Roku’s free movie channel arrives on Samsung smart TVs this summer

Last year, Roku launched a free, ad-supported film channel available to those with a Roku player, stick or TV in the US. Now, the company has announced that The Roku Channel will be available as an app on select Samsung smart TVs this summer. The channel's selection includes content from studios like Lionsgate, MGM and Sony Pictures Entertainment as well as films from Roku channel publishers such as Popcornflix and American Classics. The selection updates every month.

The company says that The Roku Channel is a top 20 channel on the Roku platform and that even though it's ad-supported, it has around half of the advertising per programming hour that traditional TV channels do. There's no word yet on exactly when the app will be available on Samsung TVs or which models will have access. And though The Roku Channel may hit more third-party devices in the future, Roku hasn't said which. "We are looking at a variety of distribution opportunities but don't have anything specific to share today," a spokesperson told Variety.