Essential Free Channels for Getting the Most Out of Your Roku
The Roku has become one of the most popular tools for streaming video on the big screen. It has become the forefront of the cord-cutting movement, where consumers are looking for a way to save money by only paying for the content they watch.
So, you’ve got home your shiny new Roku. You’ve set it up, and now you’ve got to start installing some apps. While there are certainly good pre-loaded apps, like Netflix and Hulu, the reason why the Roku has been so successful is because of its channel store.
So, I’ve divided this post up into various sections for different types of apps. Some of these apps overlap into other categories. All of these apps are free (and have no required subscriptions whatsoever).
TV Shows and Movies
Now, if you want the latest Hollywood blockbusters, you’re gonna have to start paying up. Many of us pay for some kind of movie subscription service, whether it is Netflix (included with T-Mobile), Hulu (included with some Sprint), Amazon Prime, or more.
And if you haven’t, I recommend researching which platforms have the shows you want to watch.
But, there are still a couple of great apps that can help you get free movies and TV shows (and which are ad-supported).
The Roku Channel may have already been preloaded on your Roku. It does have premium subscriptions, but the majority of content it has is free.
It features movies, TV shows, live sports shows, news shows, and more. It basically goes into every category on this list.
Sony Crackle has a lot of free TV shows and movies, especially those which are produced by Sony. Many of these are exclusive to Crackle.
This is another free movie and TV show channel. Remember, you can use the Roku Universal Search if you want to find the cheapest source for a movie or TV show.
While Plex is best known as an easy way to access media from a network server, it has a “Web Shows” and “News” section, which are completely free to use. They are all curated based on what you watch (similar to YouTube).
News
This list includes both on-demand and live news.
LocalNow is a news channel that not only has national news, but free live local news. There is also a free stream of The Weather Channel, as this channel is owned by the same company that owns TWC.
CBSN is the free, ad-supported version of CBS News. It has a live feed and gives you free access to shows such as CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes, and CBS This Morning.
The list of live TV below includes news channels.
Live TV
While there are great paid live TV services, such as DirecTV Now and Sling TV, try these free options to see if they have the channels you want before you pay.
Pluto TV looks just like an actual TV guide, except that it’s free. Some of its channels are simply 24/7 video playlist feeds, but it also has some (free) live news and sports channels.
It also has free movies and TV shows (like the previous options).
Xumo TV is similar to Pluto TV, with both a TV guide and free movies portal. In addition, it has 24/7 feeds of TV shows and unique channels, such as the History Channel.
Videos
Ah, YouTube. Anyone can find something wrong with YouTube, but we still have to use it since it basically has all of the videos we want to watch.
Sports
Make sure you look up what channels the games you want to want are airing on. These channels both have some aspects available for free, but for the most functionality, you will need an existing TV subscription or pay for another sports subscription.
Also, a bunch of the earlier channels I’ve mentioned have sports sections on their apps as well.
While many live streams on this channel require a cable subscription, you can watch most clips for free. In addition, ESPN will often air major events for free.
While this app also has an optional subscription, many clips and live streams on this channel are free. It’s perfect especially for college games.
Video Mirroring
But what if the video you want to watch doesn’t have a channel on the Roku? That’s what these apps are for. You can “cast” any video from your phone (not just from major video sources) directly to your Roku. While the Roku has a built in video mirroring option, it is quite buggy and only works with certain devices.
This section is split up for both iOS and Android.
The idea behind all of these is that you download an app on your phone, and you navigate to the video’s website in the app. It then casts it to the Roku. (APP DOWNLOAD)
This is just like the previous app, where you can cast video from your phone to your Roku. (APP DOWNLOAD)
If You Still Have The Cord
If you still own a TV subscription (such as Xfinity or Spectrum), there are apps on your Roku which can give you access not only to their live TV guide, but to their selection of on-demand movies and TV shows.
And that’s pretty much the basics of it. There are a ton more channels (and other apps, like games) in the Roku Store, and I recommend taking a look through it.
