What is Freely? Everything you need to know about the UK’s new free-to-air TV service

TV fans in the UK now have a fresh, no-cost alternative to Sky TV. New streaming service Freely has just launched nationwide, offering comprehensive access to live and on-demand content without the need for an antenna.

Developed by Everyone TV, the same team behind popular services like Freeview and Freesat, Freely boasts a wealth of experience in content distribution. The service is supported by all major UK terrestrial broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, with all these content providers available on Freely from the start.

With the service now integrated into a range of new TVs, it is set to compete directly with Sky’s premium Glass TV – another all-in-one device that uses broadband to access live programming. If Freely piques your interest, here’s everything you need to know about this latest service, including what’s on, how to watch and whether it really rivals Sky, the Express reports.

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What is Freely?

Freely is a new TV service that streams to homes rather than traditional over-the-air signals received through antennas. To connect to live entertainment, sports and movies, users simply need to connect their TVs to Wi-Fi. This makes it an ideal solution for those who live in apartments or want to watch live content in parts of their home without aerial access.

As well as showing current programmes, Freely also offers access to a wealth of on-demand content, with top recommendations appearing on the home screen. A comprehensive 7-day guide is available, along with a MiniGuide that pops up to provide quick access to channels and display upcoming programmes.

Another appealing feature is the ability to pause live TV for up to 15 minutes – ideal if you’re interrupted by a neighbour. When you’re ready to resume watching, simply press the play button.

Additional features include a search function to locate your favorite shows, as well as full access to platforms such as BBC iPlayer and ITVX within the Freely app. The user interface is simple and easy to navigate, allowing you to quickly find other episodes of your favorite shows with a few clicks on the remote.

What sets Freely apart from standard streaming apps is its functionality, which is similar to a TV connected to an antenna. This means you can effortlessly switch between live TV channels without having to open different apps – a feature previously unavailable over a broadband connection.

How much does Freely cost?

As the name suggests, Freely is completely free to watch. This means that as long as you have a TV licence, there are no additional subscriptions or monthly fees to worry about.

The only requirement for Freely is a fully compatible TV. Once you’ve got the right TV, there’s no extra cost – however, there are currently no Freely TVs available for purchase and pricing details have yet to be confirmed.

So what channels can you tune into on Freely?

At launch, the selection is somewhat limited. Freely announced that around 30 channels including BBC 1, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5, Film4, 5US, CBBC and CBeebies are currently available for streaming, with more to be added in the future.

UKTV is expected to launch its services soon, adding popular channels such as Dave, W, Gold and Yesterday to the Freely scheduler. Stay tuned for updates.

What kind of broadband speed do you need for Freely?

According to Freely, anyone with a standard broadband connection should be able to stream TV. The company suggests that a speed of 10 Mbps should be sufficient.

Given that the average home broadband speed in the UK is around 70Mbps, most households should have no problems using Freely. One of the reasons this platform can work with slower broadband speeds is that, unlike Netflix and Disney+, it doesn’t offer Ultra HD 4K streams.

Viewers can only watch content in Standard Definition or High Definition formats, which require less bandwidth for streaming.

Which TVs are compatible with Freely?

Liber, the new streaming service, will not be available on existing TVs. Instead, it will come pre-installed on a range of new TVs due to hit the market soon.

Hisense is one of the first manufacturers to confirm that its future models will be Freely-ready, meaning the app will be fully integrated and no additional set-top boxes or dongles will be needed. Other manufacturers, including Toshiba, JVC and Bush, are expected to follow suit.

We’ll keep you posted on which TV models will include Freely. As more TVs become available in the UK, we’ll update this article with pricing information. It has been confirmed that all major UK retailers will stock screens with free fitting in the future.

Can Freely be installed on current equipment?

Unfortunately, Freely will not be available on current or older TVs. This means that if you want to use this new service, you will have to buy a new TV.

There are currently no plans to launch on devices such as Fire TV Sticks, Apple TV, phones or tablets.

Does Freely really rival Sky Glass?

Freely has a lot in common with Sky Glass, with both platforms being integrated directly into the TV. As previously mentioned, this eliminates the need for separate devices to access live and on-demand shows.

Both Freely and Sky Glass offer instant access to a wealth of content over a broadband connection, complete with a TV guide and popular viewing recommendations. However, Sky Glass stands out with its additional features.

These include personalized recommendations for each family member, meaning parents and children will receive different suggestions. Sky Glass also has a Playlists feature, which allows users to save content for later viewing. This works similarly to a recording feature, but uses cloud storage instead of a physical hard drive.

Unlike Freely, Sky Glass supports voice search and integrates content from other platforms such as Netflix and Disney+. The final distinction lies in the amount of content available.

Sky Glass offers hundreds of live channels, compared to the 30 or so that Freely will have at launch.

Despite these differences, Freely works simply and is similar to regular terrestrial television.

One point to note about the Freely is the delay in receiving live broadcasts, which can be up to 30 seconds longer than through a standard antenna. While this isn’t a problem for casual television viewing, it can prove frustrating during live sporting events as you may hear about a goal being scored from your friends before seeing it happen on screen.

Sky Glass users are also experiencing this problem, although Sky is working on reducing the lag to around eight seconds in the future.

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