BBC-backed Freely to be available on Amazon Fire TVs
The deal will make content from the four public broadcasters available to more British households
08 October 2024 - 05:00
bySachin Ravikumar
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London — Freely, a new streaming service backed by the BBC, ITV and other British public broadcasters, will be available on Amazon Fire televisions after a “landmark deal” with the US technology giant, the companies said on Monday.
The deal is a win for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, whose joint venture, called Everyone TV, launched Freely earlier in 2024, allowing viewers to stream both live TV and on-demand content for free when they purchase smart TVs carrying the service.
The tie-up will help take content from the four public broadcasters — which are required by UK law to offer programming beneficial to the public interest — to more British households, through smart TVs using Amazon’s popular Fire operating system.
“A deal of this kind, between a technology giant and those working in the public interest, is remarkable,” Everyone TV CEO Jonathan Thompson said.
“It represents a significant development in widening the availability of Freely and therefore ensuring UK audiences can access free TV well into the future.”
Freely’s launch in April marked the first time all four UK public service broadcasters joined hands to set up a streaming service, as they look to future-proof live TV in the age of streaming.
Freely offers 70,000 hours of on-demand content, more than any other major streaming platform in Britain, including Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime and Apple TV, according to data from London-based Ampere Analysis.
Everyone TV had also signed a deal with TV manufacturer TCL, which would include Freely in their new 2024 smart TVs, it said.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
BBC-backed Freely to be available on Amazon Fire TVs
The deal will make content from the four public broadcasters available to more British households
London — Freely, a new streaming service backed by the BBC, ITV and other British public broadcasters, will be available on Amazon Fire televisions after a “landmark deal” with the US technology giant, the companies said on Monday.
The deal is a win for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, whose joint venture, called Everyone TV, launched Freely earlier in 2024, allowing viewers to stream both live TV and on-demand content for free when they purchase smart TVs carrying the service.
The tie-up will help take content from the four public broadcasters — which are required by UK law to offer programming beneficial to the public interest — to more British households, through smart TVs using Amazon’s popular Fire operating system.
“A deal of this kind, between a technology giant and those working in the public interest, is remarkable,” Everyone TV CEO Jonathan Thompson said.
“It represents a significant development in widening the availability of Freely and therefore ensuring UK audiences can access free TV well into the future.”
Freely’s launch in April marked the first time all four UK public service broadcasters joined hands to set up a streaming service, as they look to future-proof live TV in the age of streaming.
Freely offers 70,000 hours of on-demand content, more than any other major streaming platform in Britain, including Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime and Apple TV, according to data from London-based Ampere Analysis.
Everyone TV had also signed a deal with TV manufacturer TCL, which would include Freely in their new 2024 smart TVs, it said.
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