to cut your TV bills is to simply cancel all of your streaming subscriptions and only sign up to one per month.
Pick an app like Netflix, Disney+, or Apple TV+ and smash through all of the content you want to watch on that app.
Then the next month, swap to something else.
And once you’ve done them all, you can cycle back to the start again.
It’s an easy way to avoid forking out for a rolling library of streaming apps with more content than you could possibly watch.
Also don’t forget that paid-for streaming isn’t the only game in town.
There are loads of apps that don’t cost a penny to enjoy, and downloading a few will unlock thousands of live TV channels plus tens of thousands of movies and shows.
Try apps like Tubi, Amazon Freevee, The Roku Channel, Plex, and Pluto TV to get some ad-supported television without having to pay any monthly fees.
Similarly, the free Amazon Freevee app is available to download on Roku devices.