The main public service broadcasters in the United Kingdom will bring their streaming platform Freely to Amazon’s line-up of Fire TV smart sets later this fall, the companies announced on Monday.
The move will give Freely greater reach in the United Kingdom, whereas now it is limited to a handful of smart TVs that support the platform. Freely combines the linear and on-demand platforms of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 into a single TV experience, which eliminates the need for broadcast TV fans to switch apps when trying to browse channels and content.
“It’s exciting to see the momentum behind Freely building so rapidly as we announce this breakthrough deal with Amazon Fire TV,” said Jonathan Thompson, the CEO of Everyone TV, the parent company of Freely. “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 U.K. audiences can access free TV well into the future.”
Freely came together earlier this year, and is an effort to help put public service broadcasters and their content in front of streaming-oriented consumers, at a time when competition from third-party platforms like Netflix and Disney Plus are chipping away at their audience base. Freely requires a TV set compatible with the service; Hisense and Vestel were the first manufacturers to affirm support for the standard, with TVs running TiVo OS getting access to Freely earlier this year.
Panasonic-made Fire TVs will be among the first to get Freely later this year. Separately, Everyone TV has struck an agreement with TCL that will also see newer-model smart TVs carry the standard.
“Everyone TV is delighted to be working with such an important global player in the TV market through a deal that allows us to bring Freely to Amazon Fire TVs,” Thompson said. “I am pleased Amazon sees the immense value that easy access to public service broadcaster and other free-to-view content brings to UK audiences. This is the beginning of a journey, bringing invaluable content to UK audiences and uniting what was an increasingly fragmented viewing experience.”
“We’re thrilled to be bringing Freely to Fire TV customers in the U.K.,” Emma Gilmartin, the head of Amazon’s Fire TV business in Europe, said on Monday. “This new deal for Freely allows us to provide even more value to our customers by giving them easy access to the best free TV shows, films and live channels from UK broadcasters, alongside the great content they already enjoy on Fire TV.”
Consumers who want to purchase a TV set compatible with Freely can do so at retailers like John Lewis, Currys, Argos, Very and AO.
