Team Clark is adamant that we will never write content influenced by or paid for by an advertiser. To support our work, we do make money from some links to companies and deals on our site. Learn more about our guarantee here.
Did you recently cut the cord and ditch your cable subscription? Finding a quality, cost-effective way to watch local channels is one of the top issues many cord cutters encounter.
The Roku Channel, which is one of the top free streaming TV options on the market, just added a new option for local news.
Roku recently announced the addition of free new channels produced by local ABC affiliates. The service previously announced that it would carry similar options from local NBC affiliates.
This may not be a complete replacement of your favorite TV shows from network television, but it is progress for those hoping to gain access to local news without buying an antenna or paying a subscription fee.
Effective June 6, 2023, The Roku Channel users can find nine new — and free — ABC local news channels to stream.
These are not full versions of the live broadcast from these local channels. Instead, they’re curated streams that include highlights of that station’s news broadcast, weather updates, local interviews and more original content.
The following ABC livestream channels are now available, according to the press release:
You can find these channels via the “News” tab on The Roku Channel app. The channels also are prominently featured in the “Newly Added Channels” tab since they are fresh arrivals on the app.
In addition to the new local news channels, Roku also announced The Roku Channel will feature eight more new livestream channels.
These FAST (free, ad-supported TV) channels include content focused on popular topics like “Transformers” and “Power Rangers.”
Here’s the full list of new additions:
In total, The Roku Channel now features more than 350 FAST channels that hit on topics that include news, sports, weather and a variety of entertainment genres.
The quality of the content on these channels varies, but the expanded options are an attempt to reach a broader range of streamers by targeting specific topics of interest.
This all comes in addition to the on-demand menu of TV shows and movies on the platform.
If used in combination with other free streaming options like Pluto TV, Amazon’s Freevee and Tubi TV, cord cutters may find that free streaming TV could be an adequate cable TV and live TV streaming replacement.
Making the switch to free streaming could save a YouTube TV subscriber up to $876 per year, for example.
Will this addition from The Roku Channel help you get local news in your market? Are you a cord cutter who has a method for getting local news? We’d love to hear about it in the Clark.com community.
This post was last modified on June 7, 2023 10:10 am
If you're considering subscribing to Fubo, you need to be comfortable missing out on some…
Are you looking for a way to earn 2% back on every purchase you make…
You're not alone if you're running a balance on your credit cards. Collectively, Americans are…
A big part of saving money comes down to knowing how to comparison shop. But…
If you work for a big company as a full-time employee, chances are you have…
Are you a Peacock subscriber? You soon will have to pay more to watch NBCUniversal's…