How to find news on your Roku streaming device
The Streaming Store also offers a wide variety of news apps from major outlets like ABC News, CBS News, CNNgo, Fox News, NBC News, NewsON, Reuters, and several local and regional news stations. To find more news on your Roku player, browse through the News and Weather section of the Roku Channel Store. Some content may require you to authenticate via your cable or satellite provider.
How to use voice commands to get the news
Speaking naturally to a compatible Roku voice remote or the free Roku mobile app for iOS® or Android™, you can use voice commands to search for streaming apps offering news coverage, or begin streaming the latest from your favorite news outlet.
The news-related voice commands described below are currently only supported in the United States on streaming devices running Roku OS 9.3.0 or higher. You can check the software version by visiting Settings > System > About on your Roku device.
Finding news
You can use a voice command like "show me the news" or "find the news" to see a wide range of news apps available to stream on your Roku device. Search results will appear as a Roku Zone with a variety of categories that may include free offerings, subscription content, and more. If you find an app that is not already installed, select it and you can easily add the app to your Roku device.
Playing news
When you start using voice commands to get the news, try making the simple voice request, "play the news", and your Roku device will launch The Roku Channel and jump right to the live stream of ABC News. If you prefer a different news source, try saying "play the news on <insert your favorite news app here>" and you will be delivered to that specific app. Once you issue this app-specific voice command, your preference will be saved and any future use of the simple "play the news" command will launch your favorite news app for a personalized experience. If you ever want to switch to a different default news outlet, simply say "play the news on <insert a different news app here>" and your preference will be updated.
- Note: You can only set a designated news app as your preferred news source. Making a voice request to play the news with a non-news app (e.g., "play the news on Netflix"), will result in no change to your preference.
For help using voice commands on your Roku device, refer to the following articles.
Last updated at 2/19/2026 7:17:28 PM
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