Live and linear news + new discovery features coming to The Roku Channel!

Since the launch of The Roku Channel, we have focused on bringing Roku customers an easy way to access the free entertainment they love. Today we’re happy to enhance the experience and add one of the top customer-requested features: live and linear news. In addition, we are adding new discovery features and expanding our library of movies and TV.

The Roku Channel will offer ABC News Live, a new 24/7 live and linear news stream from ABC News that gives viewers access to breaking news and live event coverage from all over the world. Roku customers can also view live and linear news feeds from Cheddar, covering technology, media and entertainment; PeopleTV, delivering celebrity, pop culture, lifestyle news and more; and others.

To improve content discovery and accessibility for our customers we’re adding new features such as “Collections,” to help dive in deeper to explore content in curated thematic collections, and “Continue Watching,” to easily get back into the movie or TV show that’s been started. These updates will be available to customers with Roku OS 8.1 through a phased software roll out starting in May. For a list of features and updates included in Roku OS 8.1, click here. The Roku Channel continues to expand its entertainment library, bringing more content from existing channel publishers, such as FilmRise, Vidmark and more to the forefront, and working with leading studios such as Lionsgate, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros. and others.

We’re looking forward to sharing more on the blog soon! For now, click here to see what’s streaming on The Roku Channel this month.

Happy Streaming!