Roku is launching a brand new 24/7 sports channel in the United States on August 12, aptly named the Roku Sports Channel. It is a FAST (free ad-supported TV) streaming service, which means you don’t have to pay for a subscription or sign up for an account to get access. All you need to watch is the official app on your smartphone, own one of the company’s devices, or have the Roku Channel Website.
According to the announcement, the channel will air a wide variety of sports and sports-related content “that Roku owns and licenses.” This includes live Major League Baseball games via MLB Sunday Leadoff, Formula E racing, talk shows like Good Morning Football: Overtime and even some original programming.
In addition to traditional sports, Roku’s channel will also host “exclusive partner content,” including archive fights from Top Rank Boxing, MMA matches from combat sports platform Swere Sport and even poker games from PokerGO.
The company plans to expand its exclusive programming in the future, with Roku promising to eventually air NBA G-League games and minor basketball leagues in the U.S. Additionally, an original documentary about former WNBA player Renee Montgomery is also in the works.
Live sports streaming
The Roku Sports Channel rollout comes at an interesting time, as other platforms look to expand into sports. Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery announced in May that they were teaming up to create Venu, a streaming service focused entirely on delivering live sports.
Not much is known about Venu yet, other than what kind of content it will have, and we could see it roll out within the next few months as the three companies are targeting a fall 2024 launch. And on Christmas Day, Netflix will air two professional football games, one after the other, as part of a new partnership with the NFL.
Roku’s channel will serve as a free alternative for sports fans who have to stomach rising subscription costs. Plus, its early release date gives it a leg up on competitors who are still getting ready. We do have concerns, however, about the content it will host.
Keep in mind: The Sports Channel will only show “programming that Roku owns and licenses,” which leads us to believe that its library may not be as robust as something like ESPN Plus. This wouldn’t surprise us, as subscription streaming services typically have better content offerings. We’ve reached out to Roku for more information and will update this story if we hear back.
Also check out TechRadar’s list of the best TVs for 2024.
