With streaming costs continuing to climb, I’ve been trying really hard this year to cut back on my monthly streaming bill. At first, saying goodbye to services like Netflix and Disney+ wasn’t easy, but it became much easier once I started leaning into free streaming alternatives like The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Plex, and Tubi. And out of all of them, the one I’ve ended up relying on the most is The Roku Channel.
One of the biggest reasons I keep coming back to The Roku Channel, and something I give Roku a lot of credit for, is how often it adds new free channels to watch.
The Roku Channel already offers over 500 free channels, and every month this year, Roku has kept that lineup growing, recently adding more than 30 free channels in both March and April. Now, to kick off May, Roku is back at it, doing what it does best, rolling out 15 new free channels that span everything from police action to news and reality TV (via Cord Cutter News).
Some of the highlights include 24/7 channels for A&E Alaska State Troopers, Live PD Greatest Shifts, Rookie Blue, and America’s Got Talent. You can check out the full list of new free channels below:
- A&E Alaska State Troopers
- America’s Got Talent
- ArtFlix
- Astro Ciencia
- Caracol Mix
- Lead Story Breaking News
- Live PD Greatest Shifts
- Modern Wisdom
- Nomad Travel
- Preston & Brianna
- Rookie Blue
- SI TV Sports Illustrated
- Stingray Hooked
- Stokes Twins
- The Prof G Channel
- Brand
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Roku
- Operating System
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Roku OS
- Downloadable Apps
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Thousands
A slim plug and play streaming stick that includes 4K/HDR support and includes a voice remote.
How to find these free channels on your Roku and more
You can still stream The Roku Channel for free even without a Roku TV
To check out any of the new free channels above for free on The Roku Channel, all you have to do on your Roku TV or Roku streaming device is head to the home page and navigate to the Live TV tab. From there, you should see an option to open the Live TV Guide, which will take you to where you can find all of the free live TV channels that Roku has to offer.
Now, with The Roku Channel offering over 500 free channels, its live TV guide is quite jam-packed. If you’re looking for one of the newer channels, I’d recommend using the search feature to find it easily. You can find the search feature in the list of categories on the left side of your screen (as you can see in the image below).
When you open search, you can type in the name of the channel you’re looking for, or use your voice to find it, and it should show up right away. You can also press the star button on your remote to add the channel to your favorites, making it easier to find next time.
If you’re looking for even more free channels beyond the latest additions, some of my favorite highlights from channels added earlier this year include National Geographic History, Inspector Gadget, Pokémon, and America’s Funniest Videos.
Lastly, even if you don’t have a Roku TV or Roku streaming device, you can still watch The Roku Channel for free, as it’s available on other platforms, such as Samsung smart TVs and Fire TV devices. You can also watch it online on Roku’s website or download the Roku app, which is available on Android and iOS.
