Broadband ISPs Preparing to Bundle TiVo Powered UK 4K TV Freely Streaming Box
A new report has indicated that a number of UK broadband ISPs may soon start bundling British device manufacturer Manhattan’s Freely-supporting Aero 4K TV Streaming Box, or similar kit using the TiVo OS, alongside some of their packages. The move could provide some extra competition for rival platforms like Netgem TV’s popular PLEIO box and service (here).
The Aero box initially launched at the start of 2026 as a budget option for those seeking access to the broadband-based live TV streaming service Freely (here), which is backed by the major UK broadcasters and is an evolution – not yet a replacement – for the existing Freeview platform (inc. Freeview Play and Freesat).
Just to recap. The Manhattan Aero 4K TV Box, which uses software based off TiVo OS and includes TiVo-powered voice search on its remote control, currently costs £89.99 a pop at retail and doesn’t support recording (PVR); although you can pause live TV for up to 15 minutes and restart programmes from the beginning on supported channels. In short, it’s a basic streaming box with access to live TV channels via Freely (inc. additional free streaming / FAST channels) and the usual range of apps (Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, YouTube etc.).
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The device also supports Wi-Fi 6 and Wired (LAN) for connectivity to your broadband router and is powered by an unspecified quad-core CPU, plus there’s the usual Power and HDMI ports (a 1.2m HDMI cable that supports resolutions up to 4K/60Hz is included). But there’s no port for a TV aerial, so this is very much a streaming-only TV device.
According to a new report in TelcoTitans (paywall), TiVo are allegedly in the process of pitching this platform as white-label solution for alternative broadband providers to adopt as part of a branded TV bundle with their internet access packages.
In recent years the idea of bundling TV boxes alongside broadband has lost some of its attraction, but some alternative broadband ISPs see the adoption of Freely and newer streaming boxes as being potentially able to aid customer retention. Suffice to say, attitudes are shifting as TV streaming grows in popularity, although it’s still unclear how much interest there will be in a more budget solution like the Aero 4K.
Patrick Byrden, VP for Business Development at TiVo, explains how “the priorities of altnets have shifted from pure rollout to conversion and retention, and the associated product bundles, such as TV.” Charles Dawes, Senior Director for International Marketing at TiVo, elaborated: “We’re not trying to sell you a ‘TiVo box’ or a ‘TiVo TV’. We let the service provider’s brand lead, and it’s ‘their product powered by TiVo’, which I think is crucially important compared to some of our competitors who try to take over everything” (the latter remark could be seen as a criticism of Netgem’s approach).
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The article claims that “several UK altnets have progressed discussions to the point where launch dates are being considered“, although quite how the kit would be priced and positioned as a bundled product is presently unclear. Netgem tends to bundled their boxes with access to additional premium content and a cloud gaming service, which is something we’ve yet to see from the Aero’s TiVo kit. Nevertheless, the first commercial altnet launches are said to be expected before the end of 2026.
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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TV still has a ways to go before it can be replaced with streaming.
Only 15 minutes paused? Live TV should be streamed and uploaded so you can pause and rewind the entire program, akin to how streams on YouTube work.
Why is it still so far behind modern standards?
I have replaced all my TV with streaming, but then I don’t do live TV. Not saying it is perfect, but for the most part I can watch stuff when I want, not be tied to some timeline. This is how TV should be.
I do realise, and I have said before about the cost to people who don’t have or don’t want broadband.
I don’t think I could go back to linear unless I really had to.
The one problem is that broadband may not be reliable in some places and as I said above, it is not perfect, it is relying on a lot of technology, by different companies in different places.
But I can find something else to do if it all goes belly up for a few hours.
They don’t want you skipping the ad breaks.
Original TiVO had live recording/pause capability 25 years ago IIRC.
Later cheap HDRs could usually whole programme live catchup and record multiple channels at the same time (usually two RF circuits so two multiplexes at once but could record multiple channels from the same multiplex at the same time for later catchup)
15 minute limitationb feels like a rights protection/limitation measure but with the current and continued availability of HDRs and other off air recording capability with computers that ship sailed a long time ago!
Memory is very expensive at present and that would increase the retail price significantly. Does the box have a slot for a SDXC?
They certainly don’t want people skipping the adverts, which if/when people realise that Freely is going to stop them doing that, may kill Freely.
I remember the original Tivo, never had one, but I did have a single tuner Humax, it was just a stand in for a video recorder. It was good, record and that sort of thing, but I did miss not being able to store the stuff I recorded, which is another thing they want to stop people doing. I eventually got myself a DVD recorder.
The PLEIO don’t have any place for any card, it is only a small puck, but then it is not to record. I doubt the Manhattan Aero will either.
The Pleio don’t even have Ethernet.
early Tivo allowed fast forward through adverts.
There was a modding community that added ethernet; the underlying operating system was Linux (IIRC) and I think you could actually network mount the filesystems to copy the video files off (Tivo had hardware MP4 encoding, but the file naming and other structuring was undocumented so had to guess what the file contained by timestamp and what you had requested/what was scheduled)
Some of the cheap freeview HDRs were also linux and just dumped raw freeview digital signal to the hard disk with minimal transformation (just parsing the right channel out of the multiplex), so you could use freeware like VLC to play them I think if you pulled the hard drive and mounted it on a computer running linux.. Again the file naming was undocmented so you would have to infer from names and timestamps.
TiVO–blast from the past. I have a soft spot for my original TiVO SD HDR with dial up connection for scheduling data.
In some respects RoKU is also a competitor with their RoKU TV product (not sure that supports freely but does support OTA DVB, although only within an actual TV not an add on box that has an OTA antenna input, technically possible but not available as a hardware offer)
Zzoomm is now doing Zzoomm TV, but it is an extra, from £5 a month for the PLEIO. Myself I prefer them to concentrate on their broadband, but I can understand why they are doing this
I have only had one email about it, hopefully they will not push it too much. It is certainly not something i will have.
I think I must be the odd one out here because if I want a broadband connection then I want a broadband connection not a connection plus all of this stuff. I don’t even want a router. Whatever I plug in, router, TV box, coffee machine, I want one that suits my needs not the cheapest stuff that an isp can get away with. Is it too early for “bah humbug”?
I understand what you are saying or typing or what ever it is you did.
A mate that was, used to say many years agao, this was in the days of ADSL, all he wanted was an internet connection, not interested in webspace, email service or anything else the provider wanted to give him. I agree, years ago, and we are talking about AOL and that sort of thing, we had extras. I did like the community feel of AOL.
These days, I don’t want website space, not that it happens these days, I don’t need an email service, I have one, or I can pick a from a load of free ones if I need to. I am not one to have all my eggs in one basket, but I admit I did many years ago use the BT anywhere service. A mobile phone that could in theory use the BTfon service as well as broadband. It never really worked that well, but it was a cheap way of getting a mobile phone.
Had sim only from Plusnet for a while, until I found a cheaper service.
As for routers, if the router is good then fine and for most people the router they are given does the job. I got myself a cheapish Tp-link, which I prefer over the thing that Zzoomm gave me, but the new routers they give out are pretty good.
But I stand with you, that these days,I just want a connection and as I have said many times, I don’t even need a super-duper fast connection.
Yes to a point, but the router is so that all of your devices can share one connection, but yes keep the frills and fluff to a minimum
Ad47uk I’ve had ISP routers that are pretty dire, at least one could not manage the heat from about Easter, another one could not find my wi-fi printer.
My then Shell one was persistently slower than the one that I owned
My brother had a router from Shell it was a Sagemcom, had it for a fair few years, even when they chucked him to Talk Talk. It was okay to be honest, Wi-fi could have been better, but then for his flat it worked okay. It just did not like connecting to the camera outside, we did sort it, I moved the router a little bit.
The worse router I have had is a BT router, it came with a phone, it was useless.
The original hub I had with plusnet for FTTC was a modified ADSL one and again it worked okay.
The one I had from Zzoomm is awful, but the newer ones are better.
I don’t like Wi-Fi printers, I must admit when I had my canon, I did have issues with that connecting to I think at the time the Plusnet hub one. My printers are these days connected via Ethernet.
I have lifted my TP-link router up on little stilts with this hot weather, to get some air under it, it seemed to be getting a bit warm when pushed. It is not the only thing.
July 2026:
6 new channels for free
https://www.youtube.com/@Netgem-PLEIO