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Freely will launch its first streaming box, bringing its Sky Glass-like features to any television for the first time.
Until now, Freely was only available on a brand-new Smart TV. If you have a Freeview-enabled Smart TV that you're pretty happy with — you're out of luck. You'd need to upgrade to a new model from one of the manufacturers that supports the new streaming platform developed by Everyone TV, the organisation behind Freesat and Freeview.
With the arrival of a set-top box, that all changes. You'll be able to bring Freely to any television thanks to the plug-and-play design, which will be manufactured by French entertainment technology company Netgem.
There's no release date confirmed, but Everyone TV has promised this initial box will launch "later this year".
If the launch of Freely in April last year is anything to go by, it's possible that Everyone TV will partner with more manufacturers to produce set-top boxes in the coming months and years.
Everyone TV, the organisation behind Freely, has confirmed that Netgem will be the first brand to launch a plug-and-play streaming box with its streaming software built-in by the end of the year
|EVERYONE TV PRESS OFFICE
These plug-and-play devices are hugely popular, with the likes of Roku Streaming Stick, Amazon's Fire TV Stick, Apple TV 4K, and Google TV Streamer dominating the market. Plugged into the HDMI port, these boxes unlock a slew of new streaming services, apps, and games that might not otherwise be available on the software that powers your telly.
Everyone TV CEO Jonathan Thompson said: "Freely was created to make free TV work for everyone. Expanding to ‘plug-in and stream’ devices is an important and natural next step to ensure even more homes can enjoy the full Freely experience without the need for a TV upgrade or paid subscription.
"In partnership with Netgem, we’re launching streaming devices to make it easier than ever for UK audiences to enjoy the nation’s favourite TV, for free, on the TV you already have."
While the TV Guide has always been the go-to destination for anyone looking to find out what's currently on-air and coming up next on terrestrial channels... scrolling to the left will now let Freely viewers travel backwards up to seven days | EVERYONE TV PRESS OFFICE According to Everyone TV, Netgem has designed a "small and modern device" designed to provide "a seamless and intuitive user experience, integrating the Freely interface at its core" as well as offering access to live and on-demand free-to-air shows, sitting alongside some of the most recognisable global and local streamers.
It will compete with the likes of Sky Stream and Virgin Media's Stream box. These combine on-demand movies, boxsets, sports from streaming services with live terrestrial channels — all delivered via a Wi-Fi connection.
The latest announcement from Everyone TV comes hot on the heels of confirmation that Roku will support Freely with its next batch of Smart TVs. It's the latest in a string of popular manufacturers that have decided to switch from Freeview to Freely on their newest hardware, including Hisense, Bush, Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic, and Metz.
Shop the latest Freely TV lineup at Currys
If you want to start streaming free-to-air channels and on-demand shows via Freely, you'll need to upgrade to a new Smart TV with support for the next-generation platform. Manufacturers including Hisense, Bush, Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic, and now Philips ship TVs with Freely baked-in, so there's plenty of choice!
All-new Freely TVs at Currys
Amazon is also using Freely to bring free-to-air channels to its all-in-one Smart TVs powered by Fire OS, the same software found on its Fire TV Sticks. However, it's not available on its plug-and-play devices.
Freely-fuelled ‘plug-in and stream’ boxes will ship with all of the same features and content viewers have come to expect and enjoy from Freely-powered Smart TVs, including:
- Ability to favourite live and on-demand television shows from the biggest free-to-air channels
- Restart a show in-progress on BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, and many more with the tap of a button
- Access the complete back-catalogue of episodes from the TV Guide
- Stream more shows than any UK streaming service, including Netflix
- More than 40 live channels, with more new and exclusive channels launching this year
Netgem UK Managing Director, Sylvain Thevenot stated: "Netgem is delighted to introduce the first Freely streaming device to the market with Everyone TV. This innovation represents a game-changer for viewers who seek a streamlined TV and entertainment experience delivered over Wi-Fi.
"The integration of Freely with Netgem’s entertainment service positions this streaming puck as the optimal choice for all households and breathes a second life to all TV sets at an affordable price."
Developed by the same team behind Freeview and Freesat, dubbed Everyone TV, Freely uses Wi-Fi to stream live television from dozens of popular channels, including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and many more. Earlier this year, a free update to the platform added GB News to the lineup of live channels available without a traditional aerial.
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The announcement comes one month after Freely added a pair of brand-new features to Smart TVs across the UK. Dubbed Backwards TV Guide and Never Miss, these newest additions started to roll-out at the end of May.
The same staggered software roll-out also brought a feature called My List, which was announced earlier this year, to all Freely-powered flatscreens.
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