Streaming provider Roku is adding a new free channel for sports content on August 12. The ad-supported Roku Sports Channel will go live with content both owned and licensed by the company. No subscription or sign-up will be required to access the channel.
The Roku Sports Channel will offer round-the-clock programming, such as live Major League Baseball games, live Formula E car races, The Rich Eisen Show and GMFB: Overtime. Partner programming on the channel will include classic boxing matches from Top Rank, combat sports from Swerve Sports and poker content from PokerGO.
Sports viewership can be a notable revenue source for streaming services. The Disney-owned ESPN+ has a streaming subscription (and its ). Max also has an add-on called the Bleacher Report (that’s ). And an upcoming service called Venu could aggregate lots of games and talk content under one umbrella (and it’s expected to have ). Roku could stand out from the pack by taking the free, ad-supported streaming television route.
