In 2023, we first covered the announcement of Freely, yet another on-demand video service being launched by British TV titans. It was announced following the success of other streaming services like BritBox and ITVX, offering exclusively British programming to their audiences. Now Freely has arrived, along with more details about the service and the studios backing it.
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Online Entertainment in Britain
Freely is just the latest in British media’s move into streaming, currently one of the most profitable and competitive markets in 2024. While American companies like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video battle for worldwide dominance, more regional streamers offer content that isn’t found on those platforms, for a more specific audience.
This regional approach is seen with other platforms that offer films or TV shows, and also with iGaming websites that host online games. While streaming takes the film industry online, gaming sites do the same by bringing traditional games bingo into a digital format, allowing players to enjoy British-themed experiences inspired by shows like Deal or No Deal. These games cater to a British audience, and, through the internet, they have become widely accessible. Now the British TV industry is tapping into that online market, with streaming services like ITVX that offer the actual Deal or No Deal show.
Platforms like ITVX, BritBox, and Acorn TV have found success with this strategy, much more than if they had competed directly with established streamers. As regional services (and platforms offering regional content) thrive, the larger streaming services are reorganising and rebundling to pursue further growth. They are also investing heavily in other content like sports coverage rights, which has been hailed as the next battleground of the streaming wars.
Everyone TV & IPTV Explained
While the Freely service may be new, it’s just the evolution of a familiar name that has been on British TV for decades. The new service is owned and operated by Everyone TV, formerly Digital UK Limited, which is co-owned by public broadcasters like the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. Together, they offered free terrestrial TV through Freeview and later satellite TV with Freesat. With each service, the goal was to provide British citizens with a basic standard for television access, including important news programming and free entertainment.
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After renaming in 2023, Everyone TV Ltd is moving with the times by offering a service that doesn’t rely on terrestrial or satellite hardware. That means no aerial or dish, as we previously reported when Freely was first announced. Instead, Freely is an IPTV service that is still free to access but now operates through a broadband connection. In the long term, Freely is expected to replace Freeview completely as household internet access outpaces traditional terrestrial hardware. This is partly why the UK government has committed funding to provide the internet to rural communities and improve infrastructure.
Freely is just the latest example of how having a stable internet connection is becoming more important. Today, a lot of vital services, utilities, and quality-of-life activities rely on the internet. So, if Freely does replace Freeview in the future, then British internet providers will need to guarantee widespread and reliable access to the internet to ensure the same quality of service.