Freely, a new streaming service backed by the BBC, ITV and other British public broadcasters, will be available on Amazon Fire televisions following a "landmark deal" with the U.S. 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 this year, 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.
Much like TVs with Freeview built-in, Freely tech is embedded in the telly, providing access to channels via Wi-Fi, as well as on-demand content. Several household names including Toshiba and Panasonic have already adopted Freely but now a big brand has joined the list
Freely's launch in April marked the first time all four of Britain's 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 Chief Executive Jonathan Thompson praised the deal: "A deal of this kind, between a technology giant and those working in the public interest, is remarkable it represents a significant development in widening the availability of Freely and therefore ensuring UK audiences can access free TV well into the future," stated.