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One of the oldest arguments of the tech world is whether or not you’ll buy a Roku or a Chromecast for your grandmother, and there are very clearly parties that fall on either side. Each has their own benefits and drawbacks, but one thing is clear – Roku has always offered great content for its users.
Starting today, Google TV and Android TV will have access to The Roku Channel so you can access 80,000 free movies and programs like “WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story”, “Die Hart”, and “The Great American Baking Show”. It also has over 350 free live linear television channels with news, sports, entertainment, and Spanish language programming, among other things.
Anyone familiar with the already impressive and overwhelming 800+ channels offered on Google TV’s ‘Live’ tab will realize this is a great addition to it. However, Roku has instead opted to provide Chromecast with Google TV and Android TV set top box users with all of its content in a separate app form.
While a bit annoying that it’s as separated from the core UI and user experience as Netflix, at least there’s no sign up or subscription necessary to enjoy its contents. You can also use the app on TVs like TCL or Hisense that have built-in smart features, and you can grab a copy of it from the Google Play Store now.
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