So far we had seen what is Roku and its usage. Now we will move on to the advanced tutorial. When surveying the Roku user’s daily activity, the majority of them likes to watch live TV on Roku. When asked, “How do you watch live TV on Roku?”, it was found that most of them use complex methods. So we decided to share some of the easiest methods to watch live TV on Roku. If you are one such user, then this article will definitely benefit you!
3 Ways to watch Live TV on Roku
There are lots of methods to watch live TV on Roku. So we narrowed it down to three simple categories for easy understanding. Depending on your need you can choose any of these three. It includes both paid and free methods. We have already tested all these three methods and it works perfectly fine. Being a closed streaming device, there are lots of limitations on Roku streaming stick imposed by the manufacturer. These are the three methods to watch Live TV on Roku.
- Subscribe to Channel Bundles – Paid Method
- Using Streaming Software – Free Method
- Using Private channels – Both Paid and Free available
1. Watch Live TV on Roku by subscribing to channel bundles – Paid Method
Simply subscribing to the channel bundles are the best way to watch all the live TV channels on Roku. And it is the easiest and error-free method of all. The cost of a traditional cable connection is $200 per month. This is quite high when compared to the price of these channel bundles. And you are having the liberty to choose your favorite channel. You will be charged based on the channels you select.
There are lots of channel Bundles available. On your behalf, we had done the research and listed some of the best service providers. We can use these IPTV service providers to stream Live TV on Roku. And the best part is, you can access all these channels from the web browser.
Sling TV
Sling TV is now leading in the race among its peers and it’s quite affordable. Like you can choose the number of channels from available packages. And depending on the selected package, you need to pay the monthly subscription fee. The cost varies from $25-$40. The cost is just one-fifth of the traditional cable cost. Before buying the subscription check the availability at your location. Sling TV offers three different plans like ORANGE($25), BLUE($25), ORANGE+BLUE ($40).
Sling Orange plan is an entry-level package which offers 30 channels including ESPN, CNN, BBC, AMC, TNT, and few more. And you can use this service on only one device at a time. Sling Blue gives you access to 42 channels at the same cost. The blue plan has a different set of channels. And it also allows a user to watch/record three different channels at a time.
Sling Orange + Blue plan has all the available channels and you can record three channels simultaneously. And the cost is much affordable when compared to the traditional Tv channels. If you need an additional channel other than the available channel, you need to pay an extra $29. So before buying a subscription, make sure to check the list of available channels.
DirecTV Now
DirecTV is the competitor of Sling TV and it is highly compatible with all the streaming sticks. It is also providing more or less the same channels by two means. DirecTV is an IPTV service and DirecTV Now is a web-based streaming service. This web-based streaming service is specially launched to watch Live TV on Roku. DirecTV Now offers 60 channels for $40 per month and 120 channels for $70 per month. Before subscribing to any of the plans, make sure to check the availability at your location. It also provides a 7 days Free trail, check it out! If the service meets your needs, go for it. Or else you can switch to any other alternate service.
How to install Sling TV/DirecTV on Roku?
By now you might have chosen the service provider. Make sure to try the trial version before buying a subscription. You need to sign up with the respective service provider to access their contents. After that, follow the below steps to install Sling TV or DirecTV and start streaming Live TV on Roku.
- Just go to Roku App store and search for Sling TV or DirecTV
- Now once the channel appeared, click on it and select Add channel.
- Now in a few minutes, your channel will be added to your Roku streaming stick.
- Open the installed app from the home screen, and log in to your account to enjoy the subscription.
2. Watch Live TV on Roku using Streaming Software – Free Method
The above-described methods are totally error free but paid method. And if you are looking for ways to watch Live TV on Roku for free, we can also do it. Before that, remember Roku is a closed device. You can’t install any of the third party application in Roku. Though there is a lot of free streaming software, this restriction narrow down our scope of watching live TV on Roku. But don’t worry! We have got two streaming software with which you can stream all the Live TV channels free on Roku.
Kodi – Best Streaming Software to watch Live TV on Roku
Whether it’s a Roku streaming stick or Firestick, Kodi is always at your aid. Kodi is the best streaming software to stream all the content for free. Due to Roku’s limitation, you can’t directly install kodi on Roku. So you need to use the other option called “Screen Mirroring”. For that, you need to install Kodi on your laptop or android device and cast the screen via Roku.
We get your point, it not an installation method. But this is the only available way to use any third party application with Roku. Here is our exclusive guide to setup Kodi on Roku with screenshots.
After that, you need to install any of the working Kodi addons to watch Live TV on Roku. There are thousands of addons available. Here are some of the best live TV add-ons for Kodi.
- Selfless Live
- cCloud TV
- Whisky One
- Chronos
- Mobdro
You can install any of these addons on your Kodi. Now you need to cast this screen on your Roku connected TV. Its a piece of cake.
- Press Home Button
- Go to Settings
- Select Enable Screen Mirroring
- On your Laptop, Go to Devices > Project > Add a wireless display.
- Now select Roku from the list of device to project the display.
Make sure to connect Roku and your laptop to the same network. Once the pairing is complete you can watch all the contents on your Roku connected TV. Well, this is one of the methods to watch Live TV on Roku.
Mobdro – Best Streaming app to watch Live TV on Roku
Yes Indeed, Kodi is the best streaming software. But Kodi is a heavy streaming software and it works best for PC or Laptop. For an android device, you need a light and power pack application for fast streaming. Kodi is also available for Android. But for android Mobdro seems the right choice. Download Mobdro Apk and install it on your android device. And follow the below steps to cast your android screen on your Roku device. Now you can use your android device as a remote and control everything.
- Press Home Button
- Go to Settings
- Select Enable Screen Mirroring
- Go to settings on your Android Device
- Navigate to Connections -> Screen mirroring -> add device.
Make sure to connect Mobdro and Roku to the same network. And select Roku from the list of device. Once the pairing is complete, you can see all the contents of your Android device on the Roku connected TV. These are the methods to watch Live TV on Roku by using streaming Software.
3. Watch Live TV on Roku using Private channels
Roku is a pure commercial streaming device. It seems like Roku is fixated to eradicate Piracy from this world. It literally blocked all the ways to watch third-party contents. Roku’s act is completely against the net neutrality. And there are some private channels available to stream contents from the internet. However, you can’t directly add the private channels to your Roku Streaming Stick. You need an invitation code to add these channels to your Roku streaming stick.
Here is a step by step guide to add private channels on Roku. Make sure to add m3u Black (code: m3ublack). This is the only thing you need to surf all the contents from the internet. If you haven’t heard of M3U files, they are the playlist files with streaming links. These M3U files are updated daily depending on the contents. And the best part is you can download them for free. After downloading, add these files to this M3u Black player. It has a default player embedded in it. And the contents will start to play right away. You can use media player keys to navigate through the contents.
You can also use any other private channels to stream the contents. Most of the private channels will be removed on a random basis. So as long as the channel is not banned, you are free to use them. So make sure to update the channel list regularly.
These are the steps to watch Live TV on Roku. Hope the content is clear. If you are facing any issue, do comment below. We will share the solution as soon as possible. Enjoy Live TV on Roku streaming Stick!