The dominance of BBC and ITV viewing over the Christmas period showed that even in the face of big-budget competition from streaming giants, UK viewers are still tuning in to public service broadcaster (PSB) content in their droves. But the way they access that content is changing; data from measurement firm Digital i reveals that almost 40 percent of Gavin & Stacey‘s 19 million viewers watched the feature-length finale on iPlayer.
To cater to that hybrid demand, Everyone TV, the joint venture (JV) between the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, launched Freely last year, offering live and on-demand content from all the broadcasters in a single app. Although the service has not disclosed any usership data, Sarah Milton, Chief Product Officer at Everyone TV, says that by catering to both linear-first and streaming viewers, Freely appeals to a “broad church” of users.
“We can see in the reviews and all the feedback that we get that people are buying it for their older parents, people are buying it for their student digs, it’s in living rooms, it’s in bedrooms,” she comments. “So the user base for Freely is really varied.”
Bridging the divide
This crossover appeal is achieved by making sure live TV is easy to access for those linear-first viewers used to a more traditional viewing experience, by making live TV prominent on the Freely homescreen, along with the TV guide accessible via a button on the TV remote. Milton says that these two methods remain the most common routes into finding content across all age groups.
But Everyone TV also aims to serve VOD-first viewers accustomed to a streaming environment, with recommended titles from different content providers aggregated within Freely’s discovery area. “Those routes tend to be preferred by younger demographics,” notes Milton. “So they can discover and explore all the content from all our content providers in one place.”
The app is also designed to act as a bridge from one environment to the other. For linear-first viewers that means using the live TV interface as a “shop window” to showcase on-demand content; and for the VOD-first users, live TV offers streaming-like controls, such as live pause and restart functionality, as well as a pop-up mini guide linking viewers to more episodes of the show that is playing live.
And as TV becomes increasingly IP-delivered, the project seeks to transition broadcaster content into the IP environment; Everyone TV expects that more than half of UK homes will watch TV exclusively over IP by 2030. With viewing now at something of a tipping point, Freely offers a hybrid between digital terrestrial television (DTT) and IP delivery. And while its content partnerships have largely looked to recreate the channel lineup of Freeview, Everyone TV’s DTT offering, Milton says the opportunity for content providers to reach IP-only audiences has also brought interest from companies that do not have DTT channels.
“There’s the opportunity with Freely to offer more than the channel lineup that you get on Freeview Play,” says Milton. “So we’re certainly in discussions to look to bring on some IP-exclusive channels in due course.”
Striking a balance
The IP environment also offers channel providers the ability to deploy targeted advertising, according to Milton, and Freely is agnostic when it comes to the monetisation methods of its channel partners. Freely does not currently measure ad exposure on the platform, but can track viewership across linear channels, while IP-delivered channels are able to measure viewing themselves.
“We provide the player, we provide the reach, we provide the ability to deliver targeted advertising, but it’s down to the individual channel providers to take advantage of that and to monetise their platforms however they choose,” says Milton.
That reach is secured through distribution partnerships with major OEMs, including Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic and Amazon Fire TV, which make the app easily accessible via a Freely button on the remote control.
The other benefit to channel providers is the discoverability of content, says Milton, with titles appearing in the browse screen, mini guide, editorial collections and trending content rails. And while Everyone TV’s mission is “to ensure that PSB content continues to be visible and discoverable”, the JV aims to strike a balance when it comes to promoting content across its various partners, which include UKTV, AMC and PBS America.
“We want to appeal to as wide a range of audiences as possible, and we only do that if we make them aware of the content that’s available,” says Milton.
At the end of 2024, Freely introduced a ‘My List’ area where viewers can add titles from all the available content providers, saving all the shows they want to watch in one place. Milton says this helps solve some of the common frustrations around streaming, whereby titles are spread out over multiple services, all requiring different subscriptions.
“There are OS providers who are also trying to aggregate that content, but you will often find that you’re being shown programmes that are not available to you, or require a subscription, or it’s paid content,” she says. “What’s lovely about the Freely world is that everything that we’re promoting there is available free and immediately, without having to go in and out of lots of different apps, or remember what platform something was on.”