Roku gets a feature update to make viewing more personalised

Roku took the simple interface of its popular streaming devices and imported that into televisions for its Roku TV system. And as one of the original providers of streaming boxes, its approach has always been more minimalist than the likes of Fire TV, which is one of the reasons it's popular.

However, to boost discovery of new content, Roku introduced What to Watch to steaming devices in 2023 – expanding the usability beyond the simple interface – and now it's brought the feature to Roku TVs too. The company says that it's coming to all Roku TV models, with brands like JVC, Metz, RCA, Sharp and TCL all manufacturing sets on the platform.

The What to Watch hub is based around personalised recommendations, continue watching, and a save list. The idea is to make it simpler to resume watching or find the next thing to view, outside of the big streaming apps that dominate the UI.

For those with a compatible TV (which Roku tells me is all the UK's Roku TV models past and future), you should see "What to Watch" in the menu on the left.

Clicking through on that should take you to the hub. The recommendations, Roku says, are based on your personal viewing habits and existing subscriptions, so those should be relevant to you.

What's great about the implementation of What to Watch is that it's not thrust in your face. It doesn't take over the entire home screen like it does on some platforms, instead leaving the main streaming services to do the talking. Of all the streaming platforms, Roku remains the leanest, with the least amount of bloat added to the platform.

The addition of What to Watch on Roku TV comes hot on the heels of another significant announcement for those in the UK – the support of Freely.

Freely is a service that delivered broadcast TV over the internet. That means you don't need a roof aerial to get access to live channels like BBC or ITV. It's a really slick option and ideal for those looking to put a TV in a different room of the house.

With Freely, you don't have to worry about getting an aerial cable to your TV – as long as it's within Wi-Fi range, you can stream all your programming.

This is the same approach that Sky took with Sky Glass and Stream, but in the case of Freely, there's nothing to pay. Freely is also supported by Fire TV and it pitches Fire TVs and Roku TVs into a battle for affordable second screens in the house.

While you might have opted for an OLED TV for your front room, the likes of Roku with its affordable models and boosted feature set make for a tempting addition.