Your Roku account is about to get a free sporty upgrade

Roku Express 4K+
(Image credit: Future)

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.

You might also like

TOPICS
Cesar Cadenas
Contributor

Cesar Cadenas has been writing about the tech industry for several years now specializing in consumer electronics, entertainment devices, Windows, and the gaming industry. But he’s also passionate about smartphones, GPUs, and cybersecurity. 

Read more
Roku image for Super Bowl 2025 featuring American football
Super Bowl on Roku: how to watch Eagles vs Chiefs for free – a quick guide for NFL fans
Apple MLS Season Pass
There are two new ways to stream Apple's MLS Season Pass this year, plus more content to take in and a new way to get it for free
Roku TV on wall in living room setting
Roku fans are furious with a new ad shown before you even see the home screen – it's a test for now, but it's not a good sign of things to come
65-inch Philips OLED Roku TV on a blue gradient background.
You can now get a Philips OLED TV with a Roku interface out of the box
Roku Pro series TV on purple background
The best Roku TV is getting a big discount in Amazon’s Spring Sale
FuboTV logo zoomed in one in a desktop browser
Fubo TV cost and plan prices: see today's best deals
Latest in Streaming
Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed Shadows has Max subscribers streaming the 2016 movie flop – here are 3 better video game adaptations with over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes
The cast of Last One Laughing UK
This new Prime Video show is the funniest I've ever seen – no seriously, I'm still laughing just thinking about it today
The cast of Black Mirror season 7
Everything new on Netflix in April 2025 – including Black Mirror season 7 and Love on the Spectrum
A collage of a demasked Spider-Man, Captain Marvel staring into the camera, and Daredevil shouting
17 Marvel heroes I want to see added to the Avengers: Doomsday cast – Spider-Man, Ms Marvel, Wolverine, and more
Kelsey Asbille as Monica Long and Luke Grimes as Kacey Dutton embrace in Yellowstone season 5, part 2
Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe is expanding outside of Paramount+ again with another spin-off reportedly in the works
Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Liliard and Linda Cardinelli in Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Netflix is firing up the Mystery Machine with a live action Scooby-Doo series
Latest in News
cheap Nintendo Switch game deals sales
Nintendo didn't anticipate that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was 'going to be the juggernaut' for the Nintendo Switch when it was ported to the console, according to former employees
Three angles of the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4 laptop above a desk
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) review roundup – should you buy Apple's new lightweight laptop?
Witchbrook
Witchbrook, the life-sim I've been waiting years for, finally has a release window and it's sooner than you think
Amazon Echo Smart Speaker
Amazon is experimenting with renaming Echo speakers to Alexa speakers, and it's about time
Shigeru Miyamoto presents Nintendo Today app
Nintendo Today smartphone app is out now on iOS and Android devices – and here's what it does
iPhone 13 mini
The iPhone mini won't be returning, according to rumors – and you think that's a mistake