Roku just rolled out a huge improvement for YouTube TV users

The NFL season has officially kicked off, which means millions of sports fans will now be tuning into football games every week across the country. To make streaming football and other sports more convenient, Roku has unveiled a valuable upgrade to its Roku Sports experience.

Roku has announced that starting September 5, Roku users in the US will be able to find and stream live sports through YouTube TV via the Roku Sports hub. This means that if you pay for YouTube TV, thanks to this new integration, you will be able to stream NFL games and access the NFL Sunday Ticket (if you also pay for it) directly through Roku Sports.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Roku Sports experience, it’s a centralized hub where you can find dedicated fan zones for all the biggest professional sports leagues, such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. So, whether you’re looking for a football game or a baseball game, you can find out who’s playing and who’s streaming it through Roku Sports.

“Our priority continues to be making game time effortless for our users,” said Joe Franzetta, Head of Sports, Roku Media, in a press release. “Partnering with YouTube TV is a major step in delivering a comprehensive fan-centered experience that simplifies sports discovery and puts live action front and center for millions of fans.”

YouTube TV isn’t the first to integrate with Roku Sports

The Roku Sports integration with YouTube TV arrives just in time for the NFL and NBA seasons

Roku

If you’re a Roku user who subscribes to YouTube TV, this new integration with the Roku Sports hub will likely make it easier to find and stream the live sports you want to watch. However, YouTube TV’s integration with Roku Sports isn’t the first of its kind.

Roku first launched the Roku Sports experience in 2022, and since then, it has partnered with several other premium streaming services, including DAZN Live Sports, Frndly TV, Spectrum TV, Xfinity Stream, and, most recently, the new FOX One service.

As I mentioned earlier, Roku Sports features several dedicated fan zones, which it refers to as “league-branded zones.” These include the NFL, NBA, MLB, and the NWSL. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Roku also teamed up with NBCU and Peacock to create a special sports zone for that event. If you don’t subscribe to services like YouTube TV or FOX One, the Roku Sports experience still offers free content, with over 35 sports-themed FAST channels to explore.

Considering Roku is the largest streaming operating system in the US, its integration with YouTube TV for Roku Sports should help a lot of sports fans find the games they’re looking for. With the NFL season just beginning, the MLB postseason approaching, and the NBA season set to start in October, Roku sure seems to have planned the timing of this YouTube TV integration right.