Freeview is rolling out an upgrade to its content discovery app on Freeview Play branded TVs and set top boxes.
Combining over 80 live TV channels with catch-up apps such as BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5 and STV Player, Freeview Play is home to over 40,000 hours of on demand content.
The revamped Explore Freeview Play TV app introduces new recommendation genres and new dedicated Box Sets area “to make it easier for viewers to get the most out of Freeview’s on demand content library.”
The app, which can be access on channel 100, also retains its cross-player search facility and viewers will also be able to curate their own watch lists via a new My Shows feature.
Owen Jenkinson from Freeview Play commented: “We are continually evolving and adding new free features so we can provide excellent value to consumers.
“With the Women’s Euro and the Love Island final just days away, millions of us will soon be searching for our next TV obsession and these latest updates to Freeview Play will be on hand to help.”
Owned and controlled by broadcasters, the Freeview Play interface guarantees prominence for their catch-up apps and is built into many of the smart TVs sold in the UK, although it’s absent from Samsung – the UK’s biggest selling brand.
While it’s still the UK’s dominant TV platform, Freeview faces increasing competition from rivals as well as technical limitations. Last month the platform lost a number of channels, including BBC News HD, and several of the major broadcaster’s catch-up apps remain limited to offering shows in Standard Definition.