Freely, the collaborative streaming service from the UK broadcasters, has announced partnerships with four more major smart TV manufacturers, making the connected TV app available on new Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic and Metz models.
Freely launched at the end of April on Hisense TVs, before adding Bush to its smart TV roster last month. The latest additions expand the lineup to a total of six smart TV partners. The new Freely-compatible models are:
- Toshiba QLED 4K TVs with Dolby Atmos sound
- Sharp GK4 4K and GM6 4K QLED models
- Panasonic 2024 OLED, QLED, and LED TVs
- Metz QLED+ TVs with Dolby Vision and Atmos, available in 43-, 50-, 55- and 65-inch screen sizes
According to Freely’s developer Everyone TV, the original equiment manufacturers (OEM) will offer the app pre-installed and/or accessible via a button on the TV remote, enabling viewers to easily access all the UK broadcaster content in one place. This includes live and on-demand content from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, alongside STV and S4C.
“Having recently brought Freely to market on new Hisense and Bush TVs, we’re delighted to be announcing increased availability of Freely with four new smart TV partners due to launch later this year,” said Deep Halder, Chief Commercial Officer at Everyone TV. “A joint venture between Britain’s leading broadcasters, Freely is built on collaboration and it is encouraging to see more of the industry coming together to contribute to the success of Freely, working together to secure the future of free TV.”
To be free
Everyone TV is aiming to make the public service broadcasters (PSB) competitive in a crowded streaming marketplace. By making the PSB content free to access in one place, the collaborative approach could help drive viewers back to the broadcasters, potentially capitalising on the content fatigue and cost-consciousness creeping into consumer behaviours.
According to recent research by MTM, a consultancy firm, UK viewers are looking less to SVOD services as their first port of call, and turning back to live TV and BVOD options. Cost and content fatigue were cited as the major reasons for users cancelling SVOD subscriptions, often “running out of content” on individual streaming services. The report also highlighted the rise of “subscription cycling”, whereby viewers join and cancel SVOD services as and when they want to watch (or finish watching) a particular show.
On paper at least, Freely looks to solve some of those frustrations. As the name suggests, the service is free, and housing all the broadcasters’ content in the same searchable interface resolves the need for subscription hopping. Meanwhile having Freely as the “native” guide on the six brands of smart TVs will make the PSBs easily discoverable for UK viewers.
On the other hand, Barb data suggests the biggest threat to broadcaster viewing is not the SVOD services but video sharing platforms, such as TikTok, Twitch and predominantly YouTube. The Google-owned video app also offers vast stores of content in one place for free, with recommendation mechanisms designed to keep viewers from switching over. And while some on the broadcaster side might dispute the premium nature of YouTube content, the volume of YouTube consumption on TV screens makes it a serious competitor.
