How to Install & Activate CNN on Roku (2022)

The network is known for its all-day news coverage. Its news programming starts in the early morning, and its day, afternoon, and early evening lineup mostly consists of rolling news programs.

CNN’s primetime lineup switches to in-depth news coverage, with debates and analysis of current events. On the other hand, the weekend primetime slot is dedicated to documentaries, miniseries, and docu-reality shows.

Most of CNN’s newscasts are hosted by renowned journalists like Alisyn Camertora, John Berman, Jim Sciutto, Poppy Harlow, Brooke Baldwin, John King, Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo, Erin Burnett, Wolf Blitzer, Don Lemon, and many more.

If you have a cable or satellite subscription, you probably tune in to CNN for the latest news and updates on current events. However, if you have a Roku device for online content consumption, you should also know how tedious it can be to switch between the remotes all the time.

Now that you are here, it’s safe to bet that you are searching for ways to watch CNN on Roku device. Fortunately, this guide covers everything you need for streaming the CNN channel live on Roku.

Watch CNN on Roku with CNNgo

With the CNNgo Roku channel, you can watch CNN, CNN International, and HLN channels live on your Roku device. However, you need to sign in with a participating television provider first, as CNNgo is a TV Everywhere service.

If you choose not to sign in, you will be limited to only 10 minutes of live preview per day.

CNNgo on Roku also provides on-demand access to CNN’s daily news programs, alongside the network’s original documentaries, limited series, and reality shows.

Its original content library includes The Hunt With John Walsh, The Kennedys, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, United Shades of America, The Wonder List with Bill Wier, American Style, The 2000s, Race for the White House, The Mobies, CNN Heroes, and many more.

On the CNNgo Roku channel, you can also stream clips of top news from the day and updates of breaking news events. While the news clips are free to watch, the full episodes of shows on-demand are locked to ten-minute previews only, unless you link your cable or satellite subscription.

Features of the CNNgo Roku Channel

• You can watch CNN’s 24/7 live TV channels once you activate CNNgo with your television provider account.
• The CNNgo Roku channel gives you on-demand access to CNN’s award-winning documentaries, miniseries, and many more.
• Snippets of top news are available to watch for free on the CNNgo channel.
• Ten-minute previews of the live TV channels and on-demand programs are available for all users.
• You can enable closed captions for CNN’s on-demand programming.

Related – Watch Twitch on Roku

Add CNNgo Channel to Watch CNN on Roku

You can add CNNgo to your Roku channels list directly from the browser you are using right now. Simply visit the CNNgo on Channel Store page and click Add channel. Once you log into your Roku account, the CNNgo channel should show up on your Roku channels list.

Alternatively, you can go through the following steps to add CNNgo directly on your Roku:

• Assuming you already are on the Roku Home screen, scroll past the other options and click Streaming Channels.
• Now select the Search Channels option in the following Roku Channel Store screen.
• Enter “CNNgo” in the search text field, then move to the results panel and click the CNNgo Roku channel.
• Click the Add channel option on the CNNgo Channel Store page.

Note: If you have a PIN set up with your Roku account, Roku will prompt you to confirm it before adding the CNNgo channel.

After you see the “Channel added” message, click OK and go back to the Roku Home screen. You should find the newly added CNNgo channel at the bottom of the channels list.

If you wish to move CNNgo higher in the list, press the ✱ key on the Roku remote, and select the Move channel option.

How to Activate CNNgo on Roku?

As previously suggested, CNNgo on Roku requires you to sign in to your TV provider account for unlimited access to the CNN linear channel streams and on-demand content. The CNNgo Roku channel activation goes as follows:

• First, open CNNgo on your Roku. You should get an activation code on the welcome screen.
• From the web browser you are currently using, go to cnn.com/activate/ and select Roku from the list of compatible platforms.
• Enter the activation code displayed on the CNNgo Roku channel, then click the ‘Continue to Verify’
• Choose your cable or satellite provider from the following list. You will be sent to your provider’s page for the login process.

Once you log in to your TV provider account and grant CNNgo access to your subscription details, the welcome page on the CNNgo Roku channel will disappear.

Assuming that you followed the steps correctly and managed to activate CNNgo, you can now watch the CNN channels live and stream its original programs on-demand.

Read – How to Watch NBC on Roku

A Brief Look at CNNgo’s User Interface on Roku

CNNgo on Roku has a modern user interface, with the navigation panel at the top of the screen offering easy access to the following sections: Featured, LiveTV, Shows, Search, and Settings.

Featured is the default page of the CNNgo Roku channel. You can scroll through different news categories and discover the breaking news of the day from CNN. Clips from special ‘CNN Live’ coverage and trending events are also accessible from the page.

Go to the LiveTV page if you are looking to watch CNN, CNN International, or HLN live on Roku.

From Shows, you can explore CNN’s vast list of original programming and play the most recent episodes on-demand. In fact, you can stream all the previously broadcasted episodes. To search for a title manually, go to the Search menu.

If you wish to enable closed captions from all on-demand content on the CNNgo Roku channel, visit the Settings page. From there, you can also choose to reset the channel to resolve stream playback or additional issues.

Can you watch CNN on Roku without Cable?

There’s a fair chance that you don’t have a cable or satellite subscription to activate the CNNgo Roku channel. In that case, you can purchase a monthly subscription from an OTT live TV service.

One of the core benefits of a subscription-based service is that you can cancel your subscription whenever you want. Hence, we advise you to check out one of the following live TV services to watch CNN on Roku without cable.

Hulu with Live TV

CNN, CNNi, and HLN are included with Hulu’s monthly live TV plan. It also has additional news channels from FOX, NBC, and ESPN. ABC News Live and CBSN are accessible too. Additionally, Hulu lets you record up to 50 hours of your favorite news programs.

Note that the Hulu + Live TV subscription also bundles Hulu’s on-demand streaming library. Alongside Roku, you can log in to Hulu on one extra device and enjoy the live news channels.

Sling

The Sling Blue plan from Sling TV is suitable for entertainment and news coverage. The lineup includes CNN, HLN, and six other news channels.

In addition, Sling Blue also features ten hours of DVR storage and three simultaneous streams. You can add 40 more hours of DVR space by paying for the Cloud DVR Plus add-on.

YouTube TV

If you are okay with paying above $60 for an OTT live TV plan, YouTube TV is the best option for you. It offers 15+ news channels, including CNN and HLN. You can also tune in to Fox News, MSNBC, BBC America, Newsy, NBC News Now, etc.

Other benefits of a YouTube TV subscription include unlimited cloud DVR storage, individual personalized profiles, and up to three device streams at the same time.

Finishing up

We hope that this guide has helped you watch CNN on Roku. While existing cable and satellite TV subscribers can use the CNNgo Roku channel, cord-cutters can subscribe to one of the live TV services mentioned above to watch CNN live on Roku.

However, CNNgo has Hulu and YouTube TV as participating providers so you can activate the Roku channel without a cable connection as well.