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UK public sector broadcasters are to launch a digital service that will no longer require an antenna to access all free-to-air channels, allowing them to compete more directly with the big streaming platforms.
In the latest sign that the popularity of streaming rivals is squeezing traditional linear TV, the UK’s largest broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, have developed a platform to offer live TV over broadband.
The new service, called Freely, will be built into the next generation of smart TVs, effectively bringing the Freeview TV platform to the Internet.
The service is expected to be available on new TVs starting next year, but not on older sets. This means UK viewers will be able to watch live TV channels as well as on-demand content streamed to smart TVs via the internet.
UK TV viewers can currently watch live broadcasts over broadband via the broadcaster’s personal app, but without electronic program guide access.
According to Barb’s 2022 viewership data, live TV accounts for more than half of total UK viewership. Tim Davie, director general of the BBC, said it was “critically important to the UK and all its public service broadcasters to ensure the universality of public service television continues into the future”.
Freely was developed by Everyone TV, which operates free-to-air television in the UK and is jointly owned by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
The partners have also agreed to provide Everyone TV with a new three-year financing agreement that will cover the service’s launch costs, which will require a consumer marketing campaign.
Every TV chief executive Jonathan Thompson said the service “reflects the growing number of UK viewers who are watching content online but still want the easy access to the shared experience of live TV”.
Thompson said around 15 per cent of households did not have their TV connected to an aerial, preferring to use broadband to watch programs through apps such as Netflix and iPlayer, but this was expected to grow to 50 per cent by the end of the decade. These households do not have access to free over-the-air channels through a program guide.
“Essentially, we’re filling that gap. We’re providing a service to manufacturers that they will embed into their TVs so that when you watch a live TV experience, you get a very familiar converged experience but through Internet for streaming.”
Thompson said the online service will add features, such as allowing viewers to see more details about a show.
Dame Carolyn McCall, chief executive of ITV, said: “As more and more UK homes use connected TV, it is vital that public service broadcasting channels remain available and easy to find”.
She added: “This new partnership allows the British public to continue to watch all their favorite UK TV channels for free – just as Freeview did when digital TV emerged. This is in addition to the important reforms set out in the draft media bill , it will help public broadcasters continue to thrive in the years to come.”
The service takes on greater significance given the growing popularity of big tech conglomerates and streaming platforms like Amazon and Netflix, where people no longer watch TV in the traditional linear way.
Broadcaster executives fear the next generation of television will prioritize these streaming services over free-to-air public sector channels when viewers turn on their sets for the first time.
The government has responded by proposing new rules in a forthcoming media bill aimed at ensuring these public channels receive “prominence” on digital television.
Each station said the new service would complement new provisions in the draft media bill regarding the importance of on-demand and streaming.
Alex Mahon, chief executive of Channel 4, said: “The technology to make Britain’s favorite TV shows easier to find will be in place when the media bill’s distinctiveness clause becomes law”.
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