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The popularity of the all-new Aero 4K TV Streamer shows no sign of slowing, which is bad news for anyone who wants to ditch Freeview or Freesat by picking up one of these British-made set-top boxes.
This £69.99 box, only the second Freely TV-equipped box to launch in the UK, sold out in under 24-hours when it made its debut on Currys. And it's just made its debut on Amazon, which is struggling to meet demand too.
The Manhattan Aero 4K TV Streamer is now marked as "Out Of Stock," with the online superstore promising that "We are working hard to be back in stock as soon as possible." When it is available, the streaming box is eligible for next-day Prime delivery at no extra cost, so you could be using the new kit this time tomorrow.
British brand Manhattan has confirmed that John Lewis will also stock its new set-top box later this month, but it's unclear if that launch will be delayed as it tries to meet the existing demand.
For those who missed the announcement, this British-made box is designed to bring Freely to any flatscreen via HDMI – unlocking a slew of Sky TV-like features for your favourite free-to-air channels.
At £69.99, it's much cheaper than the Pleio box from French manufacturer Netgem, which launched at the tail-end of last year and immediately sold out. Netgem was the first manufacturer to launch one of these set-top boxes and has struggled to keep the box on the shelves of Amazon UK too.
Interestingly, Amazon suggests disappointed shoppers who had hoped to bag one of the Aero 4K TV Streamer boxes from Manhattan take a look at this rival box from Netgem.
If you're struggling to add the Aero 4K TV Streamer to your basket on Amazon, the online retailer will recommend an alternative in the form of the Netgem Pleio
|AMAZON UK | GB NEWS
For those who don't know, Freely launched in the first half of last year.
Built by the same team behind Freeview and Freesat, this new broadband-powered platform is forecast to overtake both by the end of the decade. At the beginning, Freely was only available on brand-new Smart TVs built from the ground up for its software, which lets you pause live free-to-air television channels and rewind a show that's already in progress. The TV Guide lets you scroll backwards in time, bringing a selection of on-demand content drawn from catch-up services like BBC iPlayer and ITVX into the EPG.
But if you didn't want to upgrade to a new flatscreen, you had to stick with Freeview or Freesat. That's all changed with the arrival of these Apple TV-like boxes that bring the latest Freely features to any television with a 10Mbps internet connection. And there's more on the way.
Manhattan is slowly rolling out its new Aero 4K TV Streamer to several UK retailers: Currys, John Lewis, and Amazon. Demand for this £69.99 box seems to be at an all-time high, so you might need to wait a few weeks before you can upgrade to one of these gadgets. We've contacted Manhattan for this story.
This diddy box unlocks dozens of free-to-air live channels, a catalogue of 75,000 hours of on-demand content, and apps from streamers like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video
|MANHATTAN PRESS OFFICE
Before the launch of the Pleio and Aero 4K TV Streamer, the only way to access the latest Freely features was to upgrade to one of the new flatscreens built from the ground up to support the modern streaming platform.
With these new set-top boxes, you can keep your current set-up, but benefit from the convenience of beaming all of your live television via Wi-Fi, rather than a traditional aerial. That means you'll be able to place your telly anywhere in the house (with a decent wireless signal that delivers 10Mbps) and you won't need to worry about bad weather disrupting your latest boxset obsession, sports fixture, or movie night.
Plug this box into the HDMI port on the back of your telly, and you're able to stream the biggest free-to-air channels, including GB News, ITV, BBC, Channel 4, and more. There's also an on-demand catalogue brimming with over 75,000 hours of on-demand content (believe it or not, that's more than Netflix).
Under the bonnet, this box is powered by TiVo, the same software that used to be found on Virgin Media's set-top boxes before it switched to an in-house solution
|MANHATTAN PRESS OFFICE
Aero 4K TV Streamer runs the award-winning TiVo OS – so on top of Freely, there’s also access to apps for Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video, as well as YouTube, and much more.
You'll need a standalone subscription to login and watch some of these services, but TiVo+ gives you another 400 completely free streaming channels and a huge library of free on-demand movies and shows.
Streaming in stunning 4K picture quality is supported. Manhattan has added support for voice search too, so finding your next binge-watch won't require any fiddly typing using the directional keypad on the remote.
Manhattan COO, Alex Arbab-Zadeh said: "Freely is a brilliant new platform that delivers Great British Telly over broadband with no monthly bills – but there are lots of TVs out there that don't have it built in. Aero fixes that. Just connect to Wi-Fi and you've got live TV, catch-up and all your favourite streaming apps – a simple, affordable way to upgrade any TV without having to replace it."
The Manhattan Aero 4K TV Streamer with Freely will be available for £69.99 from Currys, John Lewis, Amazon and more in February 2026. While it misses out on the game-streaming capabilities of the Pleio, those who only want a simple-to-use Freely box to watch their favourite shows will likely be pleased with the savings.
Unlike its rival Pleio, there's no controller in the box or access to video games via the cloud with the Aero 4K TV Streamer
|MANHATTAN PRESS OFFICE
Commenting on the latest launch, Jonathan Thompson, CEO at Everyone TV – the organisation behind Freeview and Freely, said: "From the 2026 FIFA World Cup to another season of Celeb Traitors, this year promises an incredible line up of TV moments for the whole family.
"We’re thrilled to expand Freely with the launch of the Manhattan Aero 4K TV streamer device, available in February. Our research shows that viewers who can’t yet stream Freely are eager to do so, and with the new Manhattan Aero, even more people can enjoy the same Freely experience found on TVs – bringing all their favourite live and on-demand TV together, for free, over Wi-Fi."
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