Hi, everyone !!
As much as I tried, I couldn't really find anything noteworthy, in terms of Roku-specific and/or Roku related news during the last seven days. Much of what was written pertained to the ongoing saga, first reported several weeks ago, regarding the ban on sales & imports of Roku devices in Mexico. Other than that, most of the "news" that I came across this week centred around numerous sweepstakes or contests for Roku users in the USA and I don't think it's worth sharing those details here when they've already been repeated, ad infinitum, through social media. I'd much rather focus on more important matters, such as bringing you details of all the new Roku channels that you can add to your device(s)! :-)
Speaking of which, while it's not an epic list of fifty-plus channels like we got last week, you'll find a few real treats for "Film & TV" fanatics and a bunch of 'YouTube'-style funny clips channels with masses of videos to keep "Kids & Family" entertained over the coming weeks and months. In fact, there should be something to please most streamers in this list but, if not, I shared details of some great offers from 'Google Play' and 'Rakuten TV UK' (formerly, 'WuakiTV UK', until just recently) for cheap movie deals and rentals. Take a look at the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels if you'd like to know more about those and, while you're there, keep an eye out for some 'NowTV' pass giveaways which may be still up for grabs, if you act fast! ;-) :-) Anyway, back to the list...
You will notice, as you near the end, that one of the channels mentioned currently has no active link to any 'Roku Guide' review. Despite the lack of any review, I made sure to include a relevant link to the channel description from the Roku (USA) Web Channel Store... so that any readers from the United States can access the information on it. Readers from other Roku "regions" (including the UK) will have to rely on the description from the built-in channel store on their Roku devices, which is the best I can offer, pending the addition of any review to this post! ;-)
Meanwhile... the list itself begins with a channel that, until I reached-out to the developer, was not made available on UK Roku devices. I should also point-out that, since it's a relatively recent addition to the Roku USA Channel Store, it's subsequent release here means that you can still find it among the apps listed in the "New" category of the Roku UK Channel Store. It just means you'll have to scroll down a bit further, past the latest batch of channels, to find it... and, it might therefore be easier just to search for it by name. Either way, the details are outlined below and it should appeal to fans of independent film across multiple genres and formats, including: award-winning features, short films, comedies, dramas, documentaries, series, action adventures, foreign films and more! ;-) :-)
Before I run through the new channels, however, a reminder that UK Roku users are still subject to restrictions (imposed by Roku) and (bizarrely) remain unable to access the channel descriptions from the web store on the Roku (USA) website. That said, the majority of text in those web listings can also be found within the individual descriptions from the built-in "Channel Store" (accessed via "Streaming Channels" from the main menu) on all Roku devices and, together with the associated screenshots (where available), should give a pretty good indication of what those channels are about.
My advice to any UK-based readers of this blog is to ignore the links below (and to the left of) each channel icon shown here and (instead) rely on the link to the right (below each channel icon) which (where available) will redirect you to an 'Roku Guide' review for additional details on that channel. As it stands, the links below (and to the left of) each icon are (currently) only of use to readers of this blog from the USA. This means that Roku users from the other "supported" regions of the world (i.e. Ireland, Canada, France and Mexico) are, like those of us in the UK, unable to browse the Roku Web Channel Store - which for now (at least) remains an exclusive privilege of Roku users in the USA. :-(
Hopefully Roku will (one day) wake-up to the fact that improving the experience for users in "other" Roku "regions" is just as important as it is for those who buy & use their products in the U.S. and that denying access to the Roku website does not help the end-user experience for those of us (outside the USA) who wish to browse the web channel store. Meanwhile, that which Roku (apparently) doesn't want UK Roku users to see on their website (i.e. the list of new channels) is regularly summarised on this blog in my 'Weekly RoundUp' posts. So, without further ado, here's my 'Weekly RoundUp' of all the new Roku channels released between 2nd July 2017 and 8th July 2017:-
SEED&SPARK........COST: FREE (3-Month Trial) + $8.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
PLEASE NOTE:- That, while this 'Seed&Spark' channel requires a MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION to the tune of $8.99 PER MONTH for those wishing to enjoy all of the available content, there is a very generous offer of a 3-MONTH FREE TRIAL with which to familiarise yourself with the service. The promotion cannot be missed if you visit the official website for 'Seed&Spark', because of the pop-up window that will appear inviting you to "Watch free for 3 months", as shown below:-
With an offer like that, what have you got to lose? Might as well just head-on over to their official website now and sign up for your FREE 3-MONTH TRIAL to start enjoying the unique selection of award-winning features, short films, comedies, dramas, documentaries, series, action adventures, foreign films and more that are available! ;-) :-)
Speaking of which... anyone wishing to browse the entire collection of independent film, and even watch it in your web browser while you're there, can do so via the 'Seed&Spark' website at any time. However, since most people reading this will (presumably) own a Roku device, I assume the majority of viewing will be done on your television via a Roku streaming media player... and why not?! That being the case, there are some handy instructions to activate your 'Seed&Spark' account on Roku:-
HINT:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!
To make things a bit easier, and perhaps save you some time and/or typing, I'm also going to share the link featured in the above screenshot image to activate 'Seed&Spark' on Roku with you in this post. If you have any problems, or have further questions about the 'Seed&Spark' hybrid of streaming films and crowd-funding independent filmmakers, there is an FAQ section on their website which should be sufficient for answering the most common questions. That said, if you can't find an answer in their list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) you can always reach out to 'Seed&Spark' through social media (as I did, when requesting that they extend 'Seed&Spark' to UK Roku users) thanks to their Twitter Feed: @seedandspark and official FB page: Seed&Spark (Facebook) where I'm sure they will be only too pleased to hear from you and assist you further! ;-) :-)
In the event that you need to cancel your subscription, you'll find the cancellation instructions among the myriad of information contained in the afore-mentioned FAQ online. While they would hate to see you go, the folks at 'Seed&Spark' won't make you jump through a bunch of hoops to do so, which means you can fully enjoy your free 3-month trial without any need to worry. Plus, if you choose to continue after your trial period and become a paid subscriber, you will be doing so in the knowledge that all the incredible movies and shows streaming on Seed&Spark promote inclusion both in front of and behind the camera. They're also the first and only subscription service to combine streaming with film-funding in one membership. That means you have unlimited access to stream everything in their library, as well as getting to vote on a new project each & every month to receive production funding. It's entertainment for the conscious consumer... and you'd be supporting independent film at the same time! :-)
STORYFUL EXTREME VIDEOS.............................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "COMEDY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
FAWESOME KIDS 5 [by HappyKids.TV].................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
FAWESOME.TV 4......................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPECIAL INTEREST" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
CTN TV DRAMA....................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
STORYFUL CAT CLIPS.............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
STORYFUL DOG CLIPS............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
STORYFUL DASHCAM CLIPS................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "COMEDY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
U - COFFEE......................................COST: £1.99 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SCREENSAVERS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
BLUE MARVEL..................COST: FREE + $9.99 (4-VIDEO BUNDLE) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
PLEASE NOTE:- That while this 'BlueMarvel' channel is FREE-TO-ADD to your Roku device(s) and does allow you to browse the entire video library as well as preview all 64 videos contained therein, in order to watch anything in full A PURCHASE WILL BE REQUIRED for one of only two available package options. So, either you opt for the basic 4-video subscription (shown above) at a cost of $9.99... or, you can go the whole hog and purchase all 64 videos for $59.99 and save a fair few dollars in the process. Usually, any channel that "May require additional fees" is clearly marked in the description details from the built-in channel store on all Roku devices. However, this channel carries no such warning and while, at first glance, it would appear to be entirely free... with the option to 'Add channel' having no costs attributed to it, the 'Roku Guide' review (see link above) provides further insight and includes details of the pricing information that I have included here. Hopefully Roku can amend the description in the channel store so that it is less misleading to Roku users but, in the meantime, do be aware there may be costs associated with viewing the content of this channel! ;-)
ESTILO DE VIDA [by Fawesome.TV]...................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "LIFESTYLE" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
STORYFUL ANIMALS & KIDS.............................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
FAWESOME KIDS 3 [by HappyKids.TV]...............................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
FAWESOME KIDS 4 [by HappyKids.TV]...............................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
TOAST TV LIVE 24 AD FREE.........................COST: £1.49 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPECIAL INTEREST" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
BAKER STREET LIVE AD FREE....................COST: £1.49 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
DYNAMO ACTION 24-7 AD FREE.................COST: £1.49 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
PLEASE NOTE:- That, for some (as yet) unknown reason, this 'Dynamo Action 24-7 AD FREE' app seems to have escaped the attention of the folks at 'Roku Guide' who did not include a review for it as part of their current weekly summary. Due to this oversight, I was unable to provide an active link to a review for the channel... as I have for the other nineteen Roku apps that feature in this list. Needless to say, once details of any such review have been made known to me, I will add the "missing" link to this post so that you can get an independent overview of the channel before you subscribe! ;-) :-)
RABBIT EARS TV LIVE 24 AD FREE.................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
DRAW WESTERNS LIVE 24 AD-FREE..........COST: £1.49 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
FAWESOME.TV 5......................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPECIAL INTEREST" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***