New Roku owners can be overwhelmed when browsing the Roku Channel store with thousands of channels. Many ask "what are the best Roku channels?" so they can start with those. Although selecting the "best" is a subjective endeavor, a good place to start is with the most popular Roku channels. Listed below are two dozen channels that have consistently been at or near the top of Roku's list of the 120 Most Popular channels.
This article is updated from time to time as Roku's list of most watched channels changes. Therefore, you may see older comments below that don't pertain to the current list.
Netflix Watch TV shows and movies recommended just for you, including award-winning Netflix originals. (Subscription required) | |
YouTube
Watch YouTube videos on your Roku, with in-channel access to your subscriptions and playlists; send videos from your phone to your TV when they're sharing a Wi-Fi connection. (Free, account holders can link) | |
Hulu
A huge streaming library of exclusive past seasons, current episodes, Hulu Originals, movies, kids favorites, full seasons of hit shows, and more; add Live TV to watch 50+ Live and On Demand channels. (Subscription required) | |
Disney+
Endless access to your favorite movies and TV series from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more. (Subscription required) | |
Prime Video
Movies, shows, award-winning Prime Originals, premium channels, sports and more. (Subscription, rental, or purchase) | |
Sling TV
Enjoy up to 250 live TV channels and up to 30,000 On Demand TV shows and movies when you're connected to your Spectrum Internet service at home. A Spectrum TV and Internet subscription are required to use this app. | |
YouTube TV
Watch cable-free live TV on your big screen from 60+ networks. Get live sports, news, and shows. (Subscription required) | |
The Roku Channel
Hundreds of hit movies, TV shows, live news and sports (US), and more (Free; premium channels require subscription) | |
Pluto TV
100+ channels of news, sports, and the Internet's best, plus over 1,000 entire movies and full TV episodes. (Free) | |
Spectrum TV
Up to 250 live TV channels and up to 30,000 on-demand TV shows and movies when you're connected to your Spectrum Internet service at home. (Spectrum TV and Internet subscription required) | |
Xfinity Stream Beta
Enjoy TV with the Xfinity Stream Beta channel on Roku devices. Customers with Xfinity TV, Instant TV, or Xfinity on Campus will feel right at home. | |
Pandora
Create personalized stations from your favorite songs and artists or upgrade to hear songs, albums and playlists ad-free & on-demand in Pandora Premium. (Free for basic service; account holders can link) | |
Tubi
Watch thousands of hit movies and TV series for free, from comedy to drama, kids to classics, and niche favorites. (Free) | |
AT&T TV
Stream live primetime favorites, breaking news, non-stop sports, and thousands of on-demand titles. (Subscription required) | |
CBS All Access
Get full episodes of your favorite primetime, late night and daytime shows; stream your local CBS broadcast live in select locations (Subscription required) | |
VUDU
Over 10,000 titles for free ad-supported viewing, with over 150,000 movies and TV shows available for rent or purchase | |
Spotify Music
Listen to the music you love for free; browse your favorite playlists, albums and tracks | |
Philo
More than 58 channels available, with unlimited 30-day DVR and extensive on-demand library (Subscription required) | |
ESPN
Live sports and shows as well as on-demand news, highlights and analysis (subscription to ESPN+ and participating pay TV provider required for full access) | |
Plex
Stream videos, music, and photos from your computer or the Internet to your television (Free; requires software installation on home computer) | |
NBC
Watch the latest episodes of your favorite NBC TV shows anytime, and stream live broadcasts from across the NBCUniversal family of networks, including Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY, USA and more (Some free content; subscription to participating TV provided required for full access) | |
PBS KIDS
Full-length episodes from your favorite PBS KIDS television series and the live broadcast from your local PBS station (Free, but activation required) | |
HBO NOW
Over 1,400 of your favorite HBO original series, movies and more, with your HBO subscription (HBO subscription through participating cable/satellite provider required) | |
CBS News
Features CBSN, the 24/7 digital streaming news network from CBS News, as well as on demand video from CBS's awarding winning news programs. |