More Details about FREELY (UK IPTV - Freeview Over the Internet) Dec 2023

Before following this guide: Current equipment context: Freely is available through compatible devices including the Manhattan Aero. Aero streams over broadband and cannot record programmes. Freely is a separate viewing option; this post is not evidence of a confirmed shutdown date for Freeview or Freesat.

Archive note: this post reflects its original publication date. Channel lists, service incidents, offers, app support and schedules may since have changed. Use current provider information for today’s position.

So a little more news has come out of the Everyone TV offices about the Freely Internet TV platform. This will basically be Freeview over your internet connection with no need for an aerial or satellite dish.

It seems things are moving quite fast, Hi-Sense have released details about compactable TVs (See Here)

This is great news for households who for one reason or another cant have an aerial, or dish. We hope that Freely will be as easy to use as freeview or freesat.

Freely will have all the major channels that you know, but will also have internet only services that will be new.

Will you need new equipment to get freely?

The answer is not 100% clear yet but my guess is probably yes, as more details come out I should be able to provide a clearer answer but my feeling at the moment is this...

If you have a TV that is capable of getting the Freeview Internet channels today, you should be able to get the IP Freely service in someway with your current system.

IPTV via Freeview has been around for a few years now, and you might not even realise some of you channels are delivered over the internet (Pop, Now Music)

The system that delivers IPTV to your Freeview TV or box is called the HbbTV standard, you can often see these channels take a few seconds to load when changing channels or pop a message on screen saying channel loading.

Will we see Freely & Freesat Combined boxes?

Technically this is completely possible, but no details have been given about any type of boxes yet, so we will just have to wait and see, personally I think it would be a great idea, anything that adds to the FREE choice of channels for people.