Roku is launching a brand new 24/7 sports channel on August 12 in the United States, aptly dubbed the Roku Sports Channel. It is a FAST (free ad-supported TV) streaming service, meaning you won’t need to pay for a subscription or sign up for an account to gain access. All you'll need to watch is either the official app on your smartphone, own one of the company’s devices, or visit the Roku Channel website.
According to the announcement, the channel will air a wide array of sports and sports-adjacent content “that Roku owns and licenses.” This includes live Major League Baseball games via MLB Sunday Leadoff, Formula E races, talk shows like Good Morning Football: Overtime, and even some original programming.
Beyond traditional sports, Roku’s channel will also be hosting “exclusive partner content," including archival fights through Top Rank boxing, MMA matches via combat sports platform Swere Sport, and even poker games from PokerGO.
The company plans to expand its exclusive programming down the line, with Roku promising it'll eventually air NBA G-League games and minor basketball leagues in the US. What's more, an original documentary centered around former WNBA player Renee Montgomery is in the pipeline, too.
Live sports streaming
The rollout of the Roku Sports Channel comes at an interesting time as other platforms are attempting to expand into sports. Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery announced back in May that they’re working together to create Venu, a streaming service completely devoted to delivering live sports.
Not much is known about Venu beyond what kind of content it'll have, and we could see it roll out within the coming months as the three companies are aiming for a Fall 2024 launch. Then, on Christmas Day, Netflix is scheduled to air two pro football games, one after the other, as part of a new partnership with the NFL.
Roku’s channel will serve as a free alternative to sports fans admist rising subscription costs. Plus, its early release date gives it an edge over the competition that's still getting things ready. We are, however, concerned about the content it’ll host.
Remember: the Sports Channel will only show “programming that Roku owns and licenses,” leading us to believe that perhaps their library won’t be as robust as something like ESPN Plus. This wouldn’t surprise us, as subscription-based streaming services typically have better content offerings. We reached out to Roku for more information and we’ll update this story if we hear back.
While we have you, be sure to check out TechRadar's list of the best TVs for 2024.
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