Freely

Four more smart TV brands to offer new free-to-air streamer Freely

A TV screen is paused on the sight of Harry from The Traitors lifting up his cloak, through the streaming service Freely

Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic and Metz are joining the Freely line-up, after existing partners Hisense and Bush joined in April and May 2024, respectively.

Freely is backed by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and integrates all of its live TV channels and on demand content in one place, for free, via compatible smart TVs. STV and S4C’s content is also available.

All that is required is a WiFi connection, which removes the need for an aerial or satellite dish. But Freely viewers can use an aerial to access more terrestrial channels.

Freely enters the fray

Jonathon Thompson stands outside, smiling to the camera

Two decades on from the launch of its big brother Freeview, can Freely enjoy the same success in a different TV landscape? Freely is a new service from the UK PSBs, due to launch in the second quarter of 2024. It will deliver free live and on-demand TV to the growing number of homes that receive their content via the internet to a smart TV.

Freely has already revealed its arc-and-two-dots brand identity, dubbed Freemoji, together with its electronic programme guide interface and information on how channels will be organised.