What Is the Roku Channel?

All about the streaming service's movie channel

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Updated on March 12, 2021

Roku streaming sticks, boxes, and smart TVs provide over 5,000 third-party streaming channels. However, Roku provides and maintains its own streaming channel called The Roku Channel.

What the Roku Channel Offers

The Roku Channel combines select free, live, and premium subscription content within a single channel with an easy-to-use, Netflix-like onscreen menu. This makes it easier to browse, search, and watch specific content without switching between several apps to find something to watch.

An added bonus is you don't always need a Roku device to access it. In addition to Roku devices and the Roku Mobile App, the Roku Channel can be viewed on compatible web browsers and select Samsung TVs.

Free content offerings are Ad-supported. Additionally, The Roku Channel does not provide content in 4K.

Here is what's included:

Free Movies

Chef	Happy Feet Two
King Arthur Legend of the Sword	Mrs Doubtfire
The Sandlot	Rango
Ghost Rider	Pitch Perfect 3
Spiderman 3

Free TV series

3rd Rock from the Sun	Bewitched
Forensic Files	Hell's Kitchen
Rules of Engagement	The Nanny
Drop Dead Diva	Who's The Boss
Midsomer Murders

Free movies and TV shows are not the most current and titles are cycled in and out periodically.

Free Live News and Commentary

ABC News	Cheddar News
NewsMax TV	Newsy
TMZ	TYT (The Young Turks) Go
Complex	Yahoo! News
People TV

Free Entertainment Channels

FilmRise Classic TV	FilmRise Crime
FilmRise Free Movies	The Asylum Movie Channel

Free Reality Shows

AFV (America's Funniest Videos)	FilmRise Cooking
Tastemade	The Pet Collection

Free Sports Channels

Adventure Sports Network	Combat GO
EDGEsport	Stadium

Premium Content (Requires Payment)

Acorn TV	Cinemax
Curiosity Stream	Epix
History Vault	Lifetime Movie Club
Noggin	Showtime
The Dove Channel	The Great Courses (Signature Collection)
ConTV	Starz
HBO	The Urban Movie Channel
Monsters and Nightmares

If you sign up for multiple premium services, you can pay for all of them via a single monthly bill with a Roku Account.

The Roku Channel – Premium Subscriptions — Roku

The Roku Channel's free, ad-supported content is available on Roku streaming sticks, boxes, and Roku TVs in the U.S. and Canada, web browsers, the Roku mobile app, and compatible Samsung TVs in the U.S. Premium Roku Channel content is only available in the U.S., and not available on Samsung Smart TVs.

Watch the Roku Channel on a Roku Device

The Roku device is the easiest way to watch The Roku Channel, and it's easy to add the channel on most Roku devices.

The Roku Channel is available on Roku streaming devices with model numbers 2450 and higher. If it isn't listed in the Featured Category or via search, it isn't supported on that Roku device. To verify a Roku device model number, go to Settings > System > About.

Press the Home button on your Roku remote.
Select Streaming Channels in the onscreen menu to get to the Roku Channel Store.
In the channel store, select Featured Channels and see if The Roku Channel is listed.

You can find The Roku Channel App in the Featured Channels category or by entering "The Roku Channel" in search channels.
Highlight The Roku Channel so the app description appears on the right side of the screen, then select the right arrow to go to a more detailed description and add channel page.
Select Add channel.
You can also add The Roku Channel to a Roku Device(s) using a PC or Laptop. Log into your Roku account, select Channel Store, find The Roku Channel via the Featured Category or Search, then select Add channel.

If more than one Roku device is linked to the same Roku account, The Roku Channel can be viewed on all compatible Roku devices sharing the same account once it's added.

Watch the Roku Channel on the Roku Mobile App

You can use the Roku Mobile App to add The Roku Channel to a Roku device or watch it on your smartphone.

Open the Roku Mobile App on your smartphone.
Tap Channel Store and in the Featured Category (or via search) find the Roku Channel.
Tap Add.

Watch the Roku Channel on a Web Browser

Using a compatible OS and web browser on a smartphone, tablet, or PC, visit TheRokuChannel.com. This allows you to watch the Roku Channel without having to install an app.

Accessing The Roku Channel Using a Web Browser – Chrome Example

Compatible Operating Systems:

iOS 11.2.1+
Android 7.0+
Mac OS X
Windows

Compatible Web Browsers:

For iOS: Safari
For Android: Chrome
Cor Mac OS X: Chrome, Safari, Firefox
For Windows: Chrome, Firefox, Edge (except live content)

To watch free content on The Roku Channel using a web browser, Ad-Blockers must be off.

Before you can watch a movie or TV show using a browser, you need to sign in or create a free Roku account. If you have other compatible devices on the same account you can start watching The Roku Channel content on the web browser and continue watching it on those devices by opening The Roku Channel App.

Watch The Roku Channel on a Compatible Samsung Smart TV

The Roku Channel is only available on Samsung Smart TVs using the Tizen Operating System (2015 to present). Additionally, while this version of The Roku Channel App provides access to free ad-supported content, premium subscription services are not included.

If you have a Samsung account, select Apps in the Smart Hub.
In the Apps menu screen, check to see if The Roku Channel App is available in the Video category.
The Roku Channel can also be found by first opening Search using the app search icon (magnifying glass) on the top right corner of the screen.
Then enter "The Roku Channel" using the onscreen keyboard.
Select The Roku Channel app, then select Install or Download.
Once The Roku Channel app is installed, you can open it immediately or access it later from the My Apps screen or home page smart hub menu.

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