Roku announced on Wednesday that it will launch a free, ad-supported 24/7 sports channel on August 12. The Roku Sports Channel will be available through The Roku Channel, which is the company’s free, over-the-top streaming service.
The Roku Sports Channel will feature “a wide breadth of popular sports programming that Roku owns and licenses.” That includes live MLB games, live Formula E races, The Rich Eisen Show, GMFB: Overtime, and sports-themed Roku Originals.
In recent years, Roku has launched several original sports shows, such as NFL Draft: The Pick Is In, WWE: Next Gen, and Fight Inc: Inside the UFC.
“A curated always-on channel that leads our viewer through the wide variety of premium sports content available for free on The Roku Channel, Roku Sports Channel is an exciting addition to our expanding sports offering,” said Joe Franzetta, Head of Sports, Roku Media.
Roku will expand the channel with new content over time, including NBA G-League games and the WNBA documentary Renee Montgomery: A Radical Act.
While not nearly as comprehensive as the upcoming Venu Sports streaming service, it’s worth remembering that this channel is completely free. If you’re interested in sports but not fully obsessed, this should be a nice addition to your free channel lineup.
You can watch The Roku Channel for free on Roku devices, popular internet browsers, iOS and Android devices, Amazon Fire TV, and select Samsung TVs. Roku has also rolled out The Roku Channel on Google TV and other Android TV OS devices.
