- You can download The Roku Channel app onto your Samsung Smart TV through the Apps menu.
- You don't need a Roku to download The Roku Channel, as it's available for in web browsers and for certain devices, such as Samsung Smart TVs.
- After installing The Roku Channel, you'll have access to a trove of free content, even without a Roku account.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Roku offers a treasure trove of free TV and movies through its Roku Channel, which is a streaming channel that's available on a wide range of devices.
To download this app on your Samsung Smart TV, you simply need to install it through the Apps menu.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
Samsung 50-inch Smart TV (From $329.99 at Best Buy)
Roku Ultra (From $99.99 at Best Buy)
How to download the Roku app on a Samsung Smart TV
1. Use the Samsung TV's remote control to select "Apps."
Install The Roku Channel from the Apps screen on your Samsung TV. Dave Johnson/Business Insider2. On the Apps screen, select the search tool, which is usually in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Open the Apps search screen to look for the The Roku Channel. Dave Johnson/Business Insider3. Search for "Roku." When you see The Roku Channel appear, select it.
Select "The Roku Channel" when it appears in the search results. Dave Johnson/Business Insider4. On The Roku Channel's details screen, select "Install."
5. After the installation is complete, start The Roku Channel. If you have a Roku account, you can log in to gain access to additional content, but you can use the Roku Channel without creating a Roku account at all.
After installing The Roku Channel, you'll find it with your other streaming channels, like Netflix and Hulu. Dave Johnson/Business Insider
Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:
'What is The Roku Channel?': A guide to Roku's home for free and premium TV, movies, and more
How to get Disney Plus on your Roku device, and watch Disney's new streaming service with a free 7-day trial
How to cancel your Hulu subscription, or temporarily pause it for up to 12 weeks
How to add the YouTube TV app to your Roku player and watch over 70 live television channels
How to cancel a Netflix subscription, however you subscribed to it
Dave Johnson
Freelance Writer
Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.
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Roku has become one of the most popular streaming platforms in the world (number one in the U.S., and only trailing Amazon Fire TV throughout the rest of the globe) and is now offering its users its own streaming service featuring library and original content, The Roku Channel.
The Roku Channel features thousands of movies and TV shows, as well as its own Roku Originals that include the likes of Die Hart, #FreeRayshawn and Roku Recommends. The streaming service can be accessed by Roku users directly through their Roku service, on mobile devices (including an iPhone) or even on a third-party device like Amazon Fire TV. This includes certain smart TVs.
Part of Roku’s popularity has come from its partnership with smart TV manufacturers to either natively install or easily integrate Roku on specific models. One of these smart TV partners is Samsung TV. So, how do you start to watch The Roku Channel on a Samsung TV. Let’s break it down.
How to watch the Roku Channel on a Samsung TV
Roku is compatible with Samsung TVs running the Tizen operating system version 2.3, 2.4, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 or 5.5. If a Samsung TV user wishes to install The Roku Channel, the TV must first be connected to the internet and have access to the Samsung Smart Hub interface.
A step-by-step rundown of installing The Roku Channel goes like this:
- Press the Smart Hub button or Home button (depending on the Samsung TV model) on the remote;
- Navigate down the page to “Apps;”
- Search for “Roku,” The Roku Channel should appear as a search result;
- Select the app and choose “Download.”
Steps may vary depending on the Samsung TV model. More information is available on the Samsung website (opens in new tab).
Once downloaded, Samsung TV users will be given instant access to The Roku Channel’s lineup of content. Users who create a free Roku account will be able to start watching a program on a Samsung TV and then be able to resume watching it on other devices signed into the same Roku account, including a Roku streaming device, smartphone, tablet or computer.
Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Peaky Blinders, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Saturday Night Live, Only Murders in the Building and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun.