UK will launch a streaming service in the second quarter of 2024 that integrates the content of BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 into a single portal. Freeview currently accomplishes this through an aerial connection, while Freeview Play includes on-demand programs. Freely is similar to Freeview and Freeview Play but operates entirely online.
What features does it include? The most important are 3: a Mini Guide (pop-up interface appears each time users switch channels), a browse, and a TV guide. It is being developed by Everyone TV, which runs free TV in the UK and is jointly owned by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5. Most likely, the platform will host all types of content through those four broadcasters. Several other channels will follow suit, including Sky Sky News and UKTV.
For now, it will be of limited access. Freely will be integrated into new Hisense smart TVs at launch. Vestel, the manufacturer behind TV brands such as Toshiba, Bush, and JVC, will be a smart TV partner to provide Freely in a long-term 5-year agreement, and it will operate the native guide on Vestel TVs. As mentioned earlier, the entertainment industry in the UK has shown growth in 2023. A development of this nature reflects this phenomenon and changes in audience behavior in the country.
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