Channels & viewing

[Mrfrd17]

Why does the Roku channel offer free shows for several seasons and then all of a sudden it says ‘begin 7 day free trial’. That is just wrong. That has happened with ‘The Saint’ and with ‘Wyatt Earp’.

[renojim · Accepted solution]

Free, ad supported, content comes and goes.  Once the contract/agreement/licensing ends and the free version is no longer available other options are shown (like subscribing to a premium service).

[KitKat37]

This is your answer to Bait ans Switch?Unacceptable! Some people don't like surprises, I'm one of them. As a courtesy you should give warnings of a contract ending within a reasonable time limit and allow the customer to decide if they want to continue with a purchase or let it dry out. If a person doesn't want to pay at least with a warning binge-watching would be another choice

[AvsGunnar]

@KitKat37 

For the most part, movies and shows are available on a monthly basis.  The content is generally switched monthly.  There is a section on the Roku Channel thats says "Last Chance to Watch Free".  This lets you know these shows will be leaving the Roku Channel soon, probably end of month.    

Similar behavior with a lot of the other free Channels you can install on the Roku.  Some carry a particular show for a limited time, others it is a "permanent" show.  If you find your show is no longer available on an installed Channel, use Roku Search, it may have moved to another Channel you can install or watch it on for free.  A lot of times the show is available on multiple free Channels at same time.  FilmRise is one channel that contains very similar programming to the Roku Channel.

[Choirlady]

We have watched two seasons of "The Saint" and look forward to watching a new episode every couple of nights. Imagine our surprise when they said I would have to subscribe to a paid service called Shout.  I did some research and found that we can watch it for free on Tubi. So no thank you, Roku. I don't want to pay for it. You don't have to send any more emails explaining how to sign up for Shout. Disappointed.

[AvsGunnar]

@Choirlady 

As you get accustomed to streaming, you will find that that the different streaming channels will offer the same content.  Some of the Channels are free, some are paid subscriptions, and some charge per episode.  Normally for free, you will get ads, while the subscription channels and paid per episode channels will be ad-free.

From Roku Search feature, appears that The Saint (Roger Moore), is available for free with ads on Peacock, Tubi, Vudu/Fandango, and Fawesome channels.  For ad-free episodes of The Saint, appears you can subscribe to Shout Factory TV on Roku Channel for 2.99/mo, or purchase individuals episodes for 1.99 from Prime Video.

Don't really understand why Shout Factory TV is 2.99/mo on Roku and other streaming devices though, since appears you can watch Shout Factory TV content for free online at https://www.shoutfactorytv.com/ as well as their Shout Factory TV Live Channel 24/7 programming.

 If you find you like Tubi, you may want to try the Fawesome Channel.

[infullview]

I clicked on an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies and got forced to a screen imploring me to continue signing up for $4.99/mo.  It wouldn't let me hit the back button to go back to therokuchannel.com.  This is just total dog doo. What good is the roku service if navigation is f*cked up you can't even go back to the main menu and pick something different!

[Choirlady]

Thank you so much, AvsGunnar! I did not know about the Roku search feature.  I just tried it, and I like it! It is much easier than doing an internet search.

Thanks again and have a blessed day!

[AvsGunnar]

@infullview 

If you ever get stuck in navigation for whatever reason, usually hitting the Home button on your Roku remote will get you out of a non-functioning menu back to the Roku Home Screen.

Other times, a glitch may occur that freezes the Roku device and may require you to unplug the Roku device so that it can simply reboot/restart.

@Choirlady 

Glad to hear the Roku Search is working for you.  Will certainly make finding your shows easier.

For those interested there are two Search features accessed from the Roku Home Screen. ("Search" and Streaming Channels")

Search will yield results for both streaming content (shows and movies, etc) and Channels available for install, both free and paid/subscription.

Streaming Channels will normally yield both free and paid/subscription Channels available to install on Roku.  If you type in the name of a show, or genre, you may find a Channel dedicated to that show or genre that you may not have otherwise found or knew existed.