The Roku Channel is having one of its loudest free-TV moments yet. On Saturday, May 2, 2026, the platform expanded its free streaming library with 34 new channels built around classic television, long-running comfort shows, genre staples, and 24/7 franchise-style viewing.
The Roku Channel expands its free classic television offerings at a time when free ad-supported streaming television, or FAST, keeps gaining ground. Nielsen’s February 2026 streaming usage report gave The Roku Channel 2.9% of total streaming time. That put it ahead of Tubi at 2.2% and Pluto TV at 2.1%.
That ranking also placed Roku’s free service above paid platforms named in the same coverage, including Paramount+ and Warner Bros. Discovery. In practical terms, viewers are not only sampling free streaming. They are using it often enough to make Roku the most-watched free streaming service in the United States.
The Roku Channel Adds 34 Channels Across Decades of TV
The new lineup works because it does not chase one narrow audience. Instead, it creates a television-history shelf that runs from black-and-white classics to modern repeat-watch favorites.
The 34-channel expansion includes sitcoms, mysteries, Westerns, crime dramas, sci-fi, reality television, game shows, talk shows, educational programming, variety, and action. The confirmed new channels are:
- Home Improvement — Sitcom
- Murder, She Wrote — Mystery
- Bones — Crime Drama
- Little House on the Prairie — Drama
- In the Heat of the Night — Crime Drama
- Universal Westerns — Western
- My Wife & Kids — Sitcom
- Leave It to Beaver — Classic Sitcom
- The Goldbergs — Sitcom
- Heartland — Drama
- Saved by the Bell — Teen Sitcom
- Unsolved Mysteries — Documentary
- Stargate Atlantis — Sci-Fi
- Saturday Night Live Vault — Comedy
- Doctor Who — Sci-Fi
- PBS Antiques Roadshow — Reality
- Rawhide — Western
- The Tonight Show — Talk Show
- The Lone Ranger — Western
- Baywatch — Drama
- The Joy of Painting — Educational
- Cheaters — Reality
- The Beverly Hillbillies — Classic Sitcom
- Supermarket Sweep — Game Show
- The Dick Van Dyke Show — Classic Sitcom
- Lassie — Classic Drama
- The Carol Burnett Show — Variety
- This Old House — Home Improvement
- The Red Green Show — Comedy
- Mystery Science Theater 3000 — Sci-Fi Comedy
- That Girl — Classic Sitcom
- Out California Way — Western
- Grit Extra — Action/Western
- Emergency! — Drama
The mix gives Roku several kinds of lean-back viewing. Murder, She Wrote, Bones, In the Heat of the Night, and Unsolved Mysteries serve viewers who want case-driven television. Meanwhile, Home Improvement, My Wife & Kids, Leave It to Beaver, The Goldbergs, Saved by the Bell, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl, and The Red Green Show keep the sitcom lane full.
Western fans get Universal Westerns, Rawhide, The Lone Ranger, Out California Way, and Grit Extra. Sci-fi viewers get Stargate Atlantis, Doctor Who, and Mystery Science Theater 3000. In addition, The Tonight Show, The Carol Burnett Show, Saturday Night Live Vault, PBS Antiques Roadshow, The Joy of Painting, This Old House, Cheaters, Supermarket Sweep, Baywatch, Heartland, Lassie, Little House on the Prairie, and Emergency! widen the slate beyond one genre.
Why Roku’s Free Strategy Is Working
BGR tied Roku’s rise to a simple consumer reality: subscription fatigue is real. Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video still dominate many home screens. However, FAST apps such as The Roku Channel, Tubi, and Pluto TV are becoming default options for viewers who want entertainment without another monthly bill.
The Roku Channel is available on Roku streaming devices and smart TVs. Viewers can also stream through a web browser or mobile app. That matters because the service is no longer just a bonus tile on Roku hardware.
The platform also leans on convenience. Its interface highlights popular titles, recommends content based on viewing habits, and lets signed-in users add movies and shows to a Save List that syncs across devices. Premium add-ons such as Apple TV+ and MGM+ can sit alongside the free catalog, while other coverage, also named Paramount+ and STARZ, can be centralized as subscriptions on Roku.
MakeUseOf’s Roku-focused cord-cutting coverage emphasized the scale of the free library. The Roku Channel currently offers over 10,000 free shows and movies, does not require registration or a monthly subscription to view its content library, and includes a “Featured Free” section. That area helps users browse free movies and series across apps such as Pluto TV, Fawesome, and Tubi without opening each app separately.
The CW Deal Gives The Roku Channel a Fall 2026 Boost
The classic-channel expansion is not Roku’s only programming move. The CW Network partnership, set for fall 2026, brings next-day streaming to The Roku Channel and adds 800+ hours of CW library content.
The CW shows named in the coverage include Wild Cards, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Sherlock & Daughter, Private Eyes West Coast, Police 24/7, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, and WWE NXT. WWE NXT receives Wednesday next-day streaming after its Tuesday night broadcasts.
Lisa Holme, Head of Content, Roku Media, framed the deal around speed and library depth: “Starting this fall, Roku viewers will stream it the very next day.” The same statement also pointed to “hundreds of hours of library seasons to catch up on.”
The business logic is clear. The Roku Channel reaches more than half of U.S. broadband households through free ad-supported streaming. Meanwhile, Nexstar Media Group owns 81% of The CW, and The CW App already has 100+ million downloads. Pairing next-day network programming with Roku’s FAST reach gives both sides a larger ad-supported footprint.
Privacy Controls Remain Part of the Roku Conversation
Roku’s bigger free-TV push also arrives while privacy settings remain a consumer concern. One Roku privacy tip circulating with the latest coverage involves disabling ad tracking from the main menu. The path starts at Settings, then Privacy, then Advertising, where users can check the box labeled Limit Ad Tracking.
That setting does not change the basic trade-off. The Roku Channel is free because advertising funds the experience. However, privacy controls give users at least some say over how personalized that ad experience becomes.
What This Means for Cord-Cutters
The Roku Channel is not replacing every paid service for every viewer. Still, its newest move makes the free side of streaming feel less like a bargain bin and more like a programmed TV destination.
The 34 new channels give viewers older hits, familiar franchises, and genre comfort food. The CW deal adds a future pipeline of next-day shows in fall 2026. Together, they show how free streaming keeps moving closer to the old cable bundle, just without the same monthly bill.
For viewers who already use Roku, the appeal is obvious. For everyone else, The Roku Channel now has enough scale, recognizable titles, and cross-device access to make free streaming harder to dismiss.
The Roku Channel expands its free classic television offerings at exactly the moment viewers are questioning how many subscriptions they really need. That timing may be Roku’s strongest advantage.
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