3 Ways to Get Free 4K Channels on Your Smart TV

Streaming services are getting out of hand of late. With prices going up and ad tiers becoming more popular, various roadblocks are making even some of the best streaming services riddled with friction.

Luckily, there are loads of ways you can skirt past them. Your 4K TV is home to a multitude of free content that you might not know even exists, whether it be built into the OS (operating system) or via other means, like using one of the best antennas or free streaming apps.

Whether you’re looking to lose some of those monthly costs on streaming apps or cut the cord on cable, here’s all the ways you can get free 4K channels on your TV.

Free TV OS channels

Most TV interfaces have their own slew of free channels to dive into. These instantly get your foot in the door on free content, wrangling channels that focus on comedy TV shows, news, movies, sports, and so much more. There’s a wide swath of options to choose from, but what you might have access to all depends on the TV you’re using.

Here’s a full list of what each TV interface has to offer in terms of free channels, particularly when it comes to 4K content.

Samsung TV Plus

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Arguably one of the best repositories of free content is Samsung’s aptly-named TV Plus collection. It wrangles nearly 3,500 live channels, offering a huge swath of content for users to enjoy — all at no extra cost.

Here’s a full list of Samsung TV Plus channels, where you can find all sorts of genres. What makes Samsung TV Plus stand out is that you don’t have to download anything. It comes pre-installed on every Samsung display, netting you instant access to content like the PGA Tour, A+E Networks, Pokémon, and more.

To find specific 4K content on Samsung TV Plus, check the channel list and look for the options that have a 4K tag. Such channels include Bloomberg, Love Nature, Clarity 4K, and more.

Google TV Freeplay

Located under the “Live” tab on its TV interface, Google’s own collection of free live channels is particularly robust. It’s one of the main reasons why we recommend the Google TV OS over most of its rivals, added to the fact that Google TV is available on many of the best TVs, including Sony, Hisense, and TCL sets.

But the neat part about Google TV Freeplay is that it can be watched on practically any display thanks to the Google TV Streamer. Using Google’s $100 set-top-box, you can add this list of over 170 free channels to any TV in your home. Plus, Freeplay lets you collate other free ad-supported streaming apps into the mix, like Tubi, Plex, and Pluto TV.

And, while free 4K content is the main crux here, you can always up the ante with paid subscription services through Freeplay. It provides access to both YouTube TV and Sling TV, so if you want all of your live content in one easy-to-access place, it’s not a bad bargain.

Several channels on Google TV Freeplay offer 4K content, such as Fox Sports, Discovery, ESPN, Nat Geo, and others. However, some channels might require a YouTube TV 4K Plus subscription to get the higher resolution.

The Roku Channel

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Digitpatrox)

Just like Google’s Freeplay, the Roku Channel is home to a wide swath of free content built directly into the Roku ecosystem. And, mirroring its Google counterpart, you can take all this free content with you anywhere using any of the best Roku devices, like the Roku Streaming Stick Plus.

The Roku Channel is home to over 500 free live broadcasts, which includes Roku Originals, on-demand content, news, sports, and more. Here’s a full rundown on all the Roku Channels, some of which do offer 4K broadcasts, like CuriosityStream and Smithsonian Earth. (Though, you will need a 4K capable device to watch them provided you’re using a Roku streaming device.)

What makes The Roku Channel particularly appealing is its availability. You don’t even need a Roku product to gain access to the fruits of its free content, as the Roku Channel can be downloaded as an app on several other TV interfaces and even smartphones. This makes the Roku Channel one of the best free content providers, as you don’t even need a TV to enjoy it.

Vizio WatchFree+

Vizio also has its own repository of live broadcasts under the WatchFree+ banner. The service, like Roku Channels, is available not only on Vizio TVs but also on mobile, though you can’t get it on other displays. This makes it a bit hard to recommend, but at least it is home to over 300 channels and around 15,000 on-demand shows and movies.

A major letdown for Vizio WatchFree+ is that it doesn’t offer any 4K content. This could change in the wake of Walmart’s purchase of Vizio for $2.3B, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

For now, you can still access its myriad of content without paying a dime, which is great if you already own one of the best Vizio TVs or are planning on buying one. Here’s a full guide on all the Vizio WatchFree+ channels.

LG Channels

Here’s a full lineup of content within LG Channels. Just like Samsung TV Plus, it’s a bit hard to pin down which channels offer 4K broadcasts, though some might require a dedicated subscription for the improved resolution.

Free Streaming Apps

There are a number of free streaming apps that offer free live broadcast, some of which are in 4K. The list might be limited and, for the most part, might require a subscription to get 4K content, but it’s better than paying Netflix for a whole slew of movies you’ll never watch.

Here’s a full rundown of all the free streaming apps that offer live, on-demand channels.

Pluto TV

Pluto TV is home to over 425 free channels, like CNN, NFL Channel, Hell’s Kitchen, and more. Unfortunately, the service doesn’t provide any dedicated 4K broadcasts at this time, but it does have some on-demand 4K content. Here’s a full list of channels available on Pluto TV.

While a great free service for those looking to dive straight into tons of assorted content, Pluto TV is a bit lacking in terms of its library. In our review, we also bemoan the frequent ads that can detract from the experience.

Tubi

Similar to Pluto TV, Tubi also offers tons of free content on its streaming platform. It also lacks any 4K content, and the big kicker is that most of its shows and movies are streamed in 720p, not even 1080p. That’s a major bummer, especially seeing that it offered Super Bowl 2025 in live 4K.

Seeing that the platform is totally free, these limitations do make sense. Hopefully, Tubi can deliver more live 4K broadcasts in the future where available. For now, you’ll just have to live with its multitude of shows, movies, and broadcasts. Here’s a complete live channel guide for all channels available on Tubi.

YouTube

You’d be surprised at what you might find on YouTube. While it’s not quite like Tubi or Pluto TV, it still plays host to a multitude of free content for users to dive into. It is, after all, a melting pot of user-generated content, many of which are old and new pre-recorded broadcasts.

Case in point are old Toonami broadcasts uploaded by various users. If you’re ever hankering for a dash of some Saturday morning cartoons, these offer you a sweet escape to nostalgia town. If you’re more of a sports fanatic and want to relive some of the best NFL highlights from previous years, the NFL YouTube channel has you covered.

It’s no secret that YouTube is the most-watched streaming platform, which is backed by Nielsen. You’ll never know what you’ll find on YouTube, and a good portion of it is in 4K. You can also rent movies and shows through the service with ease, and even find music, which isn’t offered on any of the other platforms listed above.

Free OTA channels

One of the best ways to get more free channels on your TV is by buying a digital antenna. This will net you access to OTA broadcasts, which will largely depend on local availability. I recently added an HDTV antenna to my TV and gained access to over 6o additional live TV channels, offering me a more intimate glimpse of the content provided in my local neighborhood.

It’s a nice addition for those who want it, and can provide you with loads of content that you can save using various means. Some TVs also let you pause and rewind content, which is nice if you’re not too keen on ads taking up all your viewing time.

However, OTA channels are still limited when it comes to 4K content, let alone HD.

We’ve discussed NextGen TV ad nauseum here at Digitpatrox. It uses the ATSC 3.0 standard, thus requiring an ATSC 3.0 tuner on your TV to receive 4K broadcasts. Yet, NextGen TV is still in its infancy. Most broadcasters are still limited by bandwidth constraints, as they have to simultaneously broadcast to both 1.0 and 3.0 signals.

NextGen TV is also limited in scope right now. It’s only available in select cities across the country, which means that many stations are still focusing on increasing reach rather than broadcasting in 4K. There’s also major pushback against ATSC 3.0 and its reliance on DRM encryption, making it impossible to record and skip/pause content on your TV.

So, while ATSC 3.0 and NextGen TV have the capacity to broadcast 4K channels, most of them are still relegated to ads and very minimal additional content. You also don’t need to buy an antenna specifically for 4K broadcasts, so don’t overpay for an antenna when there are plenty of cheap ones across Amazon.

Hopefully, NextGen TV can roll out to a wider audience in the near future and begin to offer 4K broadcasts as is intended, but right now the options for OTA 4K channels are still very limited.

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