Britons switch off traditional TV faster than expected, broadband-powered Freely to hit major milestone

Freeview is the most-watched platform in the UK, with 9.7 million UK households able to tune-in via their main TV. However, that doesn't mean these homes are entirely reliant on aerial broadcasts, with 73% of these households also watching television over a broadband connection, including catch-up services like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and streamers such as Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, and Netflix.

The number of households who only watch free-to-air television via rooftop or indoor aerials, known as Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), sits at 2.6 million, BARB data shows. According to research from 3 Reasons, that is predicted to plummet to 860,000 households by 2034. At the same time, the number of homes without broadband is projected to fall to 220,000 by 2034, which equates to 0.8% of TV households.

Chief Executive of Everyone TV, the organisation behind Freesat, Freeview, and Freely, Jonathan Thompson commented on the new forecasts from 3 Reasons: "The way audiences engage with TV is changing and these updated forecasts reflect that clear direction of travel. It is vital that any future change in TV distribution is carefully planned and managed, that issues of connectivity and affordability are addressed, and that no viewer is left behind.

"Freely provides simple, trusted access to live, linear channels and on-demand content from our public service broadcasters and combines this with innovation that can benefit all audiences. It can be a gateway for people to safely and easily enter into an increasingly digital society and not be excluded.”

As part of its research, 3 Reasons discovered that rather than falling a predicted 10% between 2023 and 2025, the number of homes without broadband actually fell a whopping 30% and stands at 1.2 million today.

However, even with widespread adoption of broadband connections fast enough to stream live television, the switch remains controversial. Aside from the mandatory £180 annual TV licence fee, there is no cost to connecting to an aerial and watching linear television. Likewise, if you own a satellite dish, Freesat lets you watch dozens of free-to-air channels at no cost.

But this isn't the case for broadband-based television, which requires an internet connection into your home.

You'll need a minimum speed of 10Mbps to watch via Freely, the successor to Freeview and Freesat, developed by the same team, with most broadband companies charging at least £10 to £15 a month for the sorts of speed you'll need to watch at a decent picture quality. If streaming became the only way to watch free-to-air channels in the UK, millions of UK viewers could be "forced into paying for broadband".

While that might seem reasonable, these costs add up over time – adding a £120 bill via Direct Debit that might've otherwise been unnecessary for those who don't already require internet at home.

Rob Collier of 3 Reasons commented: "In a debate this important, we need to approach the issue as objectively as possible. Our role at 3 Reasons is to provide robust, well considered and independent forecasts grounded in the best available data, which can be used to inform critical TV infrastructure decisions."

Broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, have backed a transition to internet-based telly, statting that it costs them vast sums to maintain broadcast signals used by a declining number of people. The BBC has teased plans to build its own Roku or Fire TV Stick competitor to make streaming more accessible to UK households.

A spokesperson for the Broadcast 2040+ campaign, which brings together over 30 organisations, including the Digital Poverty Alliance and Rural Services Network, and hopes to safeguard broadcast TV and radio, told GB News: "Forcing households onto broadband simply to watch basic TV would impose new costs and create new exclusions. If the Government were to underwrite the cost for those who cannot pay, it could easily cost £1billion per year – an ongoing liability, with people losing their TV if it were ever withdrawn."

According to a recent study commissioned by Sky dubbed Stream On: The Future of UK TV – which reinforces the possibility of internet-delivered TV in the next few years — a vast number of us have already made the switch, with 94% of UK adults having access to the internet at home and 92% of us relying on one video-on-demand (VOD) service, like Netflix, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and others.

Thousands don't want to see Freeview TV retired. There's an active online petition circulating across the UK to save Freeview TV, by the non-profit organisation Silver Voices.

For free-to-air broadcasts to continue beyond the current 2034 deadline, the UK Government will need to extend multiplex licences to allow television channels to leverage the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform, more commonly known as Freeview, to broadcast over the airwaves nationwide.

There's no set deadline for the latest UK Government review, but the last time the DTT licences were up for renewal, the consultation ended in February 2021 ahead of an early 2022 deadline. In other words — we're unlikely to find out the outcome for a few years.

Ofcom published a report called Future of TV Distribution back in May 2024. One the findings was that Britons now spend less time watching broadcast television via DTT, leading to broadcatsers voicing concerns that "declining viewership on broadcast platforms over the next 10-15 year will create a tipping point at which the cost of distributing via DTT and satellite will exceed the benefits generated from being on those platforms."

The UK regulator highlighted that investment in a more efficient DTT service would be needed to continue broadcasts via Freeview alongside a gradual transition to streaming for free-to-air channels in the 2030s.

The industry is already pivoting towards a streaming-only future in the UK.

As well as major changes to BBC iPlayer, rival Channel 4 has shuttered five of its Freeview channels and told staff consider streaming before approving any new commissions.

ITV has overhauled its broadcast business in a race to meet its target of 2.5 million ITVX Premium subscribers by 2026. The Netflix rival offers exclusive boxsets, early access to some of its biggest dramas, downloads for offline viewing on flights or abroad, and the ability to skip adverts for £5.99 per month.

But the biggest push towards an internet-only television arrived from Everyone TV back in 2024. Dubbed Freely, this is a joint effort between the UK's biggest broadcasters ― the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 ― to replicate the experience of watching Freeview and Freesat with just a Wi-Fi connection. Live free-to-air channels are streamed over broadband, so there’s no need to connect your TV to an aerial, meaning it can positioned anywhere in the home.

GB News was added to the service as part of a major update last year.

If Downing Street decides to move ahead with the transition away from traditional broadcasts, it wouldn't be the first time the UK has seen a major shake-up to its television landscape.

The transition from analogue to digital broadcasts — more commonly known as Digital Switchover — took place nationwide between 2007 and 2012. It replaced analogue boradcasts with digital transmissions, improving picture and sound quality, while bolstering channel choice and freeing up spectrum to be repurposed for 5G mobile data.

The staggered roll-out took place region by region, kickstarting in Whitehaven, in Cumbria, and finishing up in Northern Ireland and London. Households had to switch to Digital TVs — marketed as "HD Ready" — or set-top boxes to continue to receive broadcasts.

Satellite broadcasts are also slowly being phased out, with Sky no longer offering its Sky Q set-top box — the last to require a satellite dish affixed to the outside of your home — to new customers via its online store. Both of its flagship products, Sky Glass and Sky Stream, both rely on an internet connection to offer access to live channels.