Freely TV review: Why pay to stream?

With a Freely TV, you no longer need a traditional TV aerial to enjoy linear channels from the UK’s public service broadcasters.  

Simply by connecting a Freely enabled TV to your Wi-Fi network, you’ll be able to browse BBC, ITV, Channel Four, Channel Five and others via a familiar-looking TV guide, without having to fire up multiple separate catch-up player apps.

That’s because Freely is an OTT (over-the-top) broadcast technology, which is to say, one that doesn’t rely on traditional broadcast infrastructure. It’s developed and run by Everyone TV (formerly known as Digital UK), a joint venture between BBC, ITV, Channel Four and Channel 5. 

But Freely isn’t quite the replacement for Freeview Play it might first appear. I took a deeper dive, using a Toshiba 43UV2F as my Freely test set, to put it through its paces…

Set-up

• Wi-Fi required
• Hybrid tuner mode
• Channel guide

One of the obvious benefits of a Freely TV is its versatility. When you no longer need to tether the telly to a traditional aerial or satellite dish, you can place it pretty much anywhere you want, as long as you have a Wi-Fi connection.  

Suddenly that spare room becomes a second telly den, and the kids can get the bedroom set they’ve always wanted.

Installation is a little different from a standard TV. Out of the box, and powered up for the first time, a Freely TV requires the local postcode and Wi-Fi details to work (the service works with any internet service provider). 

I was up and running in a matter of minutes.

When you no longer need to tether the telly to a traditional aerial or satellite dish, you can place it pretty much anywhere you want

Once the Toshiba 43UV2F’s smart TV home screen had loaded, Freely was available. I could access it via a Freely shortcut, or go straight to the channel guide, and watch TV.  

Freely TVs also come with regular Freeview. You can still set up your Freely TV with a traditional aerial, and operate it much like any normal telly. With an aerial connection and digital channels tuned, you’ll be watching regular Freeview.

However, behind the scenes, the Freely platform is still deep linking channels to their respective demand players. Scanning the channel guide, you’ll notice some programmes offer the option to restart, and it’s this which triggers on-demand streaming. 

User Interface

• Curated programme recommendations
• Integrated catch-up TV players
• 7-day programme guide

Freely may be delivered over the internet, but the interface looks much like Freeview.

The wider Freely ecosystem is accessed via a shortcut presented on the main screen of the resident smart home platform, which in Toshiba’s case is Vidaa. Here you’ll find a live channel rail, with thumbnails of shows currently being broadcast, beneath which are a variety of secondary rails for each of the main Freely channels, as well as themed programming. A quick scroll down and I could browse movies, dramas, comedies and kids shows.

It’s much like what Freeview Play already offers, and is equally intuitive to use.

You can, of course, ignore this walled Freely garden and just go straight to the channel guide button on the remote. This throws up a standard channel listing, largely indistinguishable from a regular Freeview channel guide. The caveat is that it doesn’t offer a 7-day rollback. A mini guide window lets you know what you’re watching, and if any additional episodes are available to stream. Audio descriptions and subtitles can be selected if available.

Channels & Apps

• BBC, ITV, Channel 4, 5 and more
• Extensive BBC radio support
• 70,000 hours of on-demand content

The most immediate difference between Freely and its Freeview siblings is channel choice. There’s quite a disparity, with the new kid on the block looking a tad sparse in comparison. 

So what can you expect? Well, all the main public broadcasters, with their various sub-channels, plus UKTV Play channels, are available: BBC One HD, BBC 2 HD, ITV1 HD, Channel 4 HD, Channel 5 HD, ITV2, ITV3, BBC 3 HD, BBC 4 HD, E4, Film 4, More 4, U& Dave, U & drama, ITV4, ITV be, Five Star, Five Action, U & Yesterday, U&W, 5 USA, Five Select, BBC Scotland, BBC ALBA, S4C, BBC News, BBC Parliament, CBBC HD, and CBeebies.

But there’s no Talking Pictures, Quest, or NHK, some of the Freeview channels I like to watch. The good news is that the channel bouquet is growing, with new services being added in 2025, so this can only improve. 

There’s also an extensive BBC radio selection, including BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Radio 6, as well as a multiplicity of regional services.

Freely incorporates all the main TV catch-up player apps, including BBC iPlayer, ITVX, More 4, and Channel 5. Indeed, they’re integral to the service; this is where Freely pulls its on-demand shows from (the platform doesn’t stream the content from these channels directly).

By Freely’s own estimation, there’s some 70,000 hours of on-demand library content available, which should be enough to sate your viewing needs for months to come. There’s also BBC Sounds and the STV Player.

…the channel bouquet is growing, with new services being added in 2025

Quality 

• 1080p HD
• Stereo sound
• Can suffer from buffering

For the most part, there’s no significant visual difference between the HD channels offered by Freely, be they from the BBC, ITV or others, and their aerial derived equivalents. HD programmes look fittingly sharp, with high levels of detail and texture. There’s no overt low bitrate fuzz or bleariness. Stereo audio quality, which appears to be the default standard for the service, is also fine. 

Freely’s SD resolution channels also look similar to Freeview namesakes, in so much as they’re best largely avoided. 

But there are caveats. For one thing, you’ll need a decent broadband connection. Freely advise a minimum broadband speed of 10Mbps, but I reckon you’ll need more than that. I used the Toshiba flatscreen on a Wi-Fi connection more than twice as fast and still suffered occasional buffering. 

Freely advise a minimum broadband speed of 10Mbps, but I reckon you’ll need more than that

Channels could also lose sound and vision sync. To cure this I’d have to step back to the guide and then reselect. A standard aerial connection offers the most consistent viewing experience. 

Ideally, I would advise running your Freely set in hybrid mode, with Freeview channels tuned and Freely handling on-demand and programme restarts.

What devices support Freely?

The number of TV brands supporting Freely is growing steadily. I would expect it to become a default option for the majority of TV brands that are in the Freeview Play camp over the next 12 months. 

TV manufacturers with Freely models in their range include Toshiba, Hisense, Bush, TCL, Amazon and Panasonic. Prices range from budget (like the Hisense 43E6NTUK) to high-end (Panasonic Z95A). You can get them from the likes of Amazon, Currys, Argos and John Lewis.

TV brands not affiliated to Freeview Play (I’m looking at you, Samsung), seem less likely to host the new platform going forward.

Also, there are no Freely set top TV boxes, although the Sky Stream puck is a similar proposition, albeit one with a subscription cost attached. 

Like Freely, Sky Stream doesn’t require a physical aerial (in this case, a satellite dish) instead delivering its suite of channels over Wi-Fi. The advantage of Sky Stream is that there’s a far greater (paid) channel choice available, you can control playback by rewinding and fast-forwarding, and it doesn’t require you to invest in a new screen.

Sky Stream also supports 4K and Dolby Atmos audio. There’s no reason why Freely couldn’t offer 4K channels in the future, although this would be a channel-specific decision, and I can’t see any broadcaster rushing to launch UHD.

Verdict

Freely may lack the channel choice of Freeview Play, but it’s a worthy addition to the Everyone TV family, offering a familiar TV experience unburdened by the need for a hardwired aerial.

Overall, I’m impressed. It’ll no doubt be a godsend for some, and a welcome installation option for others.

The interface is accessible, and (once you work out exactly what it’s doing) easy enough to use. For those who want unrestricted TV placement, or are unable to run cabling because of planning restrictions, it’s a handy development.

Of course, you could access much of its programming via existing, individual channel apps, but the user experience won’t be anywhere near as slick. 

Alternatively, if you want free to watch TV, sans aerial, and are less fussed with public service output, there’s a growing choice of FAST (Free advertising-supported streaming television) services to gorge on, such as Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels and Pluto TV.  

But these all lack the polish and the premium content you’ll find on Freely.