Several HBO Shows Available to Stream for Free
Longtime television fans are used to paying a premium for HBO shows and movies, but that's about to change. Warner Bros. Discovery and The Roku Channel launched a whopping 14 linear channels streaming non-stop free content from the Warner Bros. libraries. Westworld, Raised by Wolves, and other shows disappeared from HBO Max late last year to make them available to ad-supported streaming platforms.
WBD and The Roku Channel struck a licensing deal back in January, but it wasn't until this week that the streaming channels made their debut. Each channel is centered around themes and genres, like crime shows, movies, reality television, and romance. The deal also includes popular reality shows from the Discovery library, like Say Yes to the Dress, The Little Couple, and more. Westworld will find itself on the WB TV Watchlist channel, alongside Raised by Wolves, La Femme Nikita, Nikita, and more. All of these channels are free, ad-supported, and available through the Roku Channel app.
Westworld was among several HBO and HBO Max originals that disappeared from the streamer in December. It was speculated – and later confirmed – that the shows were removed so WBD CEO David Zaslav could use them as a new source of revenue for the company as he sought to make billions of dollars in cuts. The company was expected to license the shows out to FAST (Free, Ad-Supported Television) channel platforms like The Roku Channel, Tubi, Paramount Global's Pluto TV, and Amazon's Freevee, which have all exploded in popularity while consumers seek cheaper alternatives to the increasingly expensive streaming platforms. In January, WBD picked Roku, which will be home to over 2,000 hours of on-demand content. WBD is expected to launch its own FAST channel platform in the future.
Below are the 14 Warner Bros. linear channels available on The Roku Channel app. The free app includes over 350 channels in total. It is available on Roku devices, as well as iOS and Android devices, Amazon Fire TV, and some Samsung TVs.
- WB All Together - Family favorites from the WBD library
- WB At the Movies – Movies from the '70s, '80s, and '90s
- WB TV Crime Scenes - True crime documentaries
- WV TV Family Rules – Reality shows about families
- WB TV How To – Discovery shows like How It's Made
- WV TV Keeping It Real – Reality competition shows
- WB TV Love & Marriage – Realty shows centering on romance and weddings
- WB TV Mysteries – Mystery documentaries
- WB TV Paws & Claws – Reality shows about pets
- WB TV Slice of Life - Reality shows about different cultures
- WB TV Supernatural – Reality shows centering on ghost hunting and other supernatural topics
- WB TV Sweet Escapes – Reality shows centered on food
- WB TV Watchlist – HBO shows
- WB TV Welcome Home – Reality shows about real estate and interior design
"As FAST continues to explode in popularity amongst cord-cutters, we're seeing content players increasingly shift their focus towards capturing this audience, by bringing some of their best stuff to FAST," Rob Holmes, Roku's vice president of programming, said in January. "The rapid expansion of premium content on FAST is a win for both the viewer and content owner, as well as advertisers looking to reach these audiences through well-known programming. We're delighted to be one of Warner Bros. Discovery's inaugural FAST partners, and we look forward to introducing its incredible TV series, films, and entertainment brands to a whole new audience on The Roku Channel."