Freely
{{Short description|British IPTV platform}}
{{Infobox company
|name =
|logo = File:Freely logo.png
|type =
|foundation = {{start date and age|2024|4|30|df=yes}}
|industry = IPTV
|products = Free-to-air television and video on demand
|location = United Kingdom
|owner = Everyone TV
|homepage = {{URL|freely.co.uk}}
}}
Freely is a British free-to-air IPTV service launched in 2024 by Everyone TV, a joint venture between the country's public broadcasters BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5.{{Cite web |title=New streaming service, Freely, launches in landmark collaboration between UK broadcasters |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/freely-launches-landmark-collaboration-between-uk-broadcasters/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en}} The service offers the ability to watch live television and on demand media from the main broadcasters while seamlessly switching between them in a unified electronic programme guide (EPG).{{Cite web |last=Goren |first=Or |date=2024-05-20 |title=Freeview Alternative Freely Debuts: Hail A Cab, Win A TV |url=https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/freeview-alternative-freely-cab-win-tv/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=Cord Busters |language=en-US}} Freely streams television over a broadband internet connection and therefore does not require a television aerial, although an aerial can be additionally used to create a hybrid platform and allow the viewing of DTT channels not yet available on Freely. The service is expected to gradually replace Freeview (although Sky, which has some free channels in DTT, is not part of Freely).https://www.techradar.com/streaming/what-is-freely-the-new-bbc-itv-and-channel-4-smart-tv-platform-explained
Background
{{see also|Digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom}}
The Freeview digital terrestrial television service was launched in 2002 by the public broadcasters and the older analogue services were switched off by 2012. Since the 2010s, the number of live television viewers has declined in favour of internet streaming services and this trend is set to continue, especially as the availability of gigabit-capable broadband infrastructure has expanded throughout the country.{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Mark |date=2024-02-05 |title=Freely's New Live UK Broadband TV Service to Launch Q2 2024 |url=https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2024/02/freelys-new-live-uk-broadband-tv-service-to-launch-q2-2024.html |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=ISPreview UK |language=en}} Due to this shift, audiences for the British public service broadcasters' media have been increasingly eroded by major global streaming services.{{Cite web |title=The UK's leading public service broadcasters set to evolve free TV for the streaming age |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/uks-leading-psbs-set-to-evolve-free-tv-for-streaming-age/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en}}
Furthermore, the operating costs of traditional terrestrial broadcasts would outstrip usage as more viewers opt to move to broadband-only solutions delivered over IP (the internet). Most Freeview services make use of the DVB-T standard, which dates back to 1997, and only a few high-definition channels broadcast using the more efficient and newer DVB-T2 standard.{{Cite web |last=Goren |first=Or |date=2024-05-09 |title=The End Of Freeview As We Know It: Ofcom Unveils Plans |url=https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/end-of-freeview-as-we-know-ofcom-plans/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=Cord Busters |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2006-01-01 |title=DVB-T2 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/dvb-t2 |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=BBC R&D |language=en}} Despite the creation of Freely, the government has stated that it is committed to the Freeview digital terrestrial platform until at least 2034.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-10 |title=Minister commits to DTT until 2034 |url=https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2024/05/10/minister-commits-to-dtt-until-2034/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=Broadband TV News |language=en-GB}}
The service was first publicised as the Next Generation Platform (NGP) in May 2023.{{Cite web |last=Goren |first=Or |date=2023-07-04 |title=Freeview And Freesat’s Big Shift: A New TV Era Is Coming |url=https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/freeview-freesat-new-tv-era-coming/ |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=Cord Busters |language=en-US}} Freely was unveiled in September 2023 and the first products implementing it launched on 30 April 2024, with the advertising campaign headlined "Set yourself Freely".{{Cite web |title=Freely "Set yourself Freely" by TMW Unlimited |url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/freely-setself-freely-tmw-unlimited/1874069?utm_source=website&utm_medium=social |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.campaignlive.co.uk |language=en}}
Features
All the Freely linear channels are directly streamed via broadband and have their own channel numbers in a familiar guide, as is the case with other traditional TV platforms, instead of being confined to their individual apps (as has been the case with Freeview Play{{Cite web |title=What is Freely and why is it important? |url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-freely-why-important-matthew-huntington |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.linkedin.com |language=en}} and a phenomenon sometimes called "walled gardens"). A stated advantage has been that it would not require setting up and logging in to user profiles for the different on demand services such as BBC iPlayer or ITVX, thus simplifying the process.https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/285018/Future-of-TV-Distribution-Report-to-Government.pdf Live pause and programme restarting are also offered.{{Cite web |last=Goren |first=Or |date=2024-04-24 |title=Freeview’s Future Uncovered: Freely Hands-On Review |url=https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/freely-hands-on-review-freeview-future/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=Cord Busters |language=en-US}}
At launch, the service only provided channels from the four stated public broadcasters and lacked other channels offered through Freeview.{{Cite web |last=Goren |first=Or |date=2024-04-29 |title=Freely Channel List Revealed: No Match For Freeview Yet |url=https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/freely-full-channel-list/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=Cord Busters |language=en-US}} Freely has since expanded the service by adding channels such as U&Dave and QVC UK, although a TV aerial remains a requirement for the fullest possible range of channels.{{Cite web |title=What TV channels can I stream over Wi-Fi? |url=https://www.freely.co.uk/help/faqs/channel-list |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=Freely |language=en}} A noted disadvantage has been that Freely has no recording capability as there is currently no Freely-supporting PVR on the market.{{Cite web |last=Goren |first=Or |date=2024-05-04 |title=The Death Of TV Recording: Freely Signals End Of An Era |url=https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/tv-recording-freely-end-of-era/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=Cord Busters |language=en-US}}
Hardware and devices
Freely has launched integrated on new TV sets from Hisense, Bush, Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic, Metz and TCL.{{Cite web |last=Archer |first=John |title=Freely Smart TV Service Signs Up Four More Major TV Brands |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2024/06/24/freely-smart-tv-service-signs-up-four-more-major-tv-brands/ |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=Forbes |language=en}} In a deal with Amazon announced in October 2024, Freely is also to be integrated in new smart TVs based on Fire OS as the main TV guide.{{cite web |title=Freely comes to Amazon Fire TV |url=https://uk.themedialeader.com/freely-comes-to-amazon-fire-tv/}}
It is currently not offered in the form of a set-top box or dongle for existing or older TVs. New TVs continue to have terrestrial Freeview receivers so they can be connected to an aerial and receive the remaining channels offered on Freeview.{{Cite web |title=How to connect your device to the internet and an aerial |url=https://www.freely.co.uk/help/faqs/connect-internet-aerial |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.freely.co.uk |language=en}}
Technical
Freely is based on HbbTV Operator Application specifications.{{Cite web |last=Eoghan |date=2024-03-18 |title=It comes down to DVB-I versus HbbTV OpApp, right? Wrong! |url=https://dvb.org/news/it-comes-down-to-dvb-i-versus-hbbtv-opapp-right-wrong/ |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=DVB |language=en-US}} It has not been publicly stated by Freely whether the streams originate from in-house servers or directly from each broadcaster's servers.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
Comparison
| class="wikitable"
|+Comparison with other British public service broadcasters' platforms ! !Freeview !Freesat !Freeview Play !Freely |
| Delivery method
|Terrestrial |Satellite |Broadband alongside terrestrial |Broadband |
|---|
| Launched
|2002 |2008 |2015 |2024 |
| Live channels
|About 60 TV channels (plus BBC and commercial radio channels) |About 100 TV channels (plus BBC and commercial radio channels) |About 60 TV channels (plus BBC and commercial radio channels) (on terrestrial) |Up to 44 TV channels (plus BBC radio channels){{Cite web |title=freely tv channel list |url=https://www.freely.co.uk/help/faqs/channel-list}} |
| Browsing method/interface
|EPG |EPG |EPG (for terrestrial channels) or individual apps (for streaming channels) |EPG |
| On demand content
|No, but internet-capable Freeview devices may have individual applications for the on demand platforms |No, but internet-capable Freesat devices may have individual applications for the on demand platforms |Yes |Yes |
| User interface type
|Specific to TV/STB manufacturer |Standardised |Specific to TV/STB manufacturer |Standardised |
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://freely.co.uk}}
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