Roku is a type of digital media player that provides users with access to various channels, cable networks, as well as entertainment apps and streaming services.
With Roku, you can stream a variety of movies, shows, news, sports events, as well as other video and audio content to your TV. Currently, the platform is very popular both in the United States and worldwide.
As of the end of June 2024, the platform had approximately 83.6 million active accounts.
You can also expand the reach of your target audience through Roku TV app development. This is your chance to gain popularity with Lampa.dev.
Best free Roku Channels
Roku channels are various streaming services that can be installed as apps on the device. Roku provides access to some of the most popular services, such as Amazon Prime, Hulu, or Netflix.
However, The Roku Channel stands out significantly from other channels on the platform. It serves as the core or hub and allows you to subscribe to and access other streaming services.
With Roku, you can watch numerous channels in both free and paid formats. Additionally, new options are constantly being added. Moreover, some major services (Netflix, Disney Plus, and others) often offer a free trial version for new members.
Finding free channels is quite easy. They can be downloaded through the Roku Channel Store menu.
Let's take a look at some of the best free Roku channels in 2024.
Entertainment and Movies
A vast selection of movies and TV shows is offered by the following Roku channels:
Pluto TV
Pluto TV is a free service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global.
It offers access to thousands of free movies and over 100 channels with TV shows of various genres. It also includes news (CNN, NBC News, CBS News, and more), sports, and entertainment. News services typically operate on a recorded basis rather than live-streaming.
To download the Pluto TV app, you need to visit the Channel Store. After downloading, you should activate your account using a unique code that will be displayed on your TV screen.
Tubi
Tubi is an American ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox Corporation, with over 70 million active monthly users.
Tubi offers more than thousands of movies and TV shows completely free of charge. This service, owned by Fox Corporation, provides access to both new and classic programs. You can find various genres to suit any taste, ranging from children's content to horror movies.
Roku Channel
At the end of 2017, the company launched its own channel (Roku Channel) with free access to over 10,000 movies and TV shows in exchange for watching ads.
A strategic decision by the company was to gain access to user preference data, allowing it to effectively target and sell advertisements. By 2018, Roku Channel had become one of the corporation's most profitable revenue sources.
Roku Channel is one of the best free apps, offering a wide range of TV shows and movies of various genres, including original content. It also provides live 24/7 news coverage and access to a variety of entertainment without a subscription.
Additionally, customers in the U.S. can add up to fifty premium subscriptions (Paramount+, Discovery+, AMC+, STARZ, MGM+, etc.) to their account.
News and Information
Among the best channels on Roku for watching local news for free are:
NewsON
NewsON offers free live streaming of local TV news broadcasts across the United States. It also provides access to previous broadcasts, breaking news, local weather updates, and 118 news stations worldwide.
Sky News
Sky News offers 24/7 live news coverage for the UK, the US, and Canada. Sky News also features cached channels, allowing users to access key news highlights at any time.
Reuters TV
Reuters TV is also available on Roku, providing one of the most significant multimedia news services. It offers 24/7 live coverage of major global events, including its signature news shows.
Reuters TV content is created by 2,500 journalists in nearly 200 locations worldwide, with editorial teams in London, Hong Kong, New York, and Washington, ensuring round-the-clock event coverage.
Music and Audio
Best Roku apps for listening to music and watching music videos:
Pandora
Pandora is a music streaming service based on the "Music Genome Project" recommendation system and is operated by Pandora Media Inc. Its library contains over a million tracks.
Pandora offers its users access to a variety of music files. The service analyzes preferences and creates a radio channel with similar music.
To do this, you need to enter a few artists or songs. You can also create multiple stations for different tastes, moods, and events. Registered users can create up to one hundred different radio channels in their profile.
Spotify
Spotify is a music streaming service that allows users to listen to music tracks, audiobooks, and podcasts. It has over 600 million monthly active users.
The service is available in most countries in North and South America and Europe.
Spotify has a vast database of music files from various artists and genres, collected worldwide over the past 100 years. You can also supplement the service with music from your own collection.
Vevo
Vevo is a music video site and video hosting service jointly owned by Sony Music Entertainment (SME), Universal Music Group (UMG), and Warner Music Group (WMG).
Vevo offers a wide range of music genres, videos, and artists. You can find any information about music, artists, and their work. Various interviews, behind-the-scenes videos, and much more are available for music fans.
Best Roku TV apps with Paid Subscription
Roku offers thousands of free TV shows and movies, over 250 live channels, as well as various entertainment and educational programs for children. All this is possible thanks to the best TV apps for Roku, which are gathered on one platform.
Premium Movie Channels
The most popular paid channels for watching TV shows, feature and documentary films, as well as series:
Netflix
Netflix is a streaming service that offers users a wide selection of popular TV shows and movies, series, anime, documentaries, and more. It is also the only app where Roku does not control ads.
The service provides original and licensed TV shows, as well as movies of various genres. It is available internationally in multiple languages.
There is also a special viewing option just for kids. Children's profiles are protected by a PIN, which allows for restricting content by age rating and blocking certain titles.
You can try the Netflix app for free for one month. There are no ads, hidden fees, and you can cancel your subscription at any time.
Hulu
Hulu partners with major networks like Fox, NBC, The CW, and ABC, allowing it to upload new episodes almost immediately after they air.
Hulu is considered one of the best channels, thanks to popular shows from past seasons, and it also features its own original projects.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, the streaming service from Amazon, offers paid access to numerous TV shows, series, and films produced by Amazon Studios as well as other producers (as part of an Amazon Prime subscription).
Amazon Prime Video is a valuable addition to Roku, thanks to its growing number of original programs like Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle. The service offers the option of full or partial subscriptions.
HBO Max
HBO Max is a streaming service from Warner Bros. Discovery. It is built on the extensive libraries of Warner Bros, Discovery Channel, HBO, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, Eurosport, and their associated brands.
The service offers a large selection of popular shows, full seasons of series, comedy specials, and various hit movies.
Sports and Live Events
Best apps on Roku for watching sports events with a paid subscription:
ESPN
ESPN is an American international cable sports streaming service. It is owned by ESPN Inc.
Watch ESPN offers a variety of sports in one service. The channel provides 24/7 access to ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ESPNU, ESP News, and ESPN Deportes live. There is also the option to watch recorded games in various sports.
Fox Sports
Fox Sports is owned by the Fox Corporation. The service is responsible for sports programming broadcast by the Fox network (Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, and the Fox Sports Radio network).
The FOX Sports app is one of the best services for sports fans! It offers live and on-demand game streaming from FOX, FS1, FS2, and FOX Deportes.
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by NBC Sports Group (NBCUniversal and a subsidiary of Comcast responsible for sports broadcasts on the network).
The NBC Sports service allows you to watch thousands of live sports events. It offers live sports, including Premier League games, football championships, the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The app also offers new NBC shows the day after they air and allows you to create an NBC Universal profile to add favorites and save sports events across all devices.
Specialty Content
Popular services with paid subscriptions and specialized content:
CuriosityStream
CuriosityStream is an American informational and entertainment company that offers its subscribers documentary movies and TV shows, as well as various short-form video content from producers like BBC and NHK.
Curiosity Stream is a streaming service for high-quality science and nature programs, and it supports 4K resolution.
BritBox
The online service BritBox, founded by BBC Studios and ITV, is one of the best UK television channels. The app contains the largest collection of British films (detectives, dramas, comedies, etc.), and it also offers a seven-day free trial.
BritBox is available to users in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, as well as in Northern European countries: Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway.
Acorn TV
Acorn TV is a joint subscription video streaming service from the United States and the United Kingdom. It offers viewers TV programs from the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Spain.
The service is available on Roku in other countries as well. Acorn TV features an extensive catalog of world-class films in various genres (detective, drama, comedy, etc.). The service includes hundreds of hours of exclusive programs as well as the latest seasons of global TV shows. Like BritBox, Acorn TV offers users a free trial for exploration.
Must-Have Roku Apps for Families
These services are popular in families with preschool and school-age children. They include educational and entertainment videos, as well as interactive applications.
Educational
Educational programs and edutainment videos for preschoolers and school-age children, available by subscription or for free:
Khan Academy Kids
Khan Academy Kids is an educational app for children up to 8 years old, offering its content completely free of charge. The library contains thousands of children’s books, games, and more.
The program engages children in interesting learning and helps them develop early literacy, reading, and math skills. Khan Academy Kids encourages creativity and develops children’s social and emotional skills. It requires no subscription and is ad-free.
H4 - Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. is an American pay-TV channel owned and operated by Nickelodeon Group, a division of Paramount Global.
The Roku channel Nick Jr. offers a variety of educational and entertaining videos for preschoolers that can be streamed on-demand. Subscribers to Nick Jr. have access to full episodes of Nick Jr. shows. To authenticate Nick Jr., you need to log in through the "Settings" option.
Sesame Street
Fun episodes of Sesame Street for preschool and young school-age children are available to watch anytime, anywhere.
Sesame Street combines live-action, comedy sketches, animation, documentary segments, and puppet theater.
Family Entertainment
Entertainment channels for kids and families on Roku:
Disney+
Disney+ is an American streaming service from The Walt Disney Company. It distributes films and TV series from Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Television.
Disney+ offers classic and latest movie releases, as well as original content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. The service’s catalog is updated weekly.
With a Disney+ subscription, users have access to a variety of useful features, including parental controls, profile PINs, and a "Kids Mode" feature.
PBS Kids
PBS Kids is a well-known brand for children’s programming and is also the name of a TV channel and streaming service.
In the United States, PBS KIDS offers 24/7 access to engaging and educational videos for children of various ages.
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is an American animation service and is currently one of the world’s largest TV channels for children, part of the Warner Media corporation, and a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment.
The Cartoon Network app offers the best of Cartoon Network and Cartoonito. The latest episodes of animated series are available on the service the day after they air on the TV channel.
Interactive Apps
Best apps for Roku for family fun and children's learning:
HappyKids.tv
This is a free app for young viewers. The content is conveniently divided into categories by age group. The channel offers many interesting educational videos with interactive elements, including Minecraft and LEGO.
Animal Planet GO
Watch your favorite Animal Planet shows anytime, anywhere with the Animal Planet GO app. The service also provides access to other resources (Discovery, Science Channel, Travel Channel).
Animal Planet GO allows you to watch new episodes on the same day they air on television. The service supports subtitles.
LEGO TV
Characters from LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Friends, LEGO City, and more – it’s all about LEGO TV. Here, you can access a wide variety of shows and interactive videos featuring your favorite LEGO heroes. The app is easy to navigate and kid-friendly, with separate themed sections for convenience.
Tips for Discovering New Roku Channels
The Roku platform allows you to combine multiple streaming services on a single device. However, finding channels can often be challenging and even confusing for users.
Common concerns include:
Best Roku Channels 2024
Of course, to gain unlimited access to streaming content, you need to add channels to your device. This is fairly easy to do, whether the channels are paid or free.
Every app that can be downloaded on the Roku platform is called a channel. The more channels you install, the more effectively you can use this streaming device.
There are several ways to add apps to Roku:
- Directly on Roku TV
Through the “Streaming Channels” menu, you can launch the Channel Store. Here, you can sort services by genre. You can also search by name. After adding a service you like, it will appear on the home page as a Roku channel. - Through the Roku Mobile App
There are free Roku apps available for Android and iOS. These apps allow you to access your Roku account, channels, and other features. You can also use your mobile device as a remote control.
Like the Roku Smart TV app, the mobile app will also offer a list of recommended channels.
After downloading the app to your smartphone, launch it and follow the instructions (changing settings, pairing the device, etc.). - Through the Roku Website
Visit the Roku website and log in to your account. From here, you can scroll through the list of available channels to find the one you want. There is also a search box where you can enter the name of the service.
A non-certified or private channel can be installed on Roku using a special access code provided directly by its developers on an individual basis.
To add a third-party or non-certified channel to the platform, log into your account on a PC, smartphone, or tablet. In the “Manage Account” section, select “Add channel with a code.”
However, hidden or non-certified services won’t appear on Roku right away. To find them, go to the “Settings” section, then to “System” and “System Update.” In the “Check Now” tab, you’ll find these services.
You can also manually add, edit, or delete channels on the Roku platform.
The Roku Platform is Open to New Apps
The Roku operating system is fully open to developers, which fosters the emergence and growth of new apps and channels. It does not restrict the operation of competing services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, and HBO. Therefore, direct competitors continue to actively develop their apps on the platform.
At the same time, Roku encourages the launch of new channels. The powerful scripting language BrightScript and the object-oriented user interface environment SceneGraph enable the creation of high-performance apps and their active integration into the platform.
Lampa.dev – Your Guide to the World of Roku
Roku offers vast opportunities for both startups and companies that have been producing and selling video or audio content for a long time. With a platform that has millions of users worldwide, it's an excellent way to make your mark.
If you want to create something similar to what already exists on Roku, or if you have an original idea, you've come to the right place!
Lampa specializes in developing apps for the Roku platform, as well as in testing, updating, and providing technical support.
Regardless of the specifics of your project, we will help your business reach a new level and achieve its goals. Lampa.dev will create an attractive design and user-friendly interface for your app, making it a fully-fledged service for the Roku platform.