It was launched in 2017, and is owned and operated by Roku, Inc.[1][2] As of 2023, the service leads U.S. viewership for free ad-supported streaming television (FAST),[3][4][5] reporting 120 million viewers.

Additionally, the service offered content from existing partners including American Classics, FilmRise, Nosey, OVGuide, Popcornflix, Vidmark, and YuYu.

[20] In August 2021, The Roku Channel was reported to add CBC, AccuWeather Now, FilmRise True Crime, Haunt TV, and IGN for free streaming.

[27] By the end of 2022, The Roku Channel was offering premium subscriptions for over 50 services including Discovery+, Paramount+,[28] MGM+, Showtime, Starz,[29] HBO,[30] AMC+, Shudder and Acorn TV.

[8][10][37] Moreover, a report by Variety in September 2023 stated that The Roku Channel offered more than 80,000 TV shows and movies and access to premium content.

[47] Viewership data from Nielsen for December 2024 showed that The Roku Channel gathered 2.0% of all U.S. TV use and ranked as the sixth most-watched streaming service, trailing YouTube (11.1%), Netflix (8.5%) and Prime Video (4.0%).

[64] This content includes movies from Hollywood studios such as Lionsgate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Sony Pictures and Warner Brothers, and videos from publishers such as American Classics, Fandor, FilmRise, Nosey, OVGuide, Popcornflix, Vidmark, and YuYu.

The offering includes On Becoming a God in Central Florida (Showtime), Godfather of Harlem (Epix), America: The Story of Us (HISTORY Vault), Heartland (Dove Channel), and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (Acorn TV).

[68] The Roku Channel offers paid subscriptions for various services including Discovery+, Paramount+,[28] HBO,[30] MGM+, Showtime, Starz,[29] Cinemax,[70] AMC+, Shudder, Acorn TV,[31] Fuse Plus,[71] and Vix Premium.