Roku UK Deploys First-Ever FAST TV Channels to Streaming Platform
Streaming platform provider Roku UK has announced the imminent roll-out of their “first-ever” FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) channels. A total of 40 FAST channels are due to go live across the company’s Apps, TVs and streaming boxes at no extra cost, starting from October next month.
Just to recap. Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) channels require a broadband connection for internet access and tend to reflect special dedicated channels that usually only offer content and schedules based on either a single TV show or theme. Roku has already deployed FAST channels in North and South America, but they’re now also brining them to the UK.
The new UK lineup will include channels dedicated to popular series and genres, with content spanning entertainment, lifestyle, true crime, classic TV, documentaries, and more. New channels include PGA TOUR for golf, This Old House for home and garden, Unsolved Mysteries for crime, NatureTime for wildlife, Love Pets for animals, and more.
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FAST Channels can be accessed through The Roku Channel and new Live TV zone. The Roku Channel is available exclusively on Roku streaming players and Roku TV models in the UK. Roku also offers What to Watch, featuring personalised recommendations on all devices in the UK, and recently launched two new streaming players.
Richard Halton, Country Manager of Roku UK, said:
“With the launch of our first FAST channels in the UK this October, we’re giving viewers more choice than ever before – from iconic series and films to new favourites and niche genres – all for free. It’s an exciting step forward as we continue to expand and open up new opportunities for advertisers to reach highly engaged audiences.”
The full lineup of FAST channels will be announced in the near future and just ahead of the launch, although we don’t know why they couldn’t just confirm it today.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Well it’s about time, the US have had FAST TV via the Roku channel for a few years, but my fear is the channels being the same that are available elsewhere like Plex or Pluto TV.
Let’s see what they give us….
So I presume these are live channels, unlike Roku app that is not live? Makes no odds to me, legally I can not watch live TV anyway. I have a Roku Tv and if their Roku channel is anything to go by, I don’t think I will be missing much worthwhile if anything.
How exactly is this different to Pluto, Plex both of which have been on Roku platform for many years?
This new capability has now shown up on my roku streambar.
Yawn.
There were already a lot of FAST channel apps plus Plex, Pluto.
The new capability has duplicated some and does not have much of interest for the rest. It’s all US stuff