Roku is adding Premium Subscriptions to The Roku Channel. This means that alongside a wide range of free, ad-supported content, you'll be able to watch premium subscription channels including Showtime, Starz, and Epix. However, these won't be free. Unfortunately.
For the uninitiated, The Roku Channel is a free channel full of movies and TV shows. In October 2017 it became available to everyone with a Roku device. Roku later brought The Roku Channel to the web, but the website is only accessible in the U.S.
Roku Adds Premium Subscriptions
Roku is planning to add at least 25 Premium Subscriptions to The Roku Channel. Once these services have been added to The Roku Channel, users will be able to browse their entire catalogs and enjoy a seven-day (or more) free trial before they need to start paying.
Offering Premium Subscriptions means users users of The Roku Channel will be able to access a range of free content and any premium channels they subscribe to, through the same UI. Going the Roku route also means only paying a single bill using one account.
Roku's Premium Subscriptions will be available with a one-click signup using your existing Roku account information. You can also manage your subscriptions via my.roku.com, making it very easy to subscribe and unsubscribe to different channels as you see fit.
In a press release, Rob Holmes, Vice President of Programming and Engagement at Roku said, "We’re focused on making it easy to find great entertainment of all types on the platform and adding Premium Subscriptions is a natural evolution for The Roku Channel."
The Roku Channel on the Roku App
Roku is set to start adding Premium Subscriptions to select Roku devices in late January 2019. Improved search functionality will arrive at the same time. The Roku app for Android and iOS is also being updated to enable users to watch The Roku Channel on mobile.
It should be noted that you can also subscribe to these channels on other platforms. Indeed, you may already do so. One of the best ways to subscribe to premium channels is through Amazon Prime, and these are the Amazon Prime TV channels worth watching.