If I had to pinpoint what I love most about my Roku, it’s how much free content is available on it. You don’t need to subscribe to a bunch of different streaming services to find something worth watching, including live TV.
If you know where to look, you can watch hundreds of live TV channels on your Roku without paying a dime, all through services you can download for free from Roku’s Streaming Store, on any Roku device, whether that’s a Roku smart TV, Roku Streaming Stick, or Roku Ultra.
Here are four of the best ways to stream live TV for free on Roku, along with thousands of on-demand TV shows and movies.
Roku streaming devices
Trivia challenge
From its humble beginnings to your living room — how well do you really know Roku?
HistoryHardwareFeaturesStreamingFounders
In what year was Roku founded?
Correct! Roku was founded in 2008 by Anthony Wood, who had previously founded ReplayTV. The company launched its first streaming player the same year it was founded, making it a pivotal moment in streaming history.
Not quite. Roku was founded in 2008 by Anthony Wood. It launched its very first streaming device that same year, just months after the company was formed, which was remarkably fast for a hardware startup.
Who is the founder and CEO of Roku?
Correct! Anthony Wood founded Roku in 2008 and has served as its CEO ever since. Before Roku, he founded ReplayTV, one of the first digital video recorder companies, giving him deep roots in home entertainment technology.
Not quite. The answer is Anthony Wood. He founded Roku in 2008 after previously founding ReplayTV. Reed Hastings is associated with Netflix, while Tony Fadell is known as a key figure behind the iPod and Nest.
Roku was originally spun off from which major streaming company?
Correct! Roku started as an internal project at Netflix, which invested in the company and helped shape its early direction. Netflix ultimately decided to spin it off as a separate company to avoid competing with other device manufacturers who might not want to carry a Netflix-branded box.
Not quite. Roku was actually spun off from Netflix. Netflix funded and incubated the project before deciding it was better to keep the streaming device market open and neutral rather than launch a Netflix-branded player that might alienate other hardware partners.
What was the name of Roku’s very first streaming device, launched in 2008?
Correct! The Roku DVP N1000, also known as the Roku Digital Video Player, was the company’s debut product. It launched in May 2008 at a price of $99 and could stream Netflix content directly to your TV — a genuinely groundbreaking feature at the time.
Not quite. The first Roku device was the Roku DVP N1000, launched in May 2008. Priced at $99, it was primarily designed to stream Netflix and helped pioneer the idea of a dedicated, affordable streaming box for the living room.
What is the name of Roku’s free, ad-supported streaming channel built directly into its platform?
Correct! The Roku Channel launched in 2017 and offers thousands of free, ad-supported movies and TV shows. It has since become one of the most-watched channels on the Roku platform and is also available on other devices and the web.
Not quite. The correct answer is The Roku Channel, which launched in 2017. It provides free, ad-supported content and has grown into a major part of Roku’s business strategy, helping the company earn revenue beyond just hardware sales.
Roku’s business model relies heavily on which of the following revenue streams?
Correct! While Roku does sell hardware, its primary revenue engine is its platform business, which includes advertising, revenue sharing with streaming partners, and The Roku Channel. This platform-first approach is what makes Roku more than just a device maker.
Not quite. Roku makes the majority of its money from its platform business, which includes advertising and revenue-sharing arrangements with streaming services. Hardware sales are actually sold at low margins, with the real profit coming from keeping users engaged on the platform.
Which of the following form factors did Roku introduce to make streaming even more portable and discreet?
Correct! Roku introduced the Roku Streaming Stick, a compact dongle that plugs directly into a TV’s HDMI port. It was a game-changer for portability, making it easy to turn any modern TV into a smart TV without a bulky box sitting on your shelf.
Not quite. Roku launched the Roku Streaming Stick, a small dongle that plugs straight into an HDMI port. This compact form factor made Roku devices far more discreet and portable, competing directly with Amazon’s Fire TV Stick.
In which year did Roku go public on the Nasdaq stock exchange?
Correct! Roku went public on September 28, 2017, trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol ROKU. Its IPO was considered a major success, and the stock surged significantly in the months that followed, reflecting strong investor confidence in the streaming market.
Not quite. Roku held its IPO on September 28, 2017, listing on the Nasdaq under the ticker ROKU. The offering was well-received by investors and marked a major milestone in the company’s journey from a Netflix spin-off to a publicly traded streaming powerhouse.
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The Roku Channel
The easiest place to go
I have to put The Roku Channel in the spotlight first because it’s such a core part of the Roku experience. Right from the home screen on your Roku device, you can open The Roku Channel and find an endless amount of free on-demand movies and TV shows to watch. But if you open its Live TV Guide, that’s where you’ll find more than 500 free live TV channels airing content 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The channels in Roku’s Live TV Guide cover a wide range of categories, including news, entertainment, sports, comedy, and reality TV, so there should be something there to hopefully spark your interest. Roku is also constantly adding new free channels to The Roku Channel, so there’s always something new to check out.
The Live TV Guide is part of The Roku Channel and comes pre-installed on all Roku devices, so you don’t need to install anything. Just press the Home button on your Roku remote, go to your apps on the home screen, then select The Roku Channel to get started.
- notable shows
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2 Broke Girls, Billions, Mary & George
- Originals
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Yes
- Live TV
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Yes
- Price
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Free
Pluto TV
Paramount’s free streaming service
If you’re looking for even more free live TV on your Roku, Pluto TV is one of the first apps I’d check out. It’s a free streaming app you can download from the Roku Streaming Store, and like The Roku Channel, it offers hundreds of free live TV channels, along with thousands of on-demand movies and TV shows that are front and center the moment you open the app.
However, since Pluto TV is owned by Paramount, its selection of free channels differs quite a bit from The Roku Channel. You’ll find tons of channels dedicated to popular shows like Star Trek, The X-Files, South Park, Cheers, and Frasier, along with a mix of sports and news channels, including The NFL Channel and CBS News.
Pluto TV also consistently adds new free content every month, including TV shows and movies. For example, this past August, it added more than 100 new movies to its lineup, such as The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Fugitive, along with several live events you could tune into, including WNBA games, live boxing, and Monster Jam Live.
- number of users
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80 million
- notable shows
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The Andy Griffith Show (1960), Sanford and Son, The Twilight Zone, Charmed
- notable movies
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Top Gun, Trading Places, Mission Impossible, Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Premium Subscription
-
No
Tubi
Fox’s free streaming service
Tubi is another free streaming service you can download on your Roku, and it’s also home to a huge library of free movies and TV series you can stream on demand, similar to The Roku Channel and Pluto TV. It also has a growing selection of Tubi Original Series, such as Kitchen Commando and Boarders, which are exclusive to the platform.
Of course, Tubi also has its own free live TV guide, which you can access by selecting Live TV in the app’s navigation bar. From there, you’ll find hundreds of different channels to stream, covering everything from news and sports to reality TV, lifestyle, entertainment, and more. Highlights include FOX Sports on Tubi, Game Show Central, Gordon Ramsay, and MovieSphere.
Every month, Tubi also adds a heap of new TV shows and movies to help keep things fresh. For example, this September, it’s adding two new original series, Arena Access with Mariah Rose (Sept. 3) and Buzzkill (Sept. 25), along with more than a hundred new movies to stream, including Jurassic World and The Mummy.
- number of users
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80 million
- notable shows
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Hemlock Grove, Babylon 5, Spartacus, Gotham, Columbo
- notable movies
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Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, Child’s Play, White House Down, Knives Out, It
- Premium Subscription
-
No
Plex
It’s not just for media servers anymore
Last but not least is Plex. Originally, Plex was best known as one of the most popular media server tools out there, helping users host and stream their personal collections of movies and TV shows to their devices. But in 2019, it expanded into the world of free streaming, and since then, it has grown exponentially. Today, Plex offers more than 600 free live TV channels and thousands of on-demand movies and TV shows, on a scale that, quite frankly, rivals The Roku Channel.
You can download Plex right from the Roku Streaming Store on your device, and in the top navigation bar in the app, you’ll see a Live TV option that takes you straight to Plex’s Live TV guide, where you can find all of its different channels. Like all the services I’ve mentioned, it has a wide selection of content, including news, sports, comedy, sci-fi, and more, so it’s worth scrolling through to see if anything piques your interest.
If you select On-Demand in the top navigation bar and then select Free to Watch, that’s where you’ll find all the movies and TV shows Plex offers for free. Plex also gives you the option to rent select movies and TV shows through the app if that’s something you’re interested in.
- notable shows
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Broadchurch, The Kids in the Hall, The Fall
- notable movies
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Warrior, A Walk to Remember, Heat, Halloween
- Premium Subscription
-
No
- Originals
-
No
