The article is especially for those who want to enjoy watching free live TV on their Roku or other device.
Everyone would want to watch live TV for free without spending anything.
On the Roku Channel Store, you will find hundreds of live TV channels offering free access to entertainment. However, keep in mind that freebies don’t provide all the premium features we want.
It is not possible that you will get satisfaction with free content, so apart from these, you will also find many premium live TV channels like HBO, DirecTV, Vidgo, YouTube TV, Netflix, etc. on the Roku Channel Store, by paying a fee for which you can stream live TV on your Roku device.
A big advantage of a premium membership is that while you can watch your favorite content, you are free from unwanted advertisements, and you also get the facility to stream content on multiple devices simultaneously.
First of all, let us tell you what live TV is.
What is Live TV?
Live TV is a means by which television programming is broadcast and viewed at the same time as it occurs. This differs from traditional broadcasting, where programs are recorded and then watched later on demand or according to a schedule.
There are several ways to watch live TV in the United States:
- Cable and Satellite TV: There are the traditional methods where you subscribe to companies like Comcast, Spectrum, or DirecTV. You can watch hundreds of channels via a satellite or cable connection.
- Over-the-air (OTA) antenna: This is the cheapest method, where you buy a small antenna and connect it to your TV. It will give you access to local channels like ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox for free.
- Live TV streaming services (vMVPDs): These are internet-based services that provide an alternative to cable TV. Some popular options include YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and Fubo TV. These services require an internet connection and usually charge a monthly subscription fee.
Live TV is often used to watch events such as news, sports, and award ceremonies, where it is important to see events happening in real time. However, with the rise of on-demand streaming services such as Netflix and Max, live TV is now the most popular option for those who want a live broadcast experience.
Live TV Channels Available on Roku
There are many popular channels available in the Roku Channel Store for watching live TV on Roku. Here we are writing separately by category:
- Movies & TV Channels: Brat TV, BET Pluto TV, The Bob Ross Channel, CMT Pluto TV, FilmRise Action, FilmRise Classic TV, FilmRise Family, FilmRise Free Movies, Gravitas Movies, MTV Pluto TV, REDBOX FREE MOVIES, Reelz, XUMO FREE Movies, and XUMO FREE Westerns
- Sports Channels: Adventure Sports Network, ACC Digital Network, beIN SPORTS Xtra, EDGEsport, ESTV, Fubo Sports Network, MAVTV Select, Outside TV, PowerNation, Stadium, and SportsGrid
- News Channels: ABC News Live, America’s Voice, Black News Channel, Cheddar, NewsmaxTV Live, Newsy Top Stories, Now This, OAN Encore, Reuters, TYT-Go, USA Today, WeatherNation, and Yahoo Finance
- Music: MTV Biggest Pop, MTV Block Party, & Yo!
- Kids & Family: Ameba, Battery Pop, Kidoodle.TV, Kid Gamer TV, Kartoon, KIDZ BOP TV, Moonbug, pocket. Watch, Teletubbies, Toon Googles, TG Junior, Rainbow Ruby, Rev and Roll, Ryan and Friends, and Zoomoo
- Comedy: AFV Family, College Humor, Comedy Central, Pluto TV, Comedy Dynamics, Funny or Die, and Just for Laughs Gags
- Lifestyle: A+E Lively Place, Bon Appétit, Architectural Digest, The Design Network, DIY Daily, Food52, Revry, Tastemade, and This Old House
- Fashion: Glamour, GQ, and Vogue
- Reality: Fail Army, Hell’s Kitchen | Kitchen Nightmares, People Are Awesome, Pet Collective, and Wipeout
- Crime: Crime 360, Forensic Files, Reel Truth. Crime and Unsolved Mysteries
- Entertainment News: Complex, PeopleTV, TMZ, and Vanity Fair
- Sci-Fi: DUST, FilmRise Sci-Fi, and MGM’s Free Sci-Fi Movies & Series
- Science & Nature: WIRED, Love Nature, and Voyager Documentaries
- Talk Shows: Nosey and Real Nosey
- Spanish Language: AFV Español, AmericaTeve, Latido Music, Love Nature Spanish, MOOVIMEX by Pongalo, and Pongalo Novela Club
Source: https://blog.roku.com/en-gb/live-tv-channel-guide
Out of the above channels, the maximum channels are free to watch live TV on Roku, in some you will get both free and paid service. Apart from these, you can also enjoy live TV on Roku by installing some premium subscription Channels like Prime Video, Epix, Showtime, Starz, Disney+, YouTube, etc.
One of the advantages of a paid subscription is that, along with streaming your favorite content, you can also record it in the cloud service, which you can watch later anytime without internet.
How To Watch Live TV on Roku Using Kodi
There are several ways to watch live TV on Roku, depending on what you want to watch. Here are some of the main ways:
- Using the Roku Channel (free):
Roku offers 500 free live TV channels to all of its users through “The Roku Channel”. This includes news, sports, weather, movies, and reality shows. You can find it in the “Live TV Zone” on the Roku home screen.
- Using Streaming Services:
If you’re looking for an alternative to cable TV, you can add live TV streaming services to Roku. Some popular options include:
- YouTube TV: This offers many major live channels and local stations.
- Hulu + Live TV: This includes Hulu’s on-demand library as well as live TV.
- Sling TV: This is a cheaper option with different channel packages available.
- Fubo TV: This is especially popular for sports fans.
To use these services, you need to take a monthly subscription to them.
- With an antenna (on Roku TVs):
If you have a Roku TV (a TV with Roku’s operating system built in), you can watch your local over-the-air (OTA) channels for free by adding an HDTV antenna. These channels appear directly in your TV’s program guide, which lets you watch local broadcasts alongside streaming channels.
Stream LiveTV Using Kodi
Kodi is an open-source media player that allows you to stream live TV. To watch live TV on Kodi, you need to use a PVR (personal video recorder) add-on. By selecting the best Kodi addons, you can stream your favorite shows and thousands of episodes without paying a single penny.
For this, you will need to follow these steps:
- Install the PVR add-on:
- In Kodi, go to ‘Settings’.
- Select ‘Add-ons’.
- Click on ‘Install from repository’.
- Choose one of the ‘PVR clients’, such as ‘PVR IPTV Simple Client’.
- Install it.
- Add an M3U playlist:
- Once installed, configure the add-on.
- You need to enter an M3U URL or a file path containing a list of channels. This URL is usually provided by IPTV service providers.
- Enable Live TV:
- After configuration, go back to ‘Settings’.
- Select ‘Live TV’ and click ‘Enable’.
Once you have followed these steps, the Live TV menu will appear on your Kodi home screen, and you can browse channels.
Note: Some IPTV services may not be legal. Always ensure that you are using legitimate and authorized sources.
With the help of Kodi addons like No Limits Magic Build, Cloud TV, you can enjoy live TV and all the programs available on them for free. You don’t even need to log in to many Kodi addons.
After enabling live TV within Kodi. Go back to the Kodi home screen and select the TV menu in the sidebar. It will pop up the big list of channels, select them, and enjoy.
FAQ Related to Live TV
Q: Is it legal to watch live TV on Kodi?
Ans: As we mentioned above, Kodi is an open-source media player software, and using Kodi itself is completely legal.
This software doesn’t provide any content itself, but it is just a platform that allows you to organize and play your media library (such as your videos, music, and photos).
Legal issues arise when you use Kodi to stream copyrighted content in an unauthorized manner. This can happen in two ways:
- Illegal third-party add-ons: Some third-party developers create add-ons that stream pirated or copyright-infringing content. Watching live TV or movies using these add-ons can be considered a violation of copyright law.
- M3U playlists: If you get an M3U URL from an illegal IPTV service that is broadcasting live channels without permission, it is not legal to use that service.
In short, Kodi is legal, but how it is used decides whether your activity is legal or not. If you use legal and authorized sources to live TV, such as:
- Official add-ons for services like YouTube TV, Sling TV, or Hulu + Live TV.
- Add-ons that offer free and legal content like Pluto TV, NewsOn, or BBC iPlayer.
Then it is perfectly legal. But if you are using an add-on or M3U playlist that is showing content without permission, it may be illegal.
Q: What are the best Live TV Channels available on Roku?
Ans: You can find a ton of live TV channels on Roku by going to the Roku Channel Store, some of which are free and some of which require a subscription.
Free Live TV Channels on Roku:
- The Roku Channel: You will find over 500 free live channels. This includes news, sports, entertainment, shows for kids, and more.
- Pluto TV, Tubi, Xumo Play, Plex: These are also free streaming services that offer a lot of live TV channels.
Subscription live TV channel (pay for):
- YouTube TV: It includes major networks like ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, as well as several other channels like ESPN, TNT, CNN, and Fox News.
- Sling TV: This is another popular option offering various channel packages.
- Hulu + Live TV: This offer includes Hulu’s on-demand library as well as live TV channels.
- Fubo, Philo, and DirecTV Stream: These are other streaming services that offer live TV channels.
You can go to Roku’s “Live TV Zone” or “Streaming Store” to find the channels you want and add them to your Roku device.
Q: What does Roku Live TV cost?
Ans: The cost of watching live TV on Roku depends on the channels and service you demand, what content you like to watch, and what service you need. There are several options on Roku in the US:
- Free Live TV:
As we mentioned earlier, Roku has its channel, The Roku Channel, which gives you access to over 500 free live TV channels without paying any monthly fee. These include news, sports, weather, movies, entertainment, and kids’ shows. There are other free streaming services available on Roku, like Pluto TV, Tubi, and Xumo Play.
- Subscription Live TV:
If you are not satisfied with the free channels and want to move to a paid streaming service, you will have to pay monthly to subscribe to a live TV streaming service. The monthly cost depends on the plan and channels you choose. Here are the costs (approximately) of some of the major services:
- Sling TV: This is one of the cheapest paid subscription options, with plans starting around $40 per month.
- Hulu + Live TV: This gives you access to Hulu’s on-demand library as well as live TV channels. The cost starts at around $75.99 per month.
- YouTube TV: This is a popular option around the world that includes many major network channels, costing around $72.99 per month.
- Fubo: It focuses mainly on sports, and the cost starts at around $79.99 per month.
- Premium Subscription:
You can also find some premium live TV channels on The Roku Channel, which have a very low monthly cost and are usually ad-free. For example, a service called “Howdy” costs about $2.99 per month. These channels focus on a particular part of the content.
In short, watching live TV on Roku is free, and there is no direct monthly fee for you to pay. Here you can either enjoy free channels or subscribe to be paid streaming service to watch your favorite content with more convenience.
