Premium subscription channels are starting to roll out on Roku

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If you’ve purchased a Roku to go along with your cord-cutting ambitions, starting today you’ll be able to add subscriptions to popular premium video services to your Roku account.

25 providers have signed up to let Roku manage its paid for services, including channels like Showtime, Starz, EPIX, and the Smithsonian Channel Plus. That means you’ll only get one monthly bill, through your Roku account, instead of having to keep track of multiple subscriptions manually.

More about Roku’s premium offerings

Announced last month, this subscription bundling service will be familiar to anyone who has an Amazon Prime Video account. Roku hopes that by offering subscription management in one place, it’ll spur people to sign up. What’s more, there are no recurring subscriptions needed, you can pay for just a month if you want to binge watch a new series.

All of the subscription services will offer 30-day free trials, so you can enjoy premium content at no cost. If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you’re out of luck here. Roku doesn’t have a partnership with HBO so you’ll have to look elsewhere for your fill of ice and fire.

According to Roku, the subscriptions feature starts rolling out in the U.S. today. All supported devices should have the update in the coming weeks, from Roku players to Roku TVs. If the update’s gone live for you, accessing Premium Subscriptions is done from The Roku Channel on your device. Once open, there will be another row called “Premium Subscriptions” under the “Featured” row.

The Roku Channel is also being integrated into Roku’s mobile app, making it easier to subscribe to premium content. The update for iOS arrives today, with Android getting the Roku Channel in “mid-February.”

Will you use the service? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.