After weeks of anticipation, Roku’s promised free live TV channels have officially launched across all UK devices today, bringing over 40 FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) channels to British viewers at no cost.
The channels started appearing on some devices earlier this week, but as of today they’re officially available on all Roku streaming sticks and Roku TVs through The Roku Channel and the newly launched Live TV Zone.
If you’re already a Roku user, you can simply turn on your device and start watching immediately – no sign-ups, subscriptions, or additional apps required.
But if you were hoping for Freeview integration on streaming sticks, you’ll be disappointed this time around.
What’s Actually Available
Before diving into the specifics, it’s worth explaining what FAST channels actually are: these channels work like traditional TV channels but delivered over the internet.
They’re always on, you can’t always pause or rewind, and they’re built around specific themes or content – whether that’s a particular TV show, a genre like true crime, or a topic like home improvement.
The trade-off for getting them free is simple: adverts. Just like traditional broadcast TV, you’ll sit through advert breaks. If you’ve used services like Pluto TV or Samsung TV Plus, you’ve already experienced FAST channels. Roku’s offering is essentially the same concept, just integrated into their own platform.
So what’s actually on these new channels? When we covered Roku’s announcement back in September, the company only teased a handful of channel names.
Now that the full lineup is live, we can see what’s actually on offer – and it’s very much what we expected. A few examples from the channel list include:
Sports: PGA TOUR, TNA Wrestling, MLB Channel
Entertainment: Deal or No Deal, Fear Factor, Wipeout Xtra
Drama: The Bold and the Beautiful
Home & Lifestyle: The Martha Stewart Channel, This Old House
Crime & Medical: Unsolved Mysteries, Untold Stories of the ER
Nature & Wildlife: NatureTime, Love Pets, The Dog Whisperer
Classic TV: The Carol Burnett Show, Johnny Carson TV
Films: FilmRise Western (and other film channels)
If you’re sensing a pattern here, you’re not wrong – the content is overwhelmingly American-oriented, with very little UK-specific programming.
It’s classic FAST channel fare: older shows, reality TV, nature documentaries, and niche genres that don’t require expensive licensing deals.
Many of these shows are also available on other FAST platforms like Pluto TV and Plex, so Roku isn’t exactly offering exclusive content. But it’s free, it’s there, and if you’re the type who likes to channel surf without commitment, it serves that purpose.
The Live TV Zone: Two Different Experiences
How you access these channels depends on whether you’re using a Roku TV or a Roku streaming stick.
On Roku TVs:
The new Live TV section combines the Freeview thumbnails that were added back in July with the new Roku live channels. You get thumbnail recommendations showing what’s currently on across both traditional broadcast TV and Roku’s streaming channels.
Selecting a Roku channel opens The Roku Channel app, where you’ll find a proper EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) showing what’s currently playing and what’s coming up across all the FAST channels.
It’s a reasonably cohesive experience that bridges traditional TV and streaming content.
On Roku Sticks:
The Live TV section only includes the new Roku FAST channels – and nothing else. There’s no integration with UK streaming services like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, or Channel 4.
This is where things get a bit disappointing.
The Freeview Integration That Isn’t
For anyone hoping Roku might follow Amazon’s lead and integrate UK broadcast channels into their streaming sticks, today’s launch will come as a disappointment.
There’s clearly demand for this kind of integration. Many people are searching for ways to access Freeview channels on streaming devices, particularly as Freely – the streaming-focused successor to Freeview – remains limited to new TV models, with a couple of dedicated Freely streaming boxes coming soon.
Amazon has shown this integration is possible. As I covered back in March, Fire TV’s Live tab now combines live streams from BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and other UK broadcasters alongside its own free content.
While you’re still jumping between different apps when you select content, having everything visible in one TV guide-style interface makes live TV much more discoverable.
Sky Stream takes this even further, actually streaming many Freeview channels directly rather than just linking to streaming apps.
Roku had the opportunity to create something similar – a unified hub where you could browse both their FAST channels and UK streaming services in one place.
Instead, they’ve chosen to keep their Live TV Zone exclusive to their own content on streaming sticks.
This feels like a significant missed opportunity, particularly for the many UK viewers who want to access traditional broadcast content without an aerial.
If you’re using a Roku stick and want to watch BBC One or ITV, you’ll still need to exit the Live TV Zone, find the relevant app, and launch it separately. There’s no integration whatsoever.
On Roku TVs, the situation is slightly better because those devices can receive Freeview through an aerial connection, and Roku has at least integrated those thumbnails into the Live TV section.
But even there, it’s not a true unified experience – it’s more of a loose collection of different sources displayed together.
The UK Reality Check
As I wrote when this launch was first announced, FAST channels in the UK rarely live up to the hype – and now that Roku’s lineup is live, that assessment holds true.
The content is exactly what you’d expect from free ad-supported channels: lots of older American programming, reality shows, nature documentaries, and content that other services didn’t want to pay much for.
The Carol Burnett Show and Johnny Carson have nostalgic appeal, but they’re hardly appointment viewing in 2025.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of this – free content is free content, and if you’re looking for something to pass the time without overthinking it, these channels serve that purpose.
But if you’re expecting premium programming or UK-focused content, you’ll be disappointed.
The real limitation, as always, is licensing. The premium content that makes FAST channels compelling in the US market simply doesn’t make it to the UK due to existing broadcast and streaming deals.
What we get instead is what’s left over – and Roku’s lineup is no exception to this rule.
Roku’s Current UK Lineup
For those unfamiliar with Roku’s current offerings, the company sells three streaming devices in the UK: the entry-level Streaming Stick (HD) for £29.99, the Streaming Stick Plus with 4K support for £39.99, and the premium Streaming Stick 4K with Dolby Vision for £49.99.
Right now, the Streaming Stick 4K is down to £39.99 on Amazon, so it actually costs the same as the 4K Plus stick – albeit for a limited time.
All three devices support the new FAST channels, alongside Roku’s existing lineup of smart TVs from partners including Hisense, JVC, and TCL.
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