This Underrated Free Streaming Service Is Finally Coming To The US
There's certainly no shortage of streaming services out there, even with two of the most popular apps soon to combine into one. Throw together a quick list and you'll have upward of 10 platforms to choose from — more if you dig into niche options. But what we probably don't have enough of, depending on who you ask, are free options — truly free or low-cost apps that offer decent content. With the news that Rakuten TV is headed west, expanding into the United States with some channels already available, those free numbers just went up.
Rakuten's FAST channels are also headed to the Middle East and Japan — FAST stands for free ad-supported streaming television, by the way. These channels are basically like what you'd find on traditional cable TV (complete with commercials), except they're available over the internet without a subscription. In addition to Rakuten's live channels, the service offers a wide range of content spanning movies, shows, news, and on-demand media. U.S. customers are said to be getting comedy and action channels, as well as some others, which are already available in the TCLtv+ app.
At the very least, it's a compelling alternative to some of the giants, like Apple TV, YouTube TV, and Amazon Prime Video. Whether the content is particularly good — well, that's always going to have a degree of subjectivity, given everyone has different tastes. The service does appear to have favorable reviews from outlets like TechRadar and various content creators.
What is TCLtv+ and what does it have to do with Rakuten TV?
You may have noticed the mention of TCLtv+ in Rakuten's announcement. What is that all about? Rakuten TV is not a traditional cable television channel, but it helps to frame the structure of the service in that way. You can look at Rakuten as the media and content provider, in charge of the live channels, while third-party apps are the broadcasters, not unlike cable providers for traditional TV — the Rakuten TV channels are simply available on their platforms.
In other words, Rakuten TV maintains the live content. Meanwhile, TCLtv+ is the app where you can currently watch those channels. As of now, it doesn't look like Rakuten TV will be available in the U.S. as a standalone app, and that may or may not change. Rakuten does say "further platform launches" are to come, so you may be able to watch its channels elsewhere eventually.
If you want to check out Rakuten's active channels, you'll have to download and install the TCLtv+ app on your device. The best part is that TCLtv+ doesn't cost anything, and it's available cross-platform on mobile devices and most smart TVs, including Google TV, Fire TV, and Roku-powered models. If you're interested, go grab the app, load it up, and give it a watch. It's also worth noting here that TCLtv+ is one of many FAST channel providers you can download and watch on your smart TV.