Roku just quietly added 5 new free live streaming channels to its lineup ‣ Diverse Daily

In recent years, audiences have seen ad-supported streaming services like Pluto TV and Tubi deliver an extensive list of content for free, making them some of my favorite new sources of online entertainment. Roku has been a part of this trend since launching its flagship platform, The Roku Channel, in September 2017.

The Roku Channel offers users over 500 channels to stream 24/7, giving them a wide variety of films and TV shows to watch for free. This has given it an edge over bigger streaming services like Netflix, whose monthly subscription fee has grown from around $10 to almost $30 within the last few years. Platforms like Disney+, Apple TV, and Peacock have also gotten more expensive, making free platforms like The Roku Channel more appealing to audiences like me.

Like other streaming services, Roku’s lineup has only grown bigger every month. The platform added 70 more channels earlier this year, with four new channels joining Roku’s catalog back in August. More recently, The Roku Channel added five live channels to its digital library, according to Cord Cutter News.

What’s on each new channel on Roku?

Enjoy a wide selection of titles on Roku’s latest channels

Roku has added a variety of free content with its five new channels, featuring science programming, sitcoms, reality TV, and major movie studio releases. These are the channels that Roku just added to its lineup:

Space Live (channel 6210)
Candybar (channel 1722)
Lionsgate Natenate (channel 1723)
ALF (channel 2026)
Dance Moms (channel 4507)

Space Live features, of course, space industry news, shuttle launches, and space-centric documentaries. This adds to Roku’s extensive lineup of space-related content, including the NASA app and Space Channel LIVE. Meanwhile, Candybar, also known as CandyJar, mixes “lighter entertainment programming suited to casual viewing,” Cord Cutter News wrote. This channel features movies, short series, and TV shows featuring romance, drama, and fantasy stories. Notable titles on this channel include Keily, Secrets of Sin, The Arrangement, and Mafia Temptation.

As the name implies, Lionsgate Natenate features titles provided by Lionsgate, with the studio’s biggest available films including the John Wick movies, the Hunger Games movies, and Nicholas Cage’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. ALF, on the other hand, is dedicated to the classic ‘80s sitcom about the titular alien and his host family living in the California suburbs. Likewise, Dance Moms presents Lifetime’s long-running reality series following the lives of child dancers trained by Abby Lee Miller.

How do I watch these new channels on Roku?

Stream The Roku Channel from your browser or device

A Roku remote and device in front of Roku City. — Roku / Pocket-lint

Even if you don’t have a Roku device, you can stream The Roku Channel from a web browser or through the Roku Mobile App available on iOS and Android devices. Roku’s new channels can be accessed on the streaming platform’s Live TV guide and number search.

To go to any of Roku’s new channels, just press the Star (*) button on your device’s remote and click “Jump to Channel” on the pop-up menu. Then, you just enter the number of the channel you want to stream. You can also use the search function in Roku’s Live TV Guide to browse channels by name or genre. To search for channels this way, go to the left side of the Live TV Guide.

All in all, Roku’s five new channels have added to the platform’s massive selection of free programs to stream, and it will keep growing every month. This has made The Roku Channel one of the biggest free-to-stream platforms currently on the market, with services like Plex, Tubi, and Pluto TV providing just as much content.