Roku has always been a great way to check out catch-up content, but live TV hasn’t been so easy to access – until now.
Starting this week, the Roku set-top box will support the TVPlayer app, making it possible to watch a wide variety of live television from most of the major channels. Supported channels include BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, and Dave. You’ll be able to find the new app in the Moves & TV category in the Roku Channel Store.
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“Our presence on the Roku platform represents another significant step forward in TVPlayer’s distribution strategy, which is to make premium live TV, on demand and digital shows available within the TVPlayer app across all OTT platforms.”
There are 75+ free-to-air TV channels available, which TVPlayer says is made possible by “occasional video advertising”. However, TVPlayer is also offering a Plus package for £5.99 per month that removes advertising.
This Plus package also includes an additional 25+ premium channels that you can’t get on normal Freeview or Freest, including the Discovery Channel, TLC, Eurosport 1, and History – as well as a seven-day catch-up service.
Speaking about the news, Ed Lee, VP of Content Acquisition at Roku, said: “Roku users in the UK could already choose from an impressive line-up of 2,500+ streaming channels, including popular on demand and catch-up channels.”
Lee continued: “With the addition of TVPlayer Roku users can now also watch live TV from major UK broadcasters on their Roku streaming player, combining all key entertainment sources on one device.”
We gave both the Roku 3 set-top box and the Roku Streaming Stick respectable 4/5 scores in our reviews, praising the wide variety of content available. You can currently purchase a Roku Streaming Stick for £24.50 (Amazon UK), while the Roku 3 HD currently sells for £53.99 (Amazon UK).
The advantage of Roku is that it supports most of the major streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Video, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, and Plex.
The TVPlayer is available to download on Roku right now.
Related: Netflix Offline Viewing
What’s your favourite way to watch television? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
