After announcing earlier this week that it planned to partner with El Rey Network to launch an exclusive Latinx-focused entertainment channel, The Roku Channel announced on Tuesday that it would also add 16 additional free streaming channels to its network this week.
In addition to the 200 existing free streaming channels offered on the platform, Roku users will have immediate access to 15 new channels beginning Tuesday, with one additional channel slated to become available on Thursday. El Rey Network—an ad-supported channel that will feature content curated by American filmmaker Robert Rodriguez—will also launch on Tuesday, August 17.
“With El Rey’s transition into the streaming space, we are thrilled to partner with Roku on an exclusive window for the channel,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “This partnership reinforces our commitment to diverse voices and authentic and inclusive storytelling that can be accessed on a free ad-supported basis.”
Among the other new channels being added to Roku today is the Tribeca Channel, which will feature entertainment content curated by the titular film festival; AccuWeather NOW, which will provide round-the-clock forecasting and coverage of extreme weather events; Estrella Games, the first-ever 24/7 Spanish-language game show channel; and FilmRise Horror might appeal to genre fans with a variety of classics.
News of the new channels comes just one week after Roku announced that it planned to add 23 new Quibi titles to its lineup of The Roku Channel “originals,” including Eye Candy, a Josh Groban-hosted game show in which celebrities team up with civilians to attempt to identify hyperrealistic desserts, Squeaky Clean, a “first of its kind cleaning competition hosted by Leslie Jordan.” Not only will the new content help to bolster Roku’s ad-driven revenue model, in which the company licenses content from other media companies and sells ads against it, but it could also help the platform attract new audiences as it works to shore up new subscribers.
The Roku Channel is available on the web, iOS and Android devices, Amazon Fire TV, and select Samsung TVs, as well as on all Roku devices.