'NFL Hometown Eats' has me hungry for football

The new series hits The Roku Channel on Monday, and it’s the title I’m most excited to stream this week. Football season is getting closer by the day. If you haven’t already figured out how to watch NFL games this year, there are still a few weeks left to sort it out, but time is running short. Preseason is well underway, and expectations across NFL fandoms are running high. Roku is striking while the iron is hot by debuting a new series dubbed “NFL Hometown Eats” on Monday. I was already licking my chops for the NFL season to start, but combining football with another of my favorite things — high-quality cuisine — is a recipe for my most anticipated stream of the week. Watch Now Free roku.com “NFL Hometown Eats” is a new series debuting on The Roku Channel that will pair NFL superfan celebrities wth current and former players to explore the best restaurants around their home stadiums. Fans get to travel along on these gastronomic journeys, seeing some epic eats, and maybe hear a few insider stories from NFL greats. There will be three episodes of “NFL Hometown Eats,” each focusing on a different star and player pairing. Eva Longoria will team up with DeMarcus Ware to taste some epic Texas eats; Joel McHale and Devon Witherspoon will try to conquer the Seattle Dog; and Davante Adams will sample some of Los Angeles’s most eclectic cuisine with Rebel Wilson. As a Denver Broncos fan, getting to watch DeMarcus Ware in just about anything is a joy. But I also relish the chance to learn about America’s great restaurants; when an episode of “ Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives ” produced in my area airs on Food Network , I always make it a rule to check the place out for myself. Watch the trailer for ‘NFL Hometown Eats’ To be sure, there’s a feeling of treading water associated with “NFL Hometown Eats.” Yes, it’ll be fun to see these stars and players try different dishes (and maybe steal a recipe or two for Sunday watch parties), but the show’s release only reminds a football fan that real games are still a few weeks away. There are only three episodes of “NFL Hometown Eats” in the show’s first season, but it could return if fans respond to the series. It’s another data point that supports a recent study from Gracenote which showed that unique sports titles are continuing to grow on free streaming platforms. Free streamers see sports as a good differentiation factor, and if Roku can cozy up to the NFL, it will serve The Roku Channel all the better. Viewers will be able to watch all three episodes of “NFL Hometown Eats” on The Roku Channel for free starting Monday, Aug. 24. Stream it on The Roku Channel on smart TVs, the Roku website, mobile devices, and anywhere else you can watch the service. Watch roku.com Roku Channel The Roku Channel is a free, ad-supported streaming service that offers a broad mix of movies, TV shows, live linear channels, and original programming. Available to all viewers — not just Roku device owners — the service features licensed content from major studios alongside Roku Originals, which include exclusive series, movies, and specials previously produced for Quibi, as well as new original projects developed specifically for the platform. ... Programming on The Roku Channel spans multiple genres, including drama, comedy, reality TV, news, and family-friendly content. Popular titles and originals include “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” “Die Hart,” “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” and a rotating library of classic films and TV series. The platform also offers live news channels, sports highlights, and themed FAST channels covering everything from classic TV to lifestyle programming. Viewers can watch The Roku Channel for free on Roku devices, smart TVs, streaming players, mobile devices, and web browsers, with no subscription required. The service is also available on platforms like Amazon Fire TV and Samsung smart TVs, expanding its reach beyond the Roku ecosystem. While ads are included, the experience is designed to be lighter than traditional broadcast television. With its combination of free access, original content, live channels, and on-demand entertainment, The Roku Channel has become one of the most widely available and accessible streaming destinations for viewers looking to watch without a monthly subscription. Watch Free roku.com