Saturday, March 31, 2018

Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #264





Hi, everyone !!



If you happen to follow the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels to this blog, then you will already be aware that there were no major announcements from Roku during the last seven days and, owing to some personal commitments / demands for family-time over the Easter weekend, I'm going to have to leave it for another day in the (hopefully) not too distant future to "flesh-out" the opening paragraph(s) of this article with the one or two snippets of relevant news that I did manage to come across over the course of the past week. Meanwhile, with 'April Fools Day' also falling on this bank holiday weekend, you might like to have a read of this latest post from the "Official" Roku Stream Blog which, as always, can be relied upon for some light relief (and mild amusement) until you return here to catch-up on the more serious business of "real" info/updates pertaining to our favourite brand of streaming media player. Anyway, with no other major Roku-related (or Roku-specific) news to share with you at this time, I'm now going to turn my attention to bringing you details for all the latest new Roku channels (apps) which were released since my last 'Weekly RoundUp' post was published! :-)


Firstly, though, I'd just like to mention (on a not entirely un-related note) that I have now added links to some (though, still not all) of the 'Roku Guide' reviews that were previously "missing" for many of the new Roku channels released in the last few weeks... so, if you'd like to see an independent appraisal of those, be sure to check-out my post from last week (see link above), which (itself) contains a link to the previous week's post (and so-on, and so-forth), for details of where to find them. Unfortunately, there are (again) more "missing" links to the 'Roku Guide' reviews for one third of the channels that were published during the last seven days... which means, much like many other posts from recent months, I'm going to have to leave it for each of you to (once more) access those details on your own. As of two months ago, you can choose to do that either via the built-in channel store on your Roku device(s)... or else, by following the links provided in each post to the relevant channel description(s) from the Roku Web Channel Store. Meanwhile, once the "missing" reviews have been published by 'Roku Guide', I will (as I have done previously) ensure that I add the relevant links to each post. Apologies (as always) for any inconvenience that may be caused by the absence of active links to an independent review for some of these new apps but, like I say, it was entirely out of my hands. Hopefully they will catch-up on the ones they missed sometime in the coming week!?! ;-) :-)


Still, back to the list... which, as always, will help you to identify the very latest apps that have been added to Roku devices in the UK. Other websites offering Roku channel listings will base their contents on the Roku USA Channel Store, which means they also include apps that are unavailable to UK Roku users. So, like I've said before... if you really want to know what's available channel-wise, for owners of Roku devices in the UK, you need to be reading this blog each and every week! ;-) :-)


With twice the number of active links to check out, not just for this week... but each and every post that has been previously published as part of my 'Weekly RoundUp' series over the last five years, there's a *lot* of reading to catch-up on. So, without further ado, here's my 'Weekly RoundUp' of all new Roku channels released between 25th March 2018 and 31st March 2018:-







ICNDJ..................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***N.B. THIS WAS UNCATEGORISED in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***


PLEASE NOTE:- That, while the 'ICNDJ' channel for Roku devices can be found within the 'New' category (i.e. genre) of the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store, no permanent category / genre had (at the time of writing) been assigned to this channel in the UK. If I can somehow succeed in bringing this matter to the attention of the developer / content provider, I would expect to see this app given a permanent "home" under 'Web Video' in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store within a few weeks of so-doing. In the meantime, if you don't wish to trawl through the 'New' category of the channel store to find it, I would suggest that you use the built-in Roku 'Search' feature to locate and install it. Using this method, you probably won't even need to finish typing the word "ICNDJ" before seeing the channel listed among the 'Search Results' displayed on the right-hand side of your television screen. Failure to assign a permanent channel store category for the UK within the next four weeks (however) would mean that, once it ceases to be part of the 'New' category, it would no longer be listed, searchable or available to UK Roku users in the channel store (only to users who had installed it previously). So, if you think you are likely to want this channel, my advice would be to install it by the first week in May (at the latest) because, if the necessary edits are not made to the Roku channel package (.PKG file) by that time, you will not be able to afterwards. Needless to say, once the channel has been edited to include a permanent channel store category for the UK, I will update this listing with details of whatever genre has been assigned. As mentioned before, I would expect this category to be the 'Web Video' genre, since that is what was assigned to the channel in the United States.







IGBO WEDDINGS.TV...........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "LIFESTYLE" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






DANCE AND MUSIC............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






WEED AND WHISKEY TV..................COST: FREE (7-day trial) + $6.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***


PLEASE NOTE:- That, although this 'Weed And Whiskey TV' channel is FREE-TO-ADD to your Roku device(s) and does afford the opportunity of a SEVEN-DAY FREE TRIAL with which to see what's on offer, those interested in maintaining full access to the content library after the trial period should note that A PAID SUBSCRIPTION WILL BE REQUIRED to continue watching. The cost of a subscription will run to either $6.99 PER MONTH for those looking to subscribe on a short-term basis or keep their monthly outgoings down, or $24.99 PER YEAR for those who plan to subscribe over the long-term. Obviously, in the case of the latter, there are SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS to be had by choosing the ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION PLAN equivalent to OVER 70% OFF over the twelve month term. Needless to say, for those who enjoy streaming this type of original, highly-entertaining cannabis and spirit-friendly programming (incl. music concerts, feature films, shows, plus various "holiday specials", in addition to the (mostly short-format) original programming) the opportunity to "twist one up", pour a whiskey...sit back, relax, and enjoy 'Weed And Whiskey TV' all year round may prove too hard to resist... and the price is good, if you like your "TV with a Twist"! ;-) :-)







HORROR NIGHTS TV...........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "TRAVEL" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






WGGS TV 16..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "RELIGIOUS" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






WOLFBYTES TV......................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "NEWS & WEATHER" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***






THE KILLER MOVIE CHANNEL.......................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






AD NATION..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






THROUGH HER EYES............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***N.B. THIS WAS UNCATEGORISED in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***


PLEASE NOTE:- That, while the 'Through Her Eyes' channel for Roku devices can be found within the 'New' category (i.e. genre) of the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store, at the time of writing, no permanent category / genre has been assigned to this channel in the UK. If I can somehow succeed in bringing this matter to the attention of the developer / content provider, I would expect to see this app given a permanent "home" under 'Film & TV' in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store within a few weeks of so-doing. In the meantime, if you don't wish to trawl through the 'New' category of the channel store to find it, I would suggest that you use the built-in Roku 'Search' feature to locate and install it. Using this method, you probably won't even need to finish typing the words "Through Her Eyes" before seeing the channel listed among the 'Search Results' displayed on the right-hand side of your television screen. Failure to assign a permanent channel store category for the UK within the next four weeks (however) would mean that, once it ceases to be part of the 'New' category, it would no longer be listed, searchable or available to UK Roku users in the channel store (only to users who had installed it previously). So, if you think you are likely to want this channel, my advice would be to install it by the first week in May (at the latest) because, if the necessary edits are not made to the Roku channel package (.PKG file) by that time, you will not be able to afterwards. Needless to say, once the channel has been edited to include a permanent channel store category for the UK, I will update this listing with details of whatever genre has been assigned to it. As mentioned before, I would expect this to be the 'Film & TV' genre, since that's where the channel is on US Roku devices.







MLEN AUDIOBOOKS AND OTR..........................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***N.B. THIS WAS UNCATEGORISED in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***


PLEASE NOTE:- That, while the 'MLEN Audiobooks and OTR' channel for Roku devices can be found within the 'New' category (i.e. genre) of the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store, at the time of writing, no permanent category / genre has been assigned to this channel in the UK. If I can somehow succeed in bringing this matter to the attention of the developer / content provider, I would expect to see this app given a permanent "home" under 'Film & TV' in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store within a few weeks of so-doing. In the meantime, if you'd rather not trawl through the 'New' category of the channel store to find it, I would suggest that you use the built-in Roku 'Search' feature to locate and install it. Using this method, you probably won't even need to finish typing the word "MLEN" before seeing the channel listed among the 'Search Results' displayed on the right-hand side of your television screen. Failure to assign a permanent channel store category for the UK within the next four weeks (however) would mean that, once it ceases to be part of the 'New' category, it would no longer be listed, searchable or available to UK Roku users in the channel store (only to users who had installed it previously). So, if you think you are likely to want this channel, my advice would be to install it by the first week in May (at the latest) because, if the necessary edits are not made to the Roku channel package (.PKG file) by that time, you will not be able to afterwards. Needless to say, once the channel has been edited to include a permanent channel store category for the UK, I will update this listing with details of whatever genre has been assigned to it. As mentioned before, I would expect this to be the 'Film & TV' genre, since that's where the channel is on US Roku devices.







FLOWERS AND BEES......................COST: £0.69 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "SCREENSAVERS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***



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Anyhow, like it or not, that is your lot for this week and, while it barely amounts to more than forty per cent of the twenty-eight channels that made it into the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store in the same time-frame, it's better to get 12 NEW CHANNELS than none at all... as I'm sure you agree!?! ;-) :-)


In any event, hopefully everyone in the UK with a Roku player managed to find something they like within the twelve "public" channels outlined above... or else from the "private" channels, whose access codes were "gifted" to you via the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels to this blog, at various points throughout the past few weeks. However, if you didn't find anything to add to your Roku channel selection from the assortment of channels on offer this week, you can always pay us a visit another time when, with any luck, there will be something more to your liking. After all, there's no point installing every channel because, like I say... when it comes to adding new channels to your Roku, IT'S YOUR CHOICE and, as with all things Roku... THE CHOICE IS ALWAYS YOURS!



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As mentioned previously, you can expect my usual summary of all the goings-on (or not) in the (severely restricted) Roku Channel Store (aka "App Store") that features on NowTV Boxes to follow in the near future. Meanwhile, whether you happen to own a Roku player, a NowTV Box, OR BOTH, as I do... be sure to check my earlier posts (as mentioned before) for all the new additions to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store in each of the one hundred and ninety preceding weeks and then come back again in seven days' time for my next 'Weekly RoundUp'. However, if you can't wait that long, remember you can always keep up with all the UK Roku action (as it happens) throughout the coming week, by following the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels where up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related (here in the UK) is posted on a daily basis (well, almost).



Until the next time, then...



That's all folks !!





2 comments:

  1. Just tried to log into USTV NOW Which I have been watching and subscribing to for several years and find it no longer available. My American wife is mortified. Any ideas why it has gone?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Stephen...

      The recent removal of the Roku private channel 'USTV Now' from user accounts in all regions, on copyright grounds, were a real shock for many customers who (like yourself and your wife) relied on the service for a basic television service from the United Staes. There are many ex-pats, overseas military, etc. who depended on both free and paid access to 'USTV Now' for programming from "back home" in the USA and most are (understandably) extremely frustrated by this latest turn of events.

      You asked if I had any ideas as to why it has gone... and the answer seems to be that Roku themselves are responsible for the removal of the channel and, while 'USTV Now' said they were "working with Roku" to try and get it back on the platform, it appears that Roku are upholding the ban - based on a copyright claim which they received from an (as yet) unidentified source.

      If you have not already discovered the news for yourself, there is (apparently) a workaround (for paying 'USTV Now' customers only) to get access to the programming via another Roku channel, called 'TeleUp 2.0' - the details for which (including a link to the Roku Web Channel Store, where it can be added online) can be found in my "Roku UK Channel Store Weekly RoundUp #257" - but, as I understand it, you first need to visit 'USTV Now' support and generate a 'Support Ticket' on their website. Only by doing this, can they check the status of your paid subscription and arrange for your account to be linked with the 'TeleUp 2.0' channel, so that access to the programming covered by your 'USTV Now' subscription can be granted via this third party channel.

      To make the task easier here is a direct link to the webpage, from the 'USTV Now' website, where you can generate a 'Support Ticket':-

      https://support.ustvnow.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

      If you just provide a brief description explaining that you have been relying on their Roku channel to access the service and now wish for them to help you get set-up through the 'TeleUp 2.0' channel so that you can continue to have access via the Roku platform.

      In case you need to contact them by phone, here is the number for their offices in the United States:-

      Tel: +1 (917) 746-8788

      They are located in New York, just so you are aware of the time difference, and having an American wife (as you do) I imagine you already have an international calling plan in place should it be necessary for you to get in touch by telephone!?!

      Hopefully, it won't come to that, but I thought I'd share the details here for the benefit of yourself and others who may find themselves in a similar situation.

      I should also point-out that this arrangement does *not* cover free users of the 'USTV Now' service... and is only for paid subscribers!

      Lastly, I would like to apologise for the delay in my responding to your comment but, the fact of the matter is, I don't get much time to do the things I need to do on Blogger (i.e. my 'Weekly RoundUp' posts) and, therefore, it is far better to message me via Twitter (@ukrokuchannels) with any questions of a more urgent nature. I'm tapped into social media on a daily basis, so you're pretty much guaranteed to get a response within 24 hours of messaging me if you use that method, as opposed to leaving a comment on my blog! ;-) :-)


      Good luck with it all... and keep us posted, as to how you get on!

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