TCL has just delivered a big present to Roku devices and TCL TVs that use the Roku OS. It's replacing the existing TCL app with a brand-new app called TCLtv Plus that will give you access to more than 350 ad-supported streaming channels.
That's a big upgrade for a lot of people: TCL has been collaborating with Roku for over a decade now, so there are millions of TVs out there running the Roku OS.
According to Mark Zhang, president of TCL North America, "Our partnership with Roku firmly establishes TCLtv Plus as a powerful force in the streaming ecosystem". So what can you watch?
As with other FAST (Free Ad-Supported TV) offerings the channels here are grouped by categories: TCL Holiday, Local News, True Crime, Lifestyle & Reality and so on. And there's quite the mix, with available channels including old favorites such as Court TV, Ice Road Truckers, Deal or No Deal, Saturday Night Live and Murder She Wrote.
What's on TCLtv+
One of the more interesting things about TCLtv+ is its TCLtv+ Studio, which is led by "former production executives and producers from major studios and networks".
Launched in April of this year, the studio will produce its own shows, relying heavily on AI tools such as Midjourney, and its first production – "the world's first fully AI-generated film" – Next Stop Paris, was widely mocked as soon as its trailer was put online. You can judge for yourself: the trailer is embedded above.
The studio's first sci-fi short, Message in a Bot, will be streaming next week from 22 July 2024 or you can check it out on YouTube now.
