Roku recently updated their Channel Store and added a new category that should remove any confusion over what apps cord cutters can access. Often new Roku users who are cord cutters are confused by what apps they can use and what apps will require a cable login to gain access.
Now if an app requires a cable login you can find it in the TV Everywhere section, allowing you to easily check before you install the app. (At the time of writing this, the “TV Everywhere” section is only available on the Roku and the Roku app not the Roku.com website.)
But just because an app is in the TV Everywhere section does not mean there is not free content in it. It just means you must have a cable login to gain access to all the content on the channel. Some channels, like Watch ABC, are listed on TV Everywhere because if you have a cable login you gain earlier access to their content, but if you wait a week it is all free.
This is a small move on Roku’s part but one that should help people better understand what they can and cannot do with their Roku. Hopefully in the future Roku will mark channels with a cable login warning so users will know before installing an app, which would help make it even easier.
However, it is still important to remember that as a cord cutter you need to think more about the shows you want and less about the network that a show is on. Many of the shows that are locked behind a FoxNow or Watch ABC cable wall are included with a Hulu subscription. So before you look for a cable channel on your Roku first use the universal search to look up the show—you may already have it.
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