Luke Bouma over at CordCuttersNews wrote a great article about the 10 Best Free Roku Channels That All Roku Player & Roku TV Owners Should Try in 2020. For Frugal Streamers in Canada, most of the Roku Channels in Mr. Bouma's list are only available in the USA, so here is the Frugal Streamer's alternative Roku channel list for Canadian Roku owners.
1. Distro TV: While Mr. Bouma included Pluto TV in his top-10, the Pluto TV Roku channel is only available to devices in the USA, but a good alternative channel for Rokus in Canada (albeit not as robust as Pluto TV), is Distro TV. Recommended live streams: The Film Detective (for old movie buffs) and People TV for those who want to get a bit of celebrity gossip and entertainment news. Other Channel genres on Distro TV include Bollywood Movies, Science documentaries, and Sports.
2. The Roku Channel: As is Mr. Bouma's choice for second spot in his top-10 list, so may the Frugal Streamer recommend The Roku Channel in the number two spot. Live TV streams and movie selection will differ between the two countries, but there is still a small handful of live streams worth watching like the FilmRise Free Movies and FilmRise Classic TV, The Adventure Sports Network, and more.
3. Global TV on Roku takes the place of Stirr TV in this spot on Mr. Bouma's list. A cable TV subscription is not required to watch the latest episodes of your favorite Global shows like: Saturday Night Live, Big Brother Canada, Survivor, The Young and the Restless, Prodigal Son, 9-1-1, New Amsterdam and more! Full episodes are available free on-demand for the first 7 days after they air on TV, including Global National News broadcasts.
4. Tubi TV takes the number four spot in both our lists. Watch thousands of hit movies and TV series for free. Tubi is 100% legal unlimited streaming, with no credit cards and no subscription required. Choose what you want to watch, when you want to watch it, with fewer ads than regular TV. Tubi is the largest free streaming service featuring award-winning movies and TV series. There is something for everybody; from comedy to drama, kids to classics, and niche favorites such as Korean dramas, anime, and British series. Download now and start streaming entertainment for free, today!
5. 247 Retro: While Xumo TV is not available in Canada, consider instead 247 Retro, a free, live streaming channel featuring classic television shows and films. Watch your favorite programs around the clock without commercial interruptions. NO SUBSCRIPTION required. Enjoy favorite television characters in popular shows including Dragnet, Sherlock Holmes, The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, Ozzie & Harriet, The Colgate Comedy Hour featuring Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, and many more. Weekly genre broadcasts includes Classic Films, Movie Serials, Sci-Fi Saturday, and Strange Sunday. 247 Retro's Roku interface also includes navigation through it's weekly broadcast schedule.
6. WatchYour.TV: Mr. Bouma includes Crackle in this number six spot on his top-10, but Crackle has since been discontinued in Canada. Instead, a strong newcomer to the Roku platform is WatchYour.TV, an over-the-top television streaming service from classic media syndicator, TVS Television Networks. Twelve live streams featuring classic TV, movies, and vintage sports broadcasts are available, including a 7-day DVR catch-up option on every channel. Available to Roku devices worldwide.
7. Kanopy: A Canadian alternative to Hoopla (Mr. Bouma's pick) is Kanopy, taking the number seven spot in the list. Discover thought-provoking and enriching entertainment on one convenient streaming platform—brought to you for free by your library. Kanopy’s catalog of thousands of titles includes festival favorites and popular picks chosen for their insight into other cultures, perspectives, and beliefs. There’s always something new to discover with titles added every month, as well as staff picks and tailored recommendations to help find the films that speak to you.
8. YouTube. YouTube your way on the biggest screen in the house, from a playlist of music videos to your favorite comedy channels. Send videos from your phone to your TV when they're sharing a Wi-Fi connection. Find a video on your YouTube app, click the TV icon that appears, and it instantly plays on your TV. Much of US-only content that would be individual Roku channels may be available as YouTube playlists, so for Canadians, the YouTube Roku channel is definitely worth inclusion into your Roku channel line-up.
9. FilmRise: While Fawesome channels are available on both sides of the border, so is the full suite of FilmRise video on demand channels. (Search "filmrise" on your Roku and you will get FilmRise Free Movies & TV, FilmRise Classic TV, and a few more.) FilmRise delivers unlimited FREE instant streaming of popular movies and hit TV shows. Choose from their extensive collection of movies and TV spanning all genres – available absolutely free with no subscription. Be weary, however, there may be some content which may not be available in Canada as you will run into description screens that won't load or media that won't play when you select titles; but overall, the FilmRise and Fawesome suite of VOD channels are definitely worthy inclusions to your Roku channel library.
10. And, in our number 10 spot, a few bonus Live News channels. Mr. Bouma ranked NewsOn in this spot, but it is only available in the USA. Instead, consider these three Live News channels on the Roku platform in Canada: Haystack TV, CBS News, and Newsy. CBS News is a favorite for the Frugal Streamer, with live National and Regional CBSN live streams, as well as ET Live (Entertainment Tonight). Although you will see CBS Sports as an option in this Roku channel, there is no live broadcast available in Canada. Haystack TV and Newsy (search for these on your device) tied for inclusion in this category as they fare very well as aggregates of news and information articles to adequately fulfill anyone's daily news consumption.
What do you think of the Frugal Streamer's choices? Comment below!
Until next time, Frugal Streamers, happy streaming!
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