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If you were lucky enough to snag a Netgem Pleio, a must-have set-top box that's sold out multiple times since it launched late last year, then you've just unlocked a swathe of new games to play. For those who don't know, the Netgem Pleio was the first standalone set-top box to bring Freely to any television.
Although Freely launched as far back as early 2024, during its first year on the market, it was only available on brand-new Smart TVs designed from the ground up to support the software. Freely is built by the same team as Freeview and Freesat, and is forecast to overtake both by the end of the decade. It adds a slew of features that aren't possible on either of those other platforms, including the ability to restart a live show that's already in progress.
You can also queue up shows, documentaries, and sports fixtures from across catch-up services like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and Channel 4, so you never lose track of your latest boxset binge. You can also scroll back in time in the TV Guide, letting you check listings from a week ago to stream an on-demand show. These features are closer to what you'd expect from a paid-for service like Sky Glass than a free-to-air solution like Freeview.
Aside from the cost of the hardware (and your annual TV licence), watching all of your favourite boxsets, live shows, sports, and documentaries on Freely is completely free of charge — no subscription, free trial, or account creation.
What sets the £99 Netgem Pleio apart from its closest rivals, including the Aero box from British brand Manhattan, is the support for video games. In the box, Netgem includes the set-top box, television remote, video game controller, and a three-month trial to its premium subscription, which includes access to premium channels and cloud gaming.
French brand Netgem calls the main set-top box, the 'Puck'
|NETGEM PRESS OFFICE
Instead of a limited three-month subscription, Pleio also now comes with a 12-month subscription to premium channels and cloud gaming. New for April, Netgem has added new titles to its cloud-based gaming service. The new additions include:
- Bang-On Balls: Chronicles
- DC Justice League: Cosmic Chaos
- Gigantosaurus The Game
- Ice Age Scrat’s Nutty Adventure
- OlliOlli World
- Operation: Polygon Storm
- SILT
Finally, the developers at Netgem have also added a “picture-in-picture” function, so you can continue to watch live television or an on-demand show while browsing the menus on the box.
The Pleio has enjoyed "exceptional demand" since its launch, causing the streaming box to sell out in just a few hours when it launched on Amazon in November last year.
Weeks after this runaway success, manufacturer Netgem was forced to hike the price of the hardware. This was a result of an increase in RAM costs across the industry.
Spiralling RAM costs have been caused by massive demand as tech companies race to construct Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centres — those enormous facilities packed with computer chips that power AI systems, like ChatGPT. Despite that, Netgam has confirmed to GB News that its Pleio streaming box will permanently return to its original price of £99, after spiking to £119.88 just two months after the device first hit shelves.
The price of Freely's Netgem Pleio streaming box increased to £119.88, just two months after its release. The new price was reflected on Netgem's website
|NETGEM | GB NEWS
Speaking to GB News, Managing Director of Netgem UK, Sylvain Thevenot said: "The rising cost of RAM is a significant factor for everyone in the industry, but we have made the strategic decision to absorb these costs rather than passing them on to the consumer.
"While the raw costs would justify a higher RRP, we have settled on a permanent price of £99 to prioritise the growth of our user base. We want to give access to as many customers as possible to our rich array of content, including 150 Extra channels and 300+ Games, so they can experiment and enjoy the power of Cloud Gaming with the provided Gamepad.
"Our focus is on long-term market presence; we want to ensure the product remains at a price point that is accessible and realistic for our customers. We are here for the long haul, and that starts with maintaining a stable, competitive entry point for our technology.”
Freely’s Netgem Pleio streaming box has been dubbed "the puck" based on its small circular appearance
| NETGEM PRESS OFFICE | EVERYONE TV PRESS OFFICE | GB NEWSThe £99 price tag for the Pleio box includes the set-top box, remote, game controller, and a three-month trial to its premium subscription, which includes access to premium channels and cloud gaming. The box costs that same on Amazon UK and its new home on ebay.
Instead of a limited three-month subscription, Pleio also now comes with a 12-month subscription to premium channels and cloud gaming.
It's worth remembering that ownership of the hardware is deferred until the 12-month subscription period ends, which means you’re essentially leasing or financing it as part of the subscription. You can't sell the Pleio box after six months as a second-hand item, since you don't technically own it at that point.
Upgrade your telly with Freely's Netgem Pleio
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French entertainment brand Netgem is the first brand to launch a plug-and-play box that brings Freely to any television. Connect via HDMI, and you'll be able to stream the most popular free-to-air channels, including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, U, and of course, GB News. Freely arrives packed with several features previously only found on paid-for options like Sky Stream and EE TV
Netgem Pleio
$99
The Pleio's biggest selling point is that seamless Freely experience with a proper electronic programme guide – no aerial needed.
Freely has a few new tricks up its sleeves when compared to watching many of the same channels on Freeview or Freesat. For example, you can restart a show that's already started with a single button press — saving you the hassle of jumping to a catch-up service to watch the beginning.
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You can also browse through previously aired episodes in the same series directly from the TV Guide, bringing together on-demand catalogues available to stream and live terrestrial television in a way previously only seen from the likes of Sky Stream, Virgin TV Stream, and EE TV.
New features are being added all of the time, with the Everyone TV team behind Freely adding the ability to scroll backwards through time on the TV Guide to access content from streaming services, earlier this year. Likewise, the catch-all My List feature announced earlier last year is now available on all Freely-powered gadgets.
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If that isn't enough, the Android 14-powered Pleio includes access to the Google Play Store, so you'll be able to download a wide selection of streaming apps, like Netflix, Prime Video, NOW, Disney+, YouTube, and more.
Still want more to watch? Netgem can unlock more than 150 FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) channels to your Pleio box if you subscribe to its optional monthly plan. Not only that, but the Pleio can double up as a fairly convincing console too.
There's a dedicated Bluetooth-enabled controller in the box, and you'll unlock more than 250 titles as part of that same subscription. Netgem owns a cloud gaming service, so most of the grunt happens on its servers.
Freely is the successor to Freeview, offering access to an unrivalled selection of free-to-air channels and on-demand catalogues over a Wi-Fi connection — with no aerial needed | EVERYONE TV PRESS OFFICE What's the catch? Netgem hasn't included an aerial port on the back of the Pleio — something that isn't the case with all Freely-enabled devices available on store shelves today.
As such, if you lose your broadband connection, there's no way to continue watching free-to-air television via this Freely-powered box.
Netgem also decided not to include a hard drive, so there's no way to record shows when they air — you'll be completely reliant on the libraries of streamers like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, U, and others.
If you do want this functionality and are willing to splash out a bit extra, the Humax Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder with Freely was recently unveiled for £249.
This is the third set-top box to launch with the Freely platform baked into it. Inside the Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder is a 2TB hard drive capable of recording up to 1,000 hours of content. When connected to an aerial, this new Humax device enables viewers to record up to four channels while watching a fifth channel live, ensuring they never miss their favourite television shows, sports fixtures, or films.
With the new HUMAX Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder plugged in beneath your telly, you'll be able to record from four different channels simultaneously, pause and rewind live television – or restart a show with the tap of a button | HUMAX PRESS OFFICE | GB NEWS To schedule a recording, you can tap the Menu button on the remote control to reveal the seven-day TV Guide, making it faster – and simpler – to select a show for recording. The Humax Aura EZ comes with a dedicated Freely button on the remote control, enabling fast and convenient access to the newest streaming platform.
The Aura EZ requires an aerial for full, traditional recording functionality and does not appear to support third-party apps like Netflix or Disney+.