The Roku Channel app gets more functionality on Google TV

When I think about Roku, I generally picture my Roku Ultra streaming box or a Roku Streaming Stick and the clean, zippy OS it provides. Roku doesn’t end there though. The Roku Channel has more than 350 live channels available for free to anyone that downloads the app. It’s (not surprisingly) available on any Roku streaming device or TV, but last year The Roku Channel app also became available on Google TV.

Roku has some updates on the way to improve the way The Roku Channel integrates with Google TV, mainly through its visibility on the home page and search functionality. Instead of having to navigate and search for Roku content within the app, Google TV will now show recommendations from Roku in the Google TV live TV tab. Selecting those recommendations will launch you directly into The Roku Channel app to the desired show or movie. Content will also show up when searched through Google TV’s built-in search field.

For the uninitiated, The Roku Channel is a free ad-supported television app, or FAST, that started back in 2017. Thanks to a pretty incredible amount of content, I think it’s one of the better ones. In addition to the many channels provided, Roku has produced its own original content, including the entertaining Morimoto’s Sushi Master (I’m a sucker for cooking competition shows) and the much-publicized Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. The added Google TV integration brings The Roku Channel in line with other FAST services, namely the Paramount-owned Pluto TV.

The Roku Channel app is also available on Samsung TVs, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and through a web browser.