First, the backstory. Remember TV?
In the beginning, there was TV. And TV was good. It worked like this—you walked into a room, you turned it on, something started playing, and you sat down. Were there choices? Sure. Depending on which decade you spent your formative years in, it coulda been four. Didn’t like what was on that particular channel? Well, you could stand up, turn the dial, and maaaaaybe find something better on. Then the remote came along and with it, channel surfing. And that was also good. All of a sudden you had twenty, thirty, even forty different choices. Turns out, there was usually “something good” on.
Programming via fax machine
We loved it because it was simple and we hated it because it was simple. You didn’t have to make a lot of decisions. And there was always something next. There was even a job at TV networks called “the programmer.” And the programmers would stay up all night and debate what was the exact order that shows should be shared with you. Each morning every studio executive would get a fax at five in the morning with something called “the overnights.” And they would know whether or not they had done their job DJ’ing your TV selection as their morning coffee brewed.
And now, for some breaking news, we go live
Today Plex is bringing it all back (except for the fax machine, still working on that integration) with free Live TV for everyone, in all 220+ countries that Plex serves. With over 80+ channels (plus even more coming soon) across all your favorite genres. And this is in addition to the 14,000 (and counting) free movies, documentaries, and TV shows you can find on Plex on-demand, so there’s always something on to fit your mood. Whether it’s live news like Reuters, or kids shows like Toon Goggles, cooking shows on Tastemade, or sports on fubo Sports Network, or even eSports on IGN TV, we’ve got you covered.
P.S. all you cord-cutters—add Antenna TV + Live TV and you get Ultimate TV
If you’re a Plex antenna TV user, then you already know the joys of cord-cutting. With an antenna, tuner, and Plex Pass, many of you already use Plex to stream live local TV to all your devices. Now we’ve expanded your live TV offering for the best of all worlds—free on-demand movies, live local TV, and 80+ streams of free TV—just to make sure you bathe in the golden rays of television at all times. Look for future improvements to provide options to make navigating the grid even easier and more intuitive.
Broaden your horizons
Now you can tune into an entire channel where Bob Ross teaches you how to paint landscapes (on—what else—The Bob Ross Channel), one carefree stroke after another. Go on a surf safari with Surf Now TV, or learn how to up your dating game on Love Destination.
Kids are our future
Finding safe and sane kids programming is often a challenge for busy parents (some of whom have unfortunately had the disconcerting discovery of what Junior has stumbled onto in that epic four-hour YouTube binge). Now we have fun options for the whole gang like Kidoodle TV, Monster Kids, KidsFlix (noticing a theme yet?), Squad, Toon Goggles, and Toon Goggles Jr. Sweet wholesome serenity (with just enough sliming to keep it real).
The world is bigger than we thought
If my Google Translate was working properly, here’s where I’d write something super witty in Spanish about our new Spanish language feeds, but let’s just all agree, it’s going to be muy caliente with such offerings as AFV Español and Latin X Pop. Additionally, there is BAMBU for top Chinese entertainment, KMTV for all things K-pop, and AsianCrush and YUYU TV for streams that encompass entertainment far and beyond.
Unidentified freaky objects
With the Unidentified channel, explore aliens and supernatural visitors of all types. Tinfoil hat not provided. Or if nature is supernatural enough for you, we have the Real Wild network, where you can peace out watching mother nature do her thing and travel around the planet to be reminded that there’s more to life than your Twitter feed.
May we anime?
Are you wide-eyed with excitement for lush animations with a dark twist? Now with CONtv and RetroCrush, you have your own rabbit holes to fall into. Escape into movies, shows, and series featuring your favorite storylines and characters as well as discover new worlds of magic, adventure, and dreams.
Leave the driving to us
The boat show? Yep, if you’re into boats—or you want to sound like a guy who just bought a boat—then now there’s The Boat Show. Is there a time and place to watch a network exclusively dedicated to boats? We also have Choppertown for those who like to drive boats on two wheels down a road. Motorcycles are basically land yachts, right?
Make it rain
If finance is your game, then we offer live streams of Yahoo Finance for all the insights, tips, and breaking news from bell to bell and beyond. Whether you’re a sophisticated day trader or you’re just, like, curious how T-Bills got such a cool rapper name, there’s enough to keep your mind on your money and your money on your mind.
Cats—they’re not just for the interwebs anymore
If you are a pet lover, an animal aficionado, or just plain passionate about parrots (aren’t we all??), tune into The Pet Collective and get your fill of smol little baby things, or just leave it on for doggos when you…… go to the other side of the couch to work? Or like, if you just like the four-legged frenz—watch all your favorite furry creatures romp and roll until your heart’s content.
Cooking up some new adventures
With Tastemade, Cooking Panda and more, you can finally make your dream of being the greatest chef your kitchen has ever seen a reality. Your frying pans will weep with joy at the sauces you’re creating, and your oven will smile with delight at the warm cakes and bread (yes, bread!) that these streams will teach you. No calorie will go unconsumed in your pantry.
Films showing twenty-four seven
If you’re a movie buff, we now have half a dozen streams dedicated to movies of all tastes and moods, including Maverick Black Cinema, Electric Now, The Archive, The Film Detective, Midnight Pulp, and Gravitas Movies. Do we have the Wu Tang Collection which preserves our Martial Arts and Action of Asian cinema history? You bet your fists of fury we do!
Let’s make all the deals
If you’re a fan of game shows and maybe of Howie Mandel’s eerie baldpate, we have the Deal or No Deal channel, as well as Game Show Central, and Wipeout Xtra for extreme (and extremely ridiculous) physical challenges.
A rainbow of choices for everyone
With Revry and Revry2, you can dive into streaming movies, TV series, news and music curated specifically for the global queer community. Think of it as the funnest house party you ever went to, with the beats going on waaaay after the breaka breaka dawn.
Music for your eyes
Hey, remember when MTV stood for Music Television instead of, um, the worst of human behavior in bite-sized reality-TV flavored chunks? Well, now you can bring back your own favorite TRL (shout out Carson Daly!) for your favorite genres: watch everything from 80s Party to Party Tyme Karaoke to Texas-Sized Hits and Electro Anthems. But wait, what’s that you say? Hold the champagne, put a pause on the Grey Poupon—“Will Plex have the Yacht Rock channel?” You bet your sweet docksiders we do! (And whichever therapist told you that you could watch a Bob Seger video too many times, well, they’re just plain wrong.)
Live TV is a river—just dip your toe into any stream
Whether you’re thirsty for courtroom television, or behind the scenes of Hollywood, or stand-up comedy, romance, queer cinema, Plex has got a streaming channel for you.
So open up Plex on your phone, smart TV, laptop, or tablet and start streaming. Updates are rolling out throughout the day for Apple TV, iOS devices, Roku, Amazon Fire, Android mobile, Android TV, and web desktop, with updates for smart TVs and gaming consoles coming shortly. As with all of Plex’s sources, you can customize the order and visibility of Live TV by re-ordering, unpinning, or even hiding it using your personal settings.
Create your own kid-friendly channel line-up
Are your kids old enough to grab the remote from your loving hands? Well now you can fine-tune live TV on Plex for them by setting up a managed user and remove any channels from their lineup you don’t want them watching. You get to be the benevolent overlord who controls the channels your kids get to surf. To learn more about managed user accounts, check out this how-to article.
And now a word from our sponsor
We’re able to make all of these streams free by having limited—bathroom—commercial breaks. As some astute viewers may have noticed, we’re also experimenting with our first on-air promos. If you love to make silly / emotional / style-ish / profound spots yourselves, drop us a line and we’ll see if we can find a way to feature community-made spots in the mix as well.
Now you get to do it live too
So open it up, give it a whirl, and let us know what you think below. If you have any questions, be sure to check our handy support overview and FAQ. And if you have a specific type of programming you’d like to see, we’ll do our best to add it to our lineup. As anyone who rides with Plex knows, we are passionately committed to building you the absolute best entertainment platform on the planet, one beautiful stream at a time.