ROKU TV fans can seize a free perk that unlocks hundreds of live channels and countless on-demand movies and shows.
Chinese electronics giant TCL has released its TCLtv+ app on Roku devices, plying users with content from partners like NBCUniversal, Fox, and more.
The app is available for download through the Roku Channel Store as well as on TCL Roku TVs sold in the United States.
The service provides free, ad-supported access to movies and shows in addition to 350 free live TV channels.
TCLtv+ boasts content from a range of partners including Scripps Media, Fremantle, NBCUniversal, Sony, Lionsgate, Fox, and A&E.
The company recently broke ground on collaborations with Paramount and the NFL, even branding itself the “official partner” of the football league.
For non-Roku users, the TCLtv+ app is also available in the Google Play Store and the App Store on iOS.
Mark Zhang, president of TCL North America, praised Roku‘s “brilliant user interface and seamless viewer experience” in a statement.
“Our partnership with Roku firmly establishes TCLtv+ as a powerful force in the streaming ecosystem,” Zhang said.
The brands have worked together for over a decade, beginning with TCL manufacturing and selling branded Roku TVs in North America.
But TCL has its own aspirations, namely in the world of AI-generated content.
TCLtv+ has launched several AI titles, including a sci-fi film short titled “Message in a Bot,” which will debut in the app July 22.
A special called “Next Stop Paris” is also expected to debut this summer.
It will be the first release from the new TCLtv+ Studio, a film production studio that relies on tools like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion.
Just last month, TCLtv+ launched its first film accelerator program and brought filmmaker Dave Clark on to advise.
The program, dubbed TCL Film Machine, offers financial and production support to filmmakers.
It will begin with five entrants this year, offering grants starting at $25,000.
“With explosive growth in AI, there is an urgent need for creatives who know how to apply AI tools to enrich their storytelling,” the company said in a statement.
“At present, the industry offers limited pathways for professionals to further enhance their expertise,”
Here's the lowdown...
The Roku Channel is a streaming app that’s available on a range of devices.
It offers more than 400 live TV channels.
And it promises over 80,000 movies and TV shows on an on-demand basis.
Roku says that the app is available on:
Roku notes that the app is only available in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It’s also available in Mexico, but only on Roku devices.
Despite its AI ventures, the company is best known as a smart TV manufacturer.
It was founded in 1981 as a state-owned cassette manufacturer before becoming a publicly traded company in 2004.
However, TCL still receives funding from the Chinese government in its endeavor to break into the global electronics market.
The company manufactures an array of other appliances including air conditioners, refrigerators, and washing machines.
