Channel browsing is becoming the new on-demand, with Plex becoming the latest video streaming service to add a swath of free, ad-supported live TV channels to its lineup.
Plex, the popular DVR and media streaming service that has been impacting with its growing library of free on-demand content, announced that it will debut on over 80 channels of “linear” live TV broadcast, spanning from news and sports to kitchen and children’s nets. All channels are free, although you must submit to see commercials.
Launched today in all regions where Plex is available, the new Live TV on Plex service features a family programming guide similar to DVR, and is available on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and iOS and Android devices as well like Plex on the web. Plex says a pending update will add Live TV on Plex to smart TVs and game consoles.
Some of the linear channels available on Live TV on Plex include:
- News: Reuters, Yahoo! Finance
- Sports: Fubo Sports Network
- Lifestyle: The Bob Ross Channel, Surf Now TV, Love Destination, The Pet Collective, The Boat Show, Choppertown
- Children and family: Kidoodle TV, Monster Kids, KidsFlix, Toon Goggles
- Nature and space Really wild, unidentified
- International: AFV Spanish, Latin X Pop, BAMBU, KMTV, AsianCrush, YUYU TV
- Anime: CONtv, RetroCrush
- Cooking: Tastemade, Cooking Panda
- Films: Maverick Black Cinema, Wash TV, The Archive, The Film Detective, Dark Matter TV, Midnight Pulp, Gravitas Movies
- Games and eSports: Deal or No Deal, Game Show Central, Wipeout Xtra, IGN TV
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Music: 80s Party, Party Tyme Karaoke, Texas-sized hits, Electro Anthems, Yacht Rock
Plex says that you can take charge of what live TV on Plex channels are accessible to your children by creating managed user accounts for them.
PlexPlex’s new Live TV on Plex service will feature a familiar DVR-like programming grid.
Plex is just the latest example of a media streaming service that adds linear TV channels to your line. Roku now offers more than 100 live TV broadcast channels through The Roku Channel, which (like Plex) offers a DVR-like programming grid, perfect for those who want to sit back and surf the channels.
In addition to its new Plex live TV offering, Plex has also been busy propping up its library of free on-demand movies and TV shows. In May, Plex added thousands of new titles at Crackle’s request, and also offers movies and shows like Warner Bros., MGM, Lionsgate, and MGM.
