Roku today announed that it's launched its free (as in ad-supported but also excellent) channel full of movies and shows — as in more than 10,000 of them — in the United Kingdom. "The Roku Channel," as it's called, is available on Roku players, Roku TV, NOW TV, and on Sky Q boxes.
And this isn't just a relaunch of the American version — you'll find popular global and British series, including Homes Under the Hammer , The Commander , Ultimate Force , Fifth Gear , Skins and Best Bakery .
From the Roku press release:
"With The Roku Channel we are making it easy for consumers to find great free entertainment and provide additional value to Roku users, NOW TV device holders and Sky Q customers," said Rob Holmes, Vice President of Programming at Roku. "Ad-supported viewing is one of the fastest growing categories on our platform and we are excited to meet the consumer demand for free TV."
Users of The Roku Channel will enjoy a variety of features that makes it easy for them to find and watch a broad range of content, including personalized recommendations and in channel search capabilities on Roku and NOW TV devices. Users will also find a special Kids & Family section, making it easy for children and parents to find kids entertainment for free in one, easy-to-access destination. All entertainment within Kids & Family is hand-picked and suitable for children. There is also a character row, helping parents and kids find the show they want to watch. Titles in Kids & Family at launch include Bob the Builder, Teletubbies, Oddbods, Bernard, Ryan's World Specials, Fireman Sam and Baby Einstein Classics.
The Roku Channel helps existing publishers on the Roku platform as well as new publishers to drive additional viewership of their entertainment. The Roku Channel in the UK features over 40 content partners, including All3Media International, EndemolShine Group, FilmRise, pocket.watch and DRG, plus Hollywood studios such as Lionsgate and Sony Pictures Television. More publishers are expected to be added over time.
It's that simple. Just fire up your Roku device, and start watching for — for free.
A great all-around option
Roku is inexpensive and easy to use. The Streaming Stick+ has easy access to YouTube and YouTube TV, but lacks support for Dolby Vision HDR.
