Roku Adds 15 New Live Free Channels on Roku TVs & Players — A New Roku Lawsuit, A Popular Sports Streaming App Shutting Down: Top Cord Cutting Stories

It’s been a busy week in cord-cutting news — and most of it actually benefits people who’ve already ditched cable. Roku quietly dropped another 15 free live channels onto The Roku Channel, building on an already aggressive 2026 content push that’s added dozens of FAST channels since February. That’s the good news. The week also brought a new lawsuit targeting Roku and word that a popular sports streaming app is shutting down — which matters even if you’re watching everything through a Firestick.

I’ve been tracking the free streaming landscape across every major platform since the cord-cutting boom accelerated in 2024, and Roku’s FAST channel strategy is moving faster than anything else right now. Here’s the full breakdown of what changed, what it means for your setup, and how to find equivalent content on a Fire TV if Roku isn’t your platform.

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The Big Story: Roku Drops 15 More Free Channels

Roku ChannelFree

This is the third major wave of free channel additions Roku has pushed in 2026. In February, 16 channels launched. Around April 18, another 22 channels rolled out. Now, as of early May, 15 more. We’re talking about over 40 new free live channels in under two months — which is a serious volume of content even if individual channel quality varies.

All of these channels follow the same free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) model: 24/7 live programming, no account required, no subscription, just ads. Think of it as cable TV but without the $120/month bill attached.

What’s Actually Worth Watching

The new and recent additions span enough genres to be genuinely useful. Here’s what landed across the April and May waves:

One thing worth noting: these are all licensed content plays, not Roku originals. You’re getting Pluto TV-style rerun feeds, Paramount library content, and branded documentary channels. Roku’s strategy is aggregation, not production — which means the content is proven, if not always fresh.

Exclusive Content Worth Flagging

Beyond the FAST channels, Roku has made a few bigger content moves in 2026. The Masters 2026 streamed live through The Roku Channel — free, no cable authentication required. Roku also streamed a Laguna Beach 20th anniversary reunion special featuring Lauren Conrad, Kristin Cavallari, and Stephen Colletti exclusively in April. A Paw Patrol special is coming up for the family crowd.

These live events are what make Roku’s free tier legitimately competitive with services that charge $7-15/month for similar content.

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What Roku’s FAST Push Means for Firestick Users

Tubi Pluto TV

If you’re on a Firestick, you don’t have direct access to The Roku Channel — but you’re not locked out of this type of content either. The three biggest FAST platforms by channel count in 2026 are Pluto TV, Tubi, and The Roku Channel. Two of those are on the Amazon App Store right now.

Pluto TV carries many of the same Paramount-licensed feeds that Roku is using for channels like Tosh.0 and Rawhide. Tubi runs 275,000+ titles on-demand with a live TV section that’s growing fast. Between the two, Firestick users can access more content than Roku’s FAST lineup for free — just spread across two apps instead of one guide.

The catch: Fire TV’s live TV guide doesn’t unify FAST channels into one interface the way Roku does. That’s a real UX gap — Roku’s single live TV guide pulling from multiple free providers is genuinely more convenient than jumping between apps.

For a full breakdown of free streaming apps on Fire TV, check out the best free movie apps for Firestick or best free streaming channels on Firestick.

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The Roku Lawsuit

A new lawsuit targeting Roku is circulating in cord-cutting news this week. The specific details of the complaint — the parties involved, the claims being made, and the legal jurisdiction — haven’t been fully detailed in initial reports. This is a developing story, and we’ll update this article as specifics emerge.

What’s worth noting: Roku has faced antitrust-adjacent scrutiny before related to its position as both a platform operator and a content distributor through The Roku Channel. Whether this latest action touches on similar territory isn’t yet confirmed.

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A Popular Sports Streaming App Is Shutting Down

This one stings for sports cord-cutters. A widely-used sports streaming app is calling it quits — though the specific platform and shutdown timeline are still being reported. Sports streaming apps have been a consistent weak point in the cord-cutting ecosystem: free options tend to be legally questionable, licensed apps are expensive, and shutdowns happen with minimal notice.

If you’ve been relying on a third-party sports streaming app on your Firestick, now is a good time to identify backup options before one disappears from under you.

What to have lined up:

• ESPN on the Amazon App Store covers major US sports with cable login or ESPN+ subscription
• Peacock carries NFL games and select Premier League matches
• Tubi has live sports through its free tier in certain markets
• YouTube TV and Sling TV cover the widest range of sports channels if you’re willing to pay for a live TV bundle

For free sports options specifically, the best sports streaming apps for Firestick guide has a current ranked list of what’s working.

ESPN Peacock

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How Roku’s Free Channel Explosion Stacks Up Against the Competition

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The Bigger Cord-Cutting Picture

Roku’s 2026 FAST push is part of a clear industry direction. Free ad-supported streaming is winning the volume game — Pluto TV, Tubi, and The Roku Channel are the top three FAST platforms in the US, and they’re growing faster than subscription services. The business model works because ad revenue per hour of viewing has improved significantly as advertisers shift budget from linear TV.

For cord-cutters, this is genuinely good news: more content, better live TV coverage, and no subscription creep. The tradeoff is ads — but for casual viewing, an ad break every 12 minutes beats $15/month by a wide margin.

The sports streaming situation is more complicated. Live sports rights remain expensive, and the free options in that space are either legally gray or limited in scope. If live sports is a major part of your viewing, a paid live TV bundle — or at least an ESPN+ subscription — is probably still necessary.

If you’re building out a full cord-cutter setup on Firestick, the how to watch live TV on Firestick for free guide covers the current landscape in more detail.

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Wrapping Up This Week’s Cord-Cutting News

The headline from this week is clearly Roku’s continued free channel expansion — 15 more channels added to The Roku Channel, now over 500 total, all free. For Firestick users, the parallel play is Tubi and Pluto TV, which together cover most of the same ground. The Roku lawsuit and sports app shutdown are developing stories; we’ll update as details become available.

The direction of travel in 2026 is clear: free streaming is getting better, sports rights are getting messier, and the platforms that win are the ones offering volume without a subscription requirement. Roku is executing that strategy faster than anyone else right now.

For your Firestick: keep Tubi and Pluto TV installed, use the Fire TV Live tab for a unified guide, and run a VPN so your ISP doesn’t get a front-row seat to your viewing habits.

Get Surfshark VPN — 86% Off

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More Cord-Cutting Reads

• Best Free Streaming Channels on Firestick
• Best Sports Streaming Apps for Firestick
• Best Free Movie Apps for Firestick
• How to Watch Live TV on Firestick for Free
• Best VPNs for Firestick in 2026

Try Unify IPTV — Best Live TV for Cord Cutters

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Last updated: May 2026