BBC is building new Roku rival with 'radically simple' design to help Britons switch to streaming TV

And this is a serious concern. The industry-wide pivot from terrestrial broadcasts to streaming is something campaigners have warned about for years, cautioning that millions could be left without access to live television channels. Ofcom figures show that 31% of Britons aged 65 and over don’t currently use the internet at home.

According to estimates by consultancy firm EY, this gap would result in over 5.5 million households being unable to tune in to live television from the BBC and others.

The uptake of high-speed broadband is only set to increase by 10% between 2022 and 2040.

And that assumes you will even have the right broadband connection available to you. Where you live could also determine whether you’re able to watch BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and GB News over online-only services.

The areas of the UK where homes are most likely to be without a high-speed connection by 2040 are Northern Ireland (24% of all homes), North East England (21%), Yorkshire and the Humber (20%), North West England (19%), Scotland (19%) and Wales (19%), the report forecasts.

Whether a bespoke box with software specifically designed for those who don't use technology that often could help some of those people make the switch from aerial boradcasts to streaming remains to be seen.

However, Dennis Reed, Director of nonprofit campaign group Silver Voices, has previously lambasted the idea of a BBC Streaming Stick as an "outrageous attempt" to bounce the UK Government into action.

"Davie is living in a fool’s paradise if he thinks he can take on the likes of Amazon and Netflix without public broadcasting being squeezed out of existence," he told The Times.

"The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 and 5 should stick with what they do well — using the reliable and secure terrestrial TV network, where they are kings."

Mr Reed claimed the BBC "has no regard" for the millions of older people who are unable to afford the broadband connection required to use a BBC-designed Streaming Stick to enjoy access to its output.

The arrival of Freely doesn't mean Freeview is going anywhere for now, but as more people upgrade their televisions and gain access to the new platform, we'll likely to see Freeview and Freesat fall out of favour.

Based on the latest figures, that moment could arrive sooner than later. At its current rate, Freely will become the dominant way to watch television in the UK by the end of this decade.

Amazon and Roku dominate the affordable set-top box market in the UK, following the decision by Google to discontinue its similarly priced Chromecast dongle last year.

At £149, Apple TV 4K is a pricier proposition.

The first Fire TV Stick launched worldwide in November 2014, two years after Roku streaming players first arrived on UK shores.

Both of these companies offer products with lightweight designs that plug directly into the HDMI port on the back of your flatscreen — bringing a slew of live channels, on-demand streaming services, games, and other popular apps that might not be available on the operating system that powers your television.

In the UK, both FireOS and Roku OS offer access to live and on-demand content from broadcasters via apps like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, and of course, GB News. Streamers like Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Disney+ are also available to download on the proprietary operating system.

Extra features, like voice controls, AI-powered recommendations based on your viewing history, support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos quality, are available on pricier versions of the hardware. Last year, Amazon confirmed that it had now sold over 250 million Fire TV devices worldwide.

While there are undoubtedly concerns about the march towards streaming television, it;s worth noting there are benefits to ditching the aerial in favour of a Wi-Fi connection.

Without an aerial, you can place your new Smart TV anywhere in the room as long as it has a minimum internet speed of 10Mbps. This is similar to solutions like Sky Glass, Sky Stream, Virgin Media Stream, and the rebooted EE TV launched last year.

Until these new set-top boxes arrive, you'll need to buy a new Smart TV to unlock access to Freely — a platform built from the ground up by the same team behind Freeview and Freesat — that lets you stream terrestrial channels via Wi-Fi connection with no need for additional hardware.

Freely is also included on select Fire TVs as the default way to stream live television too.

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BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 have ensured their catch-up services are deeply integrated into Freely so when you miss the start of a live broadcast you'll be able to skip back to the beginning — with the show streamed behind-the-scenes from BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and others. Entire boxsets will be presented in the menu, so you can catch-up on earlier series of a show before tuning into the next live episode.

GB News was added to the service as part of a blockbuster update earlier this year.

While there's no cost associated with tuning in to free-to-air channels via an aerial, the same doesn't apply when using a Wi-Fi connection.

Despite these drawbacks, BBC exec Tim Davie has previously declared that the UK would benefit an “IP switchover” that would see traditional terrestrial television turned off in the 2030s.

Speaking to The Times, he said: "Many people would be quite happy if their satellite dish or TV aerial was removed tomorrow. They wouldn’t notice. But there is a significant chunk of people that would be extremely worried. They feel they’d lose access. They wouldn’t understand how to do the transition.

"But there are huge benefits, financially and socially, and the BBC can play a real part in that."