Hi, everyone !!
For six straight weeks now, we have managed to exceed the average of sixteen new channels per week which was set during 2015. Yes, once again, we have been pretty fortunate to receive a decent crop of new additions to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store during the preceding seven-day period, as you will soon discover when you get to the list of latest additions included later in this post. However, while the collective efforts of all the Roku channel developers out there continue to deliver new content to Roku owners worldwide, the company behind the devices for which those "channels" (or, "apps", if you prefer) were developed has done little to improve the user-experience for Roku users outside of their native USA. In fact, they seem more intent on making it worse for us...
Those of you who were early adopters of Roku streaming media players here in the UK, as I was, will doubtless remember that in the early days it was possible for UK Roku owners to not only make use of the web channel store on the Roku website but also take advantage of the "Add channel" button featured in each of the channel descriptions thereon. Having the ability to bolster your channel selection online (as well as on your device) came in very handy when you were away from your Roku device(s) but had time to browse online for new content. Whenever you tried to add a channel which was unavailable to UK Roku users, a message was displayed saying that particular channel was "not available in your area" which although (briefly) disappointing still allowed us to add those Roku channels online that were available in the UK. Then, one day, Roku decided to remove the ability to use the "Add channel" button for any Roku users visiting the web channel store from outside the USA with no real explanation offered as to why.
Still, for the better part of the last three years, we have at least been able to access the web channel store on the Roku website for the purpose of viewing the descriptions for all the Roku channels that were featured there. Until that is, at some point in the last couple of weeks, when Roku decided in their infinite (lack of) wisdom to COMPLETELY BLOCK ACCESS to the web channel store. What this means for Roku users outside the USA is that, instead of being able to simply follow a link to the description of a channel (as found beneath most entries in my 'Weekly RoundUp' posts), you will be greeted with the following message:-
HINT:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!
To my mind, this is a ridiculous (and completely unnecessary) move on the part of Roku which will only serve to alienate users of Roku products outside of the USA unless they wise-up and reverse this decision sooner rather than later. For my part... I shall continue to include these links on a weekly basis so that they will be available retrospectively, should Roku change their stance on this, and for those readers who visit my blog from the USA who can still make use of them in the meantime. For the benefit of everyone else, with the exception of any channel screenshots included in the web channel store descriptions, you will find all of the text from the channel descriptions reproduced in the 'Roku Guide' reviews. As usual, I will continue to include links to these (where available) for most (though not all) of the channels featured in my 'Weekly RoundUp' posts published on this blog.
On top of being a general pain (in the proverbial) to Roku owners in other "regions" (outside USA) this latest snub has meant a substantial increase in my own workload each week to acquire the images for the channel icons which are included in these posts. Consequently, I have found myself extremely hard-pushed for time (again) today and, with further details for all of the Roku-related news stories from the past week still to follow, I'm going to (once more) have to jump straight into the list of new channel additions and then flesh-out those other aspects of this article as and when I get chance. That said, you can always look back over the info shared via my Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels since my previous 'Weekly RoundUp was posted and you'll find most (if not all) of the news there.
Those who do make the effort will be rewarded with full details (including access codes) for some more "private" channels - i.e. those not found among the "public" offerings that populate the channel store on Roku devices - so, if you happened to miss them before, it's worth looking back through my recent tweets for some Roku treats! ;-) Meanwhile, here's the latest additions to the channel store:-
VALENTINE'S FOR GUYS..........COST: £0.69 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SCREENSAVERS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
FREE FALLIN' RADIO.........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
RIVER ROAD RADIO..........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
HOMETOWN NOSTALGIA RADIO...................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
COOL COASTAL BEND RADIO.........................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
CLASS OF 1980 SOMETHING............................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
U-TURN WORLD MINISTRIES..........................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "RELIGIOUS" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
CAMP CULT CLASSICS FEST............................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
ALT ROCK......................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
VALENTINE'S DAY SCREENS...COST: £0.69 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SCREENSAVERS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
SMOOTH JAZZ RADIO CAFE............................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
PSYCHETRUTH WELLNESS............................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "EDUCATIONAL" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
PETMANIA.....................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
VANGUARD KNIGHTLY NEWS..........................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "NEWS & WEATHER" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
CFF NATION...................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPECIAL INTEREST" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
THE DUDESONS...............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "COMEDY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
THE FUNNY COMPANY.....................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
JUST KIDDING NEWS.........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "COMEDY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
IMPROV EVERYWHERE....................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "COMEDY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
THE GIGGLEBELLIES.........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
CLASSIC CRUISIN...............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPECIAL INTEREST" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
FIREPLACE LOUNGE TV...........COST: £0.69 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
TELEMISTRETTA SICILY - ITALY..........COST: £8.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "INTERNATIONAL" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***