Live Streaming News Headed to The Roku Channel

Heads up, cord cutters: Roku's free, ad-supported streaming channel is getting a new perk: live news.

Launched in September, The Roku Channel already offers around 1,000 movies and TV episodes you can watch for free, with ads. Beginning in mid-May, you'll also be able to watch live, streaming news from ABC News, People, Cheddar, and Newsy on the channel, Roku announced today.

The new feature will offer a "lean back, long form linear cable news experience," Roku's VP of Programming Rob Holmes told PCMag. When the feature launches, you'll be able to access these streams via the News tile on The Roku Channel. When you click it, you'll see the four aforementioned providers at the bottom. Select one and you'll enter a news stream.

All four news providers already offer Roku apps with video clips, but this new feature is different. Instead of having to manually select which videos you want to watch, you can just sit back and tune in to a live stream, similar to what you'd find on cable.

The only down side, besides having to sit through ads, is that you won't be able to fast forward or pause these news streams, though Roku may add those capabilities in the future, Holmes said.

The Roku Channel is available on all Roku players and Roku TVs in the US. The channel is also getting a basic but handy "continue watching" feature that will keep track of your progress, so you can quickly jump back to where you left off.

These new features are slated to arrive alongside Roku OS 8.1. That update will, most notably, expand the Roku Private Listening feature, which lets you suppress the audio on your TV and listen with headphones, to offer support for up to four parties. So, if the kids are upstairs sleeping, you and your significant other can quietly watch a movie together without having to share one set of earbuds.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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