diff --git a/docs/usage/workflow-configuration.md b/docs/usage/workflow-configuration.md
index aee88c61..c2d27265 100644
--- a/docs/usage/workflow-configuration.md
+++ b/docs/usage/workflow-configuration.md
@@ -48,8 +48,10 @@ For example the configuration `['+([0-9])?(.{+([0-9]),x}).x', 'master', 'next']`
 
 ### channel
 
-The `channel` can be defined for any branch type. If it's not defined, releases will be done on the default distribution channel (for example the `@latest` [dist-tag](https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/dist-tag) for npm).
-The value of `channel`, if defined, is generated with [Lodash template](https://lodash.com/docs#template) with the variable `name` available.
+The `channel` can be defined for any branch type. By default releases will be done on the default distribution channel (for example the `@latest` [dist-tag](https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/dist-tag) for npm) for the first [release branch](#release-branches) and on a distribution channel named based on the branch `name` for any other branch.
+If the `channel` property is set to `false` the default channel will be used.
+
+The value of `channel`, if defined as a string, is generated with [Lodash template](https://lodash.com/docs#template) with the variable `name` available.
 
 For example the configuration `['master', {name: 'next', channel: 'channel-${name}'}]` will be expanded as:
 ```js
@@ -78,7 +80,7 @@ For example the configuration `['1.1.x', '1.2.x', 'master']` will be expanded as
 
 ### prerelease
 
-A `prerelease` property applies only to pre-release branches, is required and The `prerelease` value must be valid per the [Semantic Versioning Specification](https://semver.org/#spec-item-9). It will determine the name of versions (for example if `prerelease` is set to `beta` the version be formatted like `2.0.0-beta.1`, `2.0.0-beta.2` etc...).
+A `prerelease` property applies only to pre-release branches and the `prerelease` value must be valid per the [Semantic Versioning Specification](https://semver.org/#spec-item-9). It will determine the name of versions (for example if `prerelease` is set to `beta` the version be formatted like `2.0.0-beta.1`, `2.0.0-beta.2` etc...).
 If the `prerelease` property is set to `true` the `name` value will be used.
 
 The value of `prerelease`, if defined as a string, is generated with [Lodash template](https://lodash.com/docs#template) with the variable `name` available.
diff --git a/lib/get-last-release.js b/lib/get-last-release.js
index 58d2451e..6c4bf50c 100644
--- a/lib/get-last-release.js
+++ b/lib/get-last-release.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 const {isUndefined} = require('lodash');
 const semver = require('semver');
-const {makeTag} = require('./utils');
+const {makeTag, isSameChannel} = require('./utils');
 
 /**
  * Last release.
@@ -28,7 +28,10 @@ const {makeTag} = require('./utils');
  */
 module.exports = ({branch, options: {tagFormat}}, {before} = {}) => {
   const [{version, gitTag, channel} = {}] = branch.tags
-    .filter(tag => (branch.type === 'prerelease' && branch.channel === tag.channel) || !semver.prerelease(tag.version))
+    .filter(
+      tag =>
+        (branch.type === 'prerelease' && isSameChannel(branch.channel, tag.channel)) || !semver.prerelease(tag.version)
+    )
     .filter(tag => isUndefined(before) || semver.lt(tag.version, before))
     .sort((a, b) => semver.rcompare(a.version, b.version));
 
diff --git a/lib/get-next-version.js b/lib/get-next-version.js
index 19b9e299..825f77d6 100644
--- a/lib/get-next-version.js
+++ b/lib/get-next-version.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 const semver = require('semver');
 const {FIRST_RELEASE, FIRSTPRERELEASE} = require('./definitions/constants');
+const {isSameChannel} = require('./utils');
 
 module.exports = ({branch, nextRelease: {type, channel}, lastRelease, logger}) => {
   let version;
@@ -7,7 +8,7 @@ module.exports = ({branch, nextRelease: {type, channel}, lastRelease, logger}) =
     const {major, minor, patch} = semver.parse(lastRelease.version);
     version =
       branch.type === 'prerelease'
-        ? semver.prerelease(lastRelease.version) && lastRelease.channel === channel
+        ? semver.prerelease(lastRelease.version) && isSameChannel(lastRelease.channel, channel)
           ? semver.inc(lastRelease.version, 'prerelease')
           : `${semver.inc(`${major}.${minor}.${patch}`, type)}-${branch.prerelease}.${FIRSTPRERELEASE}`
         : semver.inc(lastRelease.version, type);
diff --git a/lib/utils.js b/lib/utils.js
index 9497026b..ef8463f7 100644
--- a/lib/utils.js
+++ b/lib/utils.js
@@ -71,6 +71,10 @@ function makeTag(tagFormat, version, channel) {
   return template(tagFormat)({version: `${version}${channel ? `@${channel}` : ''}`});
 }
 
+function isSameChannel(channel, otherChannel) {
+  return channel === otherChannel || (!channel && !otherChannel);
+}
+
 module.exports = {
   extractErrors,
   hideSensitiveValues,
@@ -86,4 +90,5 @@ module.exports = {
   getFirstVersion,
   getRange,
   makeTag,
+  isSameChannel,
 };
diff --git a/test/index.test.js b/test/index.test.js
index 7fd441fb..d7f0b54a 100644
--- a/test/index.test.js
+++ b/test/index.test.js
@@ -581,6 +581,117 @@ test('Publish a pre-release version', async t => {
   t.is(releases[0].gitTag, 'v1.1.0-beta.2@beta');
 });
 
+test('Publish releases from different branch on the same channel', async t => {
+  const {cwd, repositoryUrl} = await gitRepo(true);
+  await gitCommits(['feat: initial commit'], {cwd});
+  await gitTagVersion('v1.0.0', undefined, {cwd});
+  await gitPush(repositoryUrl, 'master', {cwd});
+  await gitCheckout('next-major', true, {cwd});
+  await gitPush(repositoryUrl, 'next-major', {cwd});
+  await gitCheckout('next', true, {cwd});
+  await gitCommits(['feat: a feature'], {cwd});
+  await gitPush(repositoryUrl, 'next', {cwd});
+
+  const config = {
+    branches: ['master', {name: 'next', channel: false}, {name: 'next-major', channel: false}],
+    repositoryUrl,
+  };
+  const addChannel = stub().resolves({});
+  const options = {
+    ...config,
+    verifyConditions: stub().resolves(),
+    verifyRelease: stub().resolves(),
+    generateNotes: stub().resolves(''),
+    addChannel,
+    prepare: stub().resolves(),
+    publish: stub().resolves(),
+    success: stub().resolves(),
+    fail: stub().resolves(),
+  };
+
+  let semanticRelease = requireNoCache('..', {
+    './lib/get-logger': () => t.context.logger,
+    'env-ci': () => ({isCi: true, branch: 'next', isPr: false}),
+  });
+  let {releases} = await semanticRelease(options, {cwd, env: {}, stdout: {write: () => {}}, stderr: {write: () => {}}});
+
+  t.is(releases.length, 1);
+  t.is(releases[0].version, '1.1.0');
+  t.is(releases[0].gitTag, 'v1.1.0');
+
+  await gitCommits(['fix: a fix'], {cwd});
+  ({releases} = await semanticRelease(options, {
+    cwd,
+    env: {},
+    stdout: {write: () => {}},
+    stderr: {write: () => {}},
+  }));
+
+  t.is(releases.length, 1);
+  t.is(releases[0].version, '1.1.1');
+  t.is(releases[0].gitTag, 'v1.1.1');
+
+  await gitCheckout('master', false, {cwd});
+  await merge('next', {cwd});
+  await gitPush('origin', 'master', {cwd});
+
+  semanticRelease = requireNoCache('..', {
+    './lib/get-logger': () => t.context.logger,
+    'env-ci': () => ({isCi: true, branch: 'master', isPr: false}),
+  });
+
+  t.falsy(await semanticRelease(options, {cwd, env: {}, stdout: {write: () => {}}, stderr: {write: () => {}}}));
+  t.is(addChannel.callCount, 0);
+});
+
+test('Publish pre-releases the same channel as regular releases', async t => {
+  const {cwd, repositoryUrl} = await gitRepo(true);
+  await gitCommits(['feat: initial commit'], {cwd});
+  await gitTagVersion('v1.0.0', undefined, {cwd});
+  await gitPush(repositoryUrl, 'master', {cwd});
+  await gitCheckout('beta', true, {cwd});
+  await gitCommits(['feat: a feature'], {cwd});
+  await gitPush(repositoryUrl, 'beta', {cwd});
+
+  const config = {
+    branches: ['master', {name: 'beta', channel: false, prerelease: true}],
+    repositoryUrl,
+  };
+  const options = {
+    ...config,
+    verifyConditions: stub().resolves(),
+    verifyRelease: stub().resolves(),
+    generateNotes: stub().resolves(''),
+    addChannel: false,
+    prepare: stub().resolves(),
+    publish: stub().resolves(),
+    success: stub().resolves(),
+    fail: stub().resolves(),
+  };
+
+  const semanticRelease = requireNoCache('..', {
+    './lib/get-logger': () => t.context.logger,
+    'env-ci': () => ({isCi: true, branch: 'beta', isPr: false}),
+  });
+  let {releases} = await semanticRelease(options, {cwd, env: {}, stdout: {write: () => {}}, stderr: {write: () => {}}});
+
+  t.is(releases.length, 1);
+  t.is(releases[0].version, '1.1.0-beta.1');
+  t.is(releases[0].gitTag, 'v1.1.0-beta.1');
+
+  await gitCommits(['fix: a fix'], {cwd});
+  ({releases} = await semanticRelease(options, {
+    cwd,
+    env: {},
+    stdout: {write: () => {}},
+    stderr: {write: () => {}},
+  }));
+
+  t.is(releases.length, 1);
+  t.is(releases[0].version, '1.1.0-beta.2');
+  t.is(releases[0].gitTag, 'v1.1.0-beta.2');
+});
+
 test('Do not add pre-releases to a different channel', async t => {
   const {cwd, repositoryUrl} = await gitRepo(true);
   const commits = await gitCommits(['feat: initial release'], {cwd});
diff --git a/test/utils.test.js b/test/utils.test.js
index 08b4ebd9..21308838 100644
--- a/test/utils.test.js
+++ b/test/utils.test.js
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
   getFirstVersion,
   getRange,
   makeTag,
+  isSameChannel,
 } from '../lib/utils';
 
 test('extractErrors', t => {
@@ -178,3 +179,12 @@ test('makeTag', t => {
   t.is(makeTag(`v\${version}`, '1.0.0', 'next'), 'v1.0.0@next');
   t.is(makeTag(`v\${version}@test`, '1.0.0', 'next'), 'v1.0.0@next@test');
 });
+
+test('isSameChannel', t => {
+  t.true(isSameChannel('next', 'next'));
+  t.true(isSameChannel(null, undefined));
+  t.true(isSameChannel(false, undefined));
+  t.true(isSameChannel('', false));
+
+  t.false(isSameChannel('next', false));
+});