Q: What just happened?

April 30 2024 saw the launch of Freely, a new free TV service that will deliver live TV over broadband. Viewers in the UK will be able to stream on-demand content on their smart TVs but also browse and watch live TV channels from BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 without needing cable, aerial or satellite. 

The service promises to simplify the experience of streaming live TV from major broadcasters and centralise the distribution of free TV. Freely’s user interface will be integrated into future smart TVs, sitting alongside other popular streaming services, and while users will be directed to broadcasters' own on-demand platforms to view recommended content from their BVoD catalogues, live channel viewing will remain within the Freely platform.

Q: Who is behind Freely?

Freely is being developed by Everyone TV (formerly Digital UK), the organisation behind free TV services Freesat and Freeview, and is jointly owned and supported by the UK's four main public service broadcast groups (BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5). The broadcast partners have agreed a new three-year funding deal for Everyone TV that will cover the launch costs of the service, including a consumer marketing campaign.

Freeview, originally a broadcast TV service delivered via aerial (digital terrestrial television), has evolved to also offer a hybrid broadcast/on-demand TV service, Freeview Play, now integrated into most connected TVs sold in the UK. Everyone TV is also responsible for producing free-to-air broadcast TV services by satellite (under the Freesat brand). According to Ofcom, the UK’s telecommunications regulator, Freeview & Freeview Play are used in 16m homes or 60% of TV households and provide the main TV platform in more than 10m homes.

Q: What is the rationale behind the new platform?

In developing Freely, Everyone TV aims to create “a new future-facing next-generation platform that viewers will be able to use over the coming decade and beyond, and which will operate regardless of the technologies by which TV channels are distributed”.

Costs are a key consideration: With the BBC undergoing cost-cutting measures and eyeing an online-only future over the next decade, there’s an active push to replace Digital Terrestrial Television with a cheaper alternative. Ofcom has also raised concerns about the financial sustainability and long-term relevance of platforms such as Freeview as viewers increasingly shift to internet-based services while streaming services are on the rise and the costs of maintaining terrestrial broadcasting infrastructure remains.

While broadcasters have predominantly focused on advancing their own individual BVoD platforms, Freely presents an opportunity for a simplified and unified platform. This could help UK broadcasters to compete with global streaming services and secure prominence in a saturated streaming market without detracting from the substantial investments made in their own BVoD services. 

Q: What is the strategy for rolling out Freely?

Unless you are in the market for a new TV, you won’t be able to access the service, which comes pre-installed on TVs from certain manufacturers that have partnered with Everyone TV. In this way, and much like the adoption of the Freeview Play service, the roll-out of Freely will be restricted by the rate at which UK consumers replace their TVs. Although not quite as explosive as a new easy-adoptable streaming service, Freely is setting a new standard for free TV in the streaming age, enabling IP-only households to access the traditional free TV experience and adding modern functionality for existing free TV viewers. However, without plans for a connected TV app launch, establishing a presence in the rapidly evolving content delivery market may prove challenging. Prioritising partnerships with more smart TV manufacturers and operating system providers will be critical for the platform's growth.

Q: What are the implications for other countries’ national broadcasters?

The challenges faced by UK broadcasters – in maintaining relevance and audience share in an increasingly fragmented media universe, with global players dominating the streaming market – are not unique. The UK’s public media sector has been a global pioneer in evolving new ways to distribute content, via the likes of the BBC’s iPlayer, so the rollout of Freely will be followed keenly by broadcasters in most other countries

From an advertising perspective, this model gives advertisers and agencies a new platform to reach audiences, but Everyone TV will not be taking a role in advertising inventory aggregation. Freely will serve as a concurrent live stream of linear TV broadcast, with no additional advertising, including addressable (with the BBC not permitted to carry advertising). However, we expect live viewing on Freely to be accounted for within BARB linear ratings, as is currently the case with Freeview, and as Freely develops, we could see collaborative data-sharing partnerships among the commercial broadcasters on the platform and potentially even connected TV manufacturers emerge, while another potential avenue is adopting a consortium approach to data-sharing, ad sales, and ad technology. 

The operational framework behind Freely is supported by public service broadcast groups and essentially functions as a not-for-profit entity, primarily funded through member contributions. But navigating the politics of such collaborative models can be challenging, as was the case with Salto in France. However, there have been similar joint broadcaster free tv platform ventures among national broadcasters in other territories, such as Tivù in Italy and Digea in Greece, and there is interest from regulator ARCOM to launch a Freely-style app for French broadcasters.