Last Updated on November 22, 2025 by Tim FitzGerald
Back in September 2023, the UK’s biggest free-to-air Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 – announced a new smart TV streaming service that will allow users to watch live TV via the internet (IPTV) for free. The platform, called Freely, is expected to arrive soon in Q2 2024. More news here.
Freely is designed to bridge the gap between conventional terrestrial television and online entertainment by offering live free-to-air TV without the need for an aerial.
Freely will complement iPlayer, itvX, More4 and My5 and will allow users to watch live IPTV from these PSBs through a single application, without having to swap between apps when they switch from channel to channel. Freely will initially be available only on some new smart TV sets.
The implication is that it will be necessary to buy a new smart TV to get the Freely service. This is a big expense for most households and may not attract many Freely users.
In August 2025, Freely announced a partnership with Netgem to produce a simple and affordable plug-in puck to run Freely. There are very few details yet, but the device will have only internet input (no aerial input) and no recording capability.
In November 2025, the Netgem PLEIO puck was previewed. The Netgem Pleio (pronounced Play-Oh) is available now on Amazon for ~£100.
The streaming-only approach represents a clear statement about the direction the industry is heading. With the government pushing for an IP switchover in the 2030s and research suggesting 70% of UK homes will ditch aerials by 2040, the Freely box represents a glimpse of that future.
What users want is for Freely to become available on other devices, like Fire TV and Roku sticks. Ideally, Freely would be available on all devices that run Freeview.
