Roku Channel Adds Live Sports, More News And Entertainment Options

As Roku (ROKU) contends with heavy hitters like Apple and Amazon in the streaming market, the device maker and content distributor is expanding its offerings once again. Roku announced Thursday that The Roku Channel, its free, ad-supported streaming option, will get content from a handful of new sports, news and entertainment channels.

Perhaps the biggest draw of Friday’s news is the addition of live sports coverage to the Roku Channel’s portfolio. Roku revealed partnerships with Adventure Sports Network for outdoor sports coverage and Combat Go for MMA, boxing and other combat sports. EDGEsport will provide coverage of extreme sports, while Stadium will cover things like college sports.

On the entertainment side, Roku Channel viewers can expect new content from partners like TMZ, “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” FailArmy and more. Left-leaning political commentary network The Young Turks will also get placement in the channel’s growing news operation.

Roku Channel already offers news from Cheddar, ABC News and a handful of other partners.

The firm made its name by selling streaming devices that plug into TVs and allow customers to offset the inconvenience of cord-cutting. That said, Roku has tried to bolster its hardware operation with a services business; The Roku Channel became available to stream from non-Roku devices in August.

Despite some promising results in its Wednesday earnings report, Roku shares slid precipitously, per CNBC. Its stock dropped as much as 12 percent in after-hours trading Wednesday and lost nearly 4 percent in value on Friday.