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If you're looking to upgrade to a new Smart TV in the coming months — the change will likely mean giving up on Freeview. That's because Freely, a new broadband-powered alternative from the Freeview team is fast becoming the new standard for television manufacturers across the UK.
Freely, which launched back in April with a single TV brand onboard, is not a software update available to existing Freeview and Freesat viewers. It's only available on brand-new hardware designed for the software.
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Since that initial launch, Freely is now the default way to watch linear television channels from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky Arts, and dozens more popular channels on new models from six different manufacturers: Hisense, Bush, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sharp, and Metz.
With Freely, the redesigned Mini Guide offers extra information on the programme you're watching, a shortcut to additional episodes from catch-up services, and the ability to restart from the beginning with a single tap
FREELY PRESS OFFICE | GBNThe biggest absentee remains Samsung, the best-selling TV brand globally for the last 18 years. Everyone TV has teased that we can expect "new smart TV brands rolling out over the coming months," but there's no guarantee Samsung will decide to adopt this new platform.
Freely is developed by the teams at Everyone TV — the same organisation behind the likes of Freeview and Freesat — and backed by the UK's biggest broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. One of its biggest selling points is the ability to stream live television and on-demand content over a Wi-Fi connection.
That means you'll be able to place your television anywhere in your home, not just where there's an aerial.
It also unlocks a raft of new functionality that you're more likely to see on the likes of Sky Glass, Sky Stream, and Virgin Stream, and EE TV boxes — like the ability to restart a show from the beginning with the single tap if you missed the beginning of the broadcast. Freely has also worked hard to seamlessly bring together on-demand library of episodes from streamers like BBC iPlayer and ITVX, as well as upcoming live episodes.
However, this industry-wide trend has caused some experts to sound the alarm that those without a decent internet connection could be left unable to watch live television by 2040.
It's also worth noting that while Freely offers some impressive Sky Stream-like functionality, there are some areas where it falls short of existing Freeview TVs. While Freely can stream some of the most popular linear channels over a Wi-Fi or ethernet connection, you'll still need to plug-in an aerial to access a list of channels that's closer to what you'd expect from Freeview.
Freely boasts 28 television channels that can be streamed over a Wi-Fi connection, compared to the 100-or-so linear channels available with Freeview via a traditional aerial.
Freely offers quick access to previously-aired episodes of a show, without the need to seek out and launch a specific app — like BBC iPlayer — from the main menu of the service
FREELY PRESS OFFICE | GBNSince the new TV platform has been designed from the ground-up, the channel numbers have been altered. If you've got the channel numbers memorised for Freeview, you'll need to forget everything you know. For example, Sky Mix appears on Freeview channel 11 but has been bumped-up to channel 23 on Freely.
And finally, Freely will always favour streaming live television over a broadband connection, since this will be in High Definition (HD) compared to the lower-resolution feed available via a traditional aerial. That should make for a better viewing experience, but it means you'll need a decent internet connection to continue watching.
Freely demands a minimum broadband speed of 10Mbps, which should be possible as the average home broadband speed in the UK sits at 69Mbps. However, if you live in a busy household with multiple people trying to tune in and watch live telly via Freely — you'll need at least 10Mbps per stream.
For context, Netflix only demands a minimum of 5Mbps for 1080p HD picture quality, while Sky Stream viewers will need at least 25Mbps to ensure a decent viewing experience.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
As long as you're covered with a valid TV Licence, everything on Freely brings together live and on-demand content in one place for free. The launch of this broadband-powered platform comes as research reveals half of UK homes will watch TV exclusively over Wi-Fi by 2030.
As well as channels from BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5, Everyone TV confirmed that discussions are underway with UKTV to bring its portfolio of free channels to Freely over your broadband connection. UKTV, the award-winning brand that owns and operates channels like Dave, Drama, Yesterday, and W, has announced plans to undergo a comprehensive rebrand this week.
