Roku Expands Free Local News Streaming Inside The Roku Channel

Roku is making it dramatically easier to watch your local NBC, ABC, and CBS news broadcasts without paying for a cable or live TV bundle. A refreshed News experience inside The Roku Channel now uses your location to surface free streams from nearby affiliates alongside national networks, all in one place.

Where To Find Your Local NBC ABC And CBS On Roku

On a Roku player or Roku TV, open The Roku Channel from your home screen. Navigate to the Live TV guide or the News category. Look for a row labeled Local News or Local News Near You. Roku automatically organizes live and on-demand feeds from stations in your market at the top of that row.

You’ll typically see local affiliates from NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox when those stations provide streaming feeds. Select a station tile to start watching. If you don’t see your preferred channel immediately, scroll right to view additional stations or use the Roku voice remote to search by station call letters (for example, KABC, WNBC, or WCCO) or by city.

To keep a station handy, highlight it in the Live TV guide and press the star button to add it to Favorites. Your favorites appear at the top of the guide, making it faster to jump between your NBC, ABC, and CBS newscasts at 5, 6, or 11.

What You Can Watch For Free on The Roku Channel’s News

Most participating stations run a 24/7 streaming channel that cycles live newscasts, rebroadcasts, weather updates, and breaking coverage. Expect your morning and evening local news blocks from your NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates, plus special reports during severe weather or major events. Sports highlights from your local station’s newscasts are common, but game broadcasts and syndicated shows are usually not included due to rights restrictions.

Beyond local feeds, The Roku Channel’s News area also features national streams such as NBC News Now, CBS News Streaming, ABC News Live, and multiple weather networks. That makes it simple to move from your city’s forecast to national coverage with a click—no app switching required.

Step-by-Step on Different Devices and Platforms

• On Roku streaming players and Roku TVs: Open The Roku Channel > Live TV > scroll to Local News Near You. If prompted, allow location access so Roku can identify the correct market.
• On select non-Roku smart TVs and streaming platforms: Install The Roku Channel app where available (such as certain Samsung TVs and Fire TV devices). Open the app, go to News or Live TV, and find the Local News row. Availability varies by platform and market.
• Traveling or curious about another city: In the News area, look for a Browse By City or Local From Around The Country section. You can sample local stations from other markets—useful for checking conditions ahead of a trip or following a story where it’s unfolding.

Troubleshooting and Privacy Tips for Local News Streaming

If Roku shows the wrong market, check for a VPN on your network, then revisit location permissions in Roku settings and within The Roku Channel. You can also search by station call letters to bypass location detection. If a station is missing, it may not yet provide a free streaming feed to Roku; try the national network’s streaming channel for broader coverage while your affiliate comes online.

Roku’s location feature is used to organize the news lineup, not to charge you. You don’t need to create a subscription, and there’s no paywall for the local news rows. As always, you can adjust ad and privacy preferences in Roku account settings.

Why This Matters for Cord-Cutters and Free Local News

The most expensive part of a live TV bundle is often local channels. By surfacing free local news streams, Roku undercuts a primary reason many subscribers keep services like YouTube TV. Roku’s own shareholder materials show tens of millions of active accounts and rapid growth of The Roku Channel’s free, ad-supported programming, reflecting a broader shift toward cost-conscious viewing.

Research from organizations such as Pew Research Center continues to find that local TV remains a go-to news source, especially during elections and severe weather. Nielsen regularly reports spikes in local viewership during storms and breaking events. In that context, making NBC, ABC, and CBS local newscasts easy to find—and free—meets a real need while keeping cord cutters out of monthly bundles.

Pro Tips to Get More From Local News on Roku Devices

• Combine streams with an antenna: If you own a Roku TV with an over-the-air antenna, you’ll see both broadcast channels and streaming channels in the same guide. That gives you ultra-reliable access to live local news plus internet-only feeds in one view.
• Use voice and search: Say “local news,” “NBC News Now,” or call letters into the Roku remote, then favorite what you watch most to save time.
• Check weather-dedicated channels: During severe weather, local station feeds may break in, but dedicated weather streams in The Roku Channel often provide continuous radar and updates alongside your NBC, ABC, and CBS stations.

Bottom line: If you mainly keep a live TV subscription for local newscasts, Roku’s upgraded News hub inside The Roku Channel is a free, fast, and legitimate alternative that puts your NBC, ABC, and CBS stations within a few clicks.