- The Roku Channel will be tightly integrated with Google TV
- Roku’s 500-plus free channels will be searchable and easily accessible
- Home screen integration for recommendations and currently viewed titles
The Roku Channel is about to get a lot better on Google TV and Android TV. In the coming weeks, Roku and Google will be improving the Roku Channel experience to make it much easier to find things to watch, while significantly upgrading your Google TV experience.
Starting today, Google TV is introducing the Roku Channel integration, adding the channel to Google TV search. It also brings Roku’s more than 500 FAST (free, ad-supported TV) channels to the Live tab of Google TV, the free hub for live TV.
On paper, this seems like a win-win: Google TV users get better viewing options and Roku gets more visibility, which will undoubtedly mean more viewers.
The Roku Channel is free and currently offers more than 80,000 ad-supported titles – both movies and shows – as well as channels like ABC News. Google TV fans will certainly have no shortage of choice this year during the festive season.
Are you ready for Roku?
This integration also means you can jump right back to Roku Channel shows, while Google TV now shows select Roku Channel content in new rows on the home screen, such as “Featured on the Roku Channel” and the Free Live TV row.
While this particular integration takes place with Google TV, these aren’t the only Android platforms the Roku Channel is available on. You can also get it on compatible Fire TV and Samsung devices. And of course, The Roku Channel is also available online and through the Roku Mobile app.
We currently rate The Roku Channel as the best free streaming service for Roku devices, thanks to that large library of movies and TV shows, plus its 350 live TV channels in the US.
And our biggest complaint, that you need Roku hardware for the best experience, is slowly being alleviated by improved availability on other devices, including Google TV.