Freely’s UK Broadband TV Streaming Service to Get 10 New Channels
Broadband-based live TV streaming service Freely, which is supported by several major UK TV broadcasters (BBC, ITV etc.) and is an evolution – not (yet) a replacement – for the existing Freeview service (inc. Freeview Play and Freesat), has revealed that they’ll add 10 new streaming channels to the free platform in 2026.
The new channels, which are being added thanks to support from Hearst, Bloomberg TV+, AMC Networks International UK (AMCNI UK) and more, include the following additions: BLAZE, Bloomberg TV+, Talking Pictures TV, Gemporia, Local TV, TRUE CRIME UK, Evidence of Evil, Bloodline Detectives, Love After Lock Up and AMC Reality. These new arrivals build on AMCNI UK’s existing portfolio on Freely, which already features LEGEND, TRUE CRIME and WATCH FREE UK.
The move follows the recent launch of several new and exclusive streaming channels from Channel 4 – 4Reality, 4Homes and 4Life. Additional streaming channels from ITV and 5 are expected to follow. Once fully implemented, this will mean that Freely now carries over 70 live channels, alongside the usual array of on-demand content.
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Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Everyone TV, said:
“This latest round of content partners marks another step forward for Freely as we scale up the platform for viewers and partners alike. The research we’re releasing today shows just how much audiences still value British free-to-air television – not just the flagship channels, but the wider family of channels that continue to surprise and entertain us. Freely brings all of that together in one place, for free, and it’s exciting to see the momentum behind it as we look to the year ahead.”
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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It’s about as valuable as those unwanted movies they used to stick on magazines in the 90s and 2000s
Still no date, for the release of the stick.
Cool, still needs to come to streaming sticks like Fire/Google/Apple/Roku TV.
Still needs a Freely App so you can watch it on a device like Roku, Firestick etc.
Freely is not the only one expanding the channel lineup with low value advertising supported free to air linear streamed channels.
Roku is doing it too, adding a bunch of quite niche linear channels to their platform using their live TV app (in the US the Roku live TV app also covers local and remote broadcast channels, often with live sports geoblocked, and some also needing a subscription to the local cable provider, including companies like Comcast who own Sky in the UK).
Freely is adding FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) channels and the 70+ channels are just a start as the PSBs (BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) have massive back catalogues from which to select curated shows for streaming on their Freely platform. And as most linear TV channels will get converted to FAST we’ll see Freely become huge whilst Freeview will become a shadow of its current self.
Why when you can stream on Freeview and Freesat
Well, if what they have added so far is anything to go by, then it is not going to be that exciting.
Not sure what you mean about Freeview being a shadow of it’s current self, because one of the reason I dropped the TV licence was because of the rubbish that is on Freeview. Chatting to brother last night on the phone as he was asking what he can watch without a TV licence. Told him that he would have to stop using his PVR and not be able to watch anything live or Iplayer.
I had a look at the guide to see what I was missing, even the BBC had the same thing on twice in one day, the repair shop, but different episode, one in the afternoon and later on. For crying out loud.
So if that is what is on Freeview now, if it is going to be a shadow of what it is now, then it will not be worth bothering with, and Freely will just be the same as Freeview is now, but online. I can understand why so many people are dropping the TV licence.
For me its a no brainer, since Freely came out all our new TVs have ben freely ones.
Between Freely and the other apps available there isn’t much the TV don’t have access too and with the only wire being the power.
Finally talked the wife into getting rid of Sky.
If at some point I need to get a new TV, depending on the make and when I get it, then it may have Freely. It is only the cheaper end of the market that seems to have Freely at the moment, Hisense, TCL and Vestel made sets, not that there is anything wrong with that, I have a Hisense set myself. Just saying that those who prefer the higher end sets like Samsung, at the moment are not going to get Freely.
My Hisense set is just over 5 years old, it is a Roku one and I have no plans to replace it. But then, it makes no odds to me, if it has Freeview or Freely, neither is going to be used, unless the government does something stupid like lob a levy on top of our council tax to pay for the BBC.
I was wondering about the legal position on streamed TV services as some here suggest Freely could replace Freeview or Freesat. Having looked at the governments website on TV licencing, it states:-
“You need a TV Licence to watch or record programmes on a TV, computer or other device as they’re broadcast, and to watch on-demand BBC programmes on iPlayer”
It then goes on to state:-
You need a TV Licence if you:
watch or record live TV on any channel or service
use BBC iPlayer
And then:-
You do not need a TV Licence to watch:
streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus
on-demand TV through services like All 4 and Amazon Prime Video
videos on websites like YouTube
videos or DVDs
So if you use Freely, it seems a licence is necessary as it, by default(?) carries live streamed TV (BBC, ITV, C4).
A bit confusing to this old brain!
Think of live channels set to a timeline, in other words, you turn to a live channel, be it on Freeview, Freely or any of the other services out there and the show, film, what ever have already begun, and you miss the first part, that is live channels, no matter how you get it.
On demand is different, you can click on what you want to watch there and then, no set time. No licence is needed for them.
The only on demand that do require a licence is the BBC iPlayer.
Amazon have live channels
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/livetv
Legaly I can’t watch them, as I don’t have a licence, but I can watch all the on demand stuff
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/storefront
Not that I want to watch live channels anyway, tied to a TV guide in this day and age, no thanks.
It might be a good idea if they got the existing channels to work first.