I think there is a great deal of confusion here about "free", about "commercials", and some kind of belief that all Roku does is to allow you to watch channels that you already get.
One could write a very large book about this, but for anyone who already has a Roku, I would suggest taking an hour or so, to explore... To see the options for screen quality, closed captioning, connecting to a security based wireless, screen aspect ratios, and how to customize the main screen... In addition, how to select and save favorites, establish a queue for shows you want to watch.
There are so many options... to scan forward and back, to freeze, and to stop watching and pick up at a later date.
The news channels, (not all, but some of the better ones) show a single clip at a time, with no commercial, then go to the next clip... or you can pan through selections to find a particular story.
The quality of shows and the recency vary by channel. Some channels show same day coverage, others do not frequently update. I have noticed some change in this recently, as more and more, attention is being paid to the Roku/Plex people.
Doubtless, in the future, it will be necessary for the product providers to have a way to cash in on the changing technology.
At this point, I am just grateful to be able to watch TV without having to take in one minute of commercial, for every two minutes of content.
My uneducated guess is that many have bought a Roku, and because of the learning curve required may have quietly gone on to other things. At this point, for me, it is not a replacement for Cable or Satellite, but I can see in the not too distant future a change.
In the meantime, this old fogey is missing the most important parts of American Culture... never having watched "Keeping up with the Kardashians", the Big Bang Theory or dancing and singing with the stars. Sad... not to share in what the fullness of life has to offer, but then, life is fraught with missed joys and opportunities.