Roku Channel gets another large batch of free live streaming TV channels

Roku has announced the arrival of new live, linear channels available on its Roku Channel platform. The streaming app is home to a variety of on-demand and live television content, including notable movies and television shows. All but one of the new channels has arrived today, bringing the total to more than 200.

The Roku Channel is notable because it is an ad-supported platform, meaning the content is freely available to stream if you don't mind seeing advertisements. As well, Roku doesn't limit its streaming platform to its set-top boxes and smart TVs, instead also offering it on mobile and web browsers for anyone to access.

A total of 17 new linear channels are being added to The Roku Channel's Live TV Guide, of which 16 are available today. On August 19, the company plans to add another live channel targeted at young viewers that, it says, is based on The Wiggles. The channel will be part of Roku's Kids & Family section on The Roku Channel, which isolates child-friendly content.

The newly added channels available today, meanwhile, span various genres, including everything from AccuWeather NOW for dedicated weather and forecasts to CBC for Canadian news, FilmRise Horror/Kids/True Crime, the Spanish-language game show channel Estrella Games, IGN for video game content, Spanish football club channel Real TV Madrid, and more.

The Roku Channel users can also now tune into dramas and reality shows from the UK and Australia via So...Real, plus there are novelas and more from RCN Mas, a channel dedicated to British reality show The Only Way is Essex, a dedicated Baywatch channel, Latino-centric channel El Rey, plus Vivaldi, Tribeca Channel, and Mega Noticias.