MST3K channel? on Roku ?

Here I was, thinking I would either have to subscribe to Netflix or wait until this recent group of MST3K hits my inbox, when suddenly, after my bedtime (the under 30 crowd won’t get it, but bedtime is huge at my house!), my Annoying Baby Brother texts me a picture.

What the hey?

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Nice! :slight_smile:

If you’re doing the Roku thing, you’ll want to check out the Shout Factory app while you’re at it (if you haven’t done so). They have a separate “all MST3K, all the time” streaming channel, and it’s just the best.

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Yeah. Ok. Thank you. Was leaving all the NewFangledStuff to the kiddos. I guess I need to join the 21st Century. The Annoying Baby Brother is 18 years my junior and 10 years older than my Oldest Child. Hence he is The Coolest Uncle Ever.

All righty. Time to go surf more stuff I didn’t know I needed.

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The Shout Factory TV MST3k channel and the Roku MST3K channel are one and the same as far as programming, just with different ad experiences. The SFTV app version can do more targeted ads, given its provenance as an app. Although I am not real clear on the technology Roku is using to stream the channel, there do seem to be fewer ads and more of the SoL floating in space with a countdown timer (which sometimes repeats). I actually prefer watching the Roku channel for a couple of reasons.

First, I can see the currently streaming episode information on the Roku channel list, if there is a way to do that on the SFTV app, I have not found it yet. Also, when first selecting the MST3K channel in the SFTV app, I have to sit through 4 or 5 ads before the channel starts playing. On the Roku channel it starts right up. Finally, it is quicker for me to pull up the channel on my Roku, even without the extra ads, as with the app version I have to load SFTV first, then load the MST3K channel from there, as opposed to just selecting the channel from my recents list on the Roku live channel list. I guess if you are already watching something on the SFTV app, it would be quicker to select the channel, but then you still have to sit through the initial ads.

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Oh, okay, I wasn’t aware of that. I was bouncing back and forth between the Pluto TV and Shout Factory MST3K channels, not even aware that the Roku MST3K channel was a thing.

Thanks for the info!

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Kudos to @TheHippy for saying what my brain couldn’t this morning. I also prefer the Roku channel for all the reasons stated above. I remodeled my office (I hate the phrase “man cave”) early this year and bought my first Roku TV. I used to use the Pluto app for MST3K streaming, but prefer Roku’s now. Just wish the remote wasn’t so cantankerous, but the Roku remote app on my phone fixed that.

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PlutoTV (which is absolutely free, you don’t even have to make an account) has a channel dedicated to MST3K that plays it 24/7. Also has a channel for RiffTrax and classic Star Trek and Dr. Who.

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Yeah, the free Pluto app is a godsend for me. I don’t have cable, so when I need to have something on in the background and don’t want to go through the hassle of choosing a movie, I can just throw on a random MST3K or RiffTrax.

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Tried looking for this myself on my UK Roku but I’m guessing it’s US-only?

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I strangely like the “feel” of watching TV over streaming. Having commercials that aren’t the same repeated 2-3 ads you get in streaming services is refreshing. I think there is nostalgia in flipping between two shows and watching two shows at one time haha. I love Pluto TV.

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