Freely, the linear streaming service owned by the UK’s biggest free to air broadcasters, is to be included on new Smart TVs running Amazon’s Fire TV operating system.
The service offers a selection of subscription-free channels from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 plus UKTV, the commercial broadcaster wholly owned by the BBC, delivered over broadband and displayed on a traditional programme guide.
In addition to the linear channels, Freely provides a universal search engine which can find and bookmark content from each of the broadcaster’s separate catch-up apps: iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5 and U.
In addition to its popular range of streaming sticks, Amazon sells its own brand of Smart TVs running the Fire TV software which it also licenses to third-party manufacturers.
So far TVs which offer Freely are limited to new models from Hisense and Vestel, with none of the major brands yet confirmed as supporting the platform.
Freely is developed and managed by Everyone TV, a company owned by the four broadcasters which also operates the Freeview Play and Freesat platforms.
Last month the service hailed itself as offering more content than any of the US-owned streaming services which compete with its broadcaster shareholders.
However, Freely is a platform rather than a single streaming app and when compared on a like for like basis offers access to fewer hours of content than the universal search facilities on major brand Smart TVs and streaming devices from Apple, Amazon and Roku, all of which cover a wider choice of apps.
Freely is a potential replacement for Freeview should any future government take the decision to close the existing terrestrial TV network to free up the radio spectrum it uses for other purposes.
However linear TV viewing is in “long-term decline” according to media regulator Ofcom which estimates it now accounts for just 44% of all viewing as UK audiences increasingly move to watching via catch-up and subscription apps.