Top 10 Roku Channels

Channels on Roku can spice up your user experience, and provide you with interesting, personalized content. This article will show you how to move around Roku to get the most out of this smart TV. Let’s dig into what Roku is and what channels are worth checking out.

What Is Roku?

Roku is an American manufacturer of digital media players for video streaming. But it’s mostly popular for the Roku TV streaming platform. It’s a great alternative to other streaming platforms such as Android TV, or Apple TV. It gives users a lot of flexibility and freedom to choose how they want to use it.

Roku streaming players let you conveniently watch TV as they don’t require any technical knowledge. All you have to do is get the right equipment, connect it to your TV and the internet, and sign up for a Roku account.

If you’re a regular user, you get access to movies, TV shows, music, international content, and more. You only have to pay for rental or purchasing of movies, or subscription to your favorite services.

On the other hand, if you’re a publisher, you can reach out to a wide audience and monetize your services. Overall, there is something for everyone.

The Best Roku Channels

With Roku devices, you get access to over 4.000 free and paid channels. And while it may be tough to go through them all, there are some gems. You just need to know what to look for.

Here’s what you can watch on Roku channels:

• Free live news channels (such as ABC News, PeopleTV, TMZ, Yahoo! News, and more) for U.S and Canada only
• Premium subscriptions
• Free reality channels
• Free entertainment channels
• Free sports channels
• You can also stream music

What’s more, you can share videos, photos, music, and more from your Apple device to your TV via AirPlay. For most Roku devices, there’s also the option to mirror the screen from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to the big screen. 

If you’re not sure what’s worth watching on Roku, we’ve got your back. To help you choose from the best, popular channels, we’ve gathered a short list of the top 10 channels on Roku.

 

1. The Roku Channel

It would be a sin not to mention the Roku Channel. It’s the official Roku channel where you can access all the content you like—movies, TV shows, entertainment, music, content for kids, and many, many more.

Roku takes care of its users by regularly adding fresh content and its own productions, known as ‘Roku originals’ so you can always expect something new.

The Roku Channel is free of charge. You only have to pay for subscriptions to other paid channels, content rentals, or live streaming services.

Additionally, Roku Channel is available on the web, so you can easily access your favorite content anywhere you are. 

2. Starz

If you’re looking for a library full of movies and TV series at a low price, Starz is the right choice. It’s a channel available on Roku that offers lots of original movies and TV shows.

On Starz, you’ll be able to watch old TV hits and series, latest releases, westerns, sci-fi, documentaries, award-winning productions, and many, many more. There’s everything for everyone in every genre.

Subscription to Starz is $8.99 per month. It lets you watch the channel everywhere, offers unlimited HD streaming and downloads, and allows you to stream on up to 4 devices at the same time. You can also access a free 7-day trial to test all the functionalities.

3. Marquee TV

Marquee TV is a real treat for lovers of classical art. It’s a channel you won’t find everywhere. And most of the art isn’t available to watch on-demand as it streams dance, opera, and theatre productions from around the world.

On Marquee, you’ll find programs with prestigious performing arts companies and international venues such as the Royal Opera House, Mariinsky, Bolshoi, Paris Opera, New York City Ballet, Sadler’s Wells, Teatro Real, Arena di Verona, Bill T. Jones, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Akram Khan, the Deutsche Staatsoper, and others as well as smaller venues.

4. Comet TV

Comet is a channel on Roku dedicated to sci-fi entertainment. It offers movies and TV series in science fiction and related genres. There are classics, new productions, and viewers’ favorites, everything ranging from the 1960s to the 2000s.

Some of the hits you can find on Comet include the X-Files, Godzilla movie series, Ray Bradbury Theater, and many more.

5. Crackle

Crackle is a free channel on Roku that offers on-demand movies and TV shows. You’ll mostly find productions oriented around action, comedy, crime, drama, horror, and sci-fi. But there’s also a wide choice of content from different genres. Additionally, Crackle offers a library of its original productions.

Although Crackle may not match up with the popular streaming giants, it’s still one of the best channels on Roku with a lot of good, free content.

6. KidoodleTV

Roku also has something for the little ones. If your kids enjoy watching television, they’ll love KidoodleTV. It’s a channel on Roku with loads of content for the smaller audience of every age—beginning from toddlers to young teenagers.

Your kids can choose from a variety of popular shows like PAW Patrol: Pup Tales, LEGO City, Talking Tom, Roblox, Pocoyo, and others.

KidoodleTV is free to download and gives children a lot of fun activities:

• They can watch unlimited episodes and full series on-demand
• Create a profile and customize it with the color, avatar, title selection, and age group
• Easily search for favorites in the entire content library
• Discover new shows-updated weekly with one click
• Watch and learn with fun and educational cartoons, live-action shows, and sing-a-longs

What’s more, Roku KidoodleTV provides Safe Streaming library so you can be sure your kids are always safe.

Other good alternatives to KidoodleTV are KidCity, GoNoodle, or Hopster.

7. NewsON

With Roku, you can be sure to stay up to date with the latest news. NewsON is a channel that lets you stream live local news, previous newscasts, and local news clips from over 275 trusted stations across the U.S. 

It’s a free channel on Roku and you don’t have to pay for a subscription. Although NewsON is aimed at American viewers, it covers reports, announcements, stories, accounts, and more from all over the world so you can always stay on top of the latest trends globally.

If you need an alternative, some of the top news Roku channels include CBS News, World News Live, or Sign1News (for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community powered by CNN in American Sign Language).

8. Plex

Plex is a free channel on Roku that gives you access to 100+ live channels and many on-demand titles from around the world. Except for the big Hollywood productions, Plex offers cult classics, anime, documentaries, family-friendly shows, international content, world news, and much more from different parts of the globe.

What’s more, you can watch your favorite content with friends and family located in different parts of the world. Whenever you start or stop the player, the same action happens simultaneously for your friends or family so you both have time to grab the popcorn.

You can also stream your own content with no effort. It’s all easily accessible in one app with a user-friendly interface so it’s effortless to move around. You get rich descriptions, artwork, and details to better choose what you want to watch.

And if you need more, you can subscribe to one of the paid plans ($4.99 per month, $39.99 per year, or $119.99 for a lifetime subscription) you’ll be able to access additional features such as skipping intro, downloading content to watch offline, watch trailers and extras, advanced music playing functionalities, and more.

9. Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll is a great deal for anime fans. Whether you’re new to anime or have been a long-time fan, this channel on Roku is what you need.

On Crunchyroll, you’ll find all types of anime including the popular Dr. STONE, Tower of God, Black Clover, One Piece, Naruto Shippuden, My Hero Academia, Hunter x Hunter, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and many, many more.

Crunchyroll is also one of the highest-rated channels in the Roku Channel Store. Make sure to give it a shot if you enjoy Japanese culture.

10. The Better

The Better is a ready-to-use, high-quality streaming platform on Roku TV. It’s intuitive and easy to control so you can enjoy the user experience. The Better offers an application that allows you to watch your favorite movies, videos, or live-streaming content.

Here’s what you can find on The Better:

• Splash screen
• Menu
• Search engine
• List grouping
• Favorites
• A list of the recently played content
• API that lets you customize the app
• CMS (a backend content management platform) allows you to configure the content

The Better has everything you need to make your Roku experience enjoyable. We are constantly developing the channel, so we will keep you informed about new functionalities. If you want to read more about it–check out this case study. 

 

A Few Tips to Get the Most Out of Roku Channels

Although Roku offers a user-friendly, intuitive interface, you can make it even more approachable. Roku hides some secrets for you that will give you more flexibility.

Here’s what can help you use Roku TV to the fullest:

• Hide channels on Roku—that way you’ll have easier access to your favorite, best Roku channels
• Rearrange channels—for better user experience and ease of use
• Delete channels—Roku gives you access to thousands of channels but to keep only those you use regularly, delete those you don’t like and don’t want to use to free up space for your favorite content
• There are channels on Roku that you can watch in 4K. Roku devices support 4K streaming so make sure to invest in one if you care about high-quality content
• You can stream local channels with Roku to always know what’s happening in your region
• If you have problems with Roku channels or Roku TV, consult your local experts or firms that specialize in TV streaming and smart TVs
• Get the Roku app and you’ll be able to quickly and easily access your content no matter where you are
• Personalize your Roku TV—you can set a theme (download them from the Roku Channel Store), adjust color, styles of menus, or image in the background, and more

To Wrap It Up

Overall, Roku is a great alternative to other popularized streaming platforms. It lets you easily access all the best channels without the need to spend a fortune on subscriptions.

There’s much more to come to Roku so if you’re wondering whether it’s worth investing in Roku devices, don’t hesitate. You’ll get a personalized experience, loads of great content, and thousands of free channels.