Freely TVs now support a new feature, dubbed My List, that's designed to make it easier to jump back into your favourite shows from the main menu. The new functionality, bundled in a free update to all Smart TVs with Freely built-in over the last few days, lets you save up to 50 shows directly on the homepage for easier access.
For those who don't know, Freely isn't a software update to your existing Freeview-enabled telly or set-top box. Instead, you'll need to upgrade to one of a slew of new flatscreens built from the ground up to support Freely.
Hisense was the first brand to add support for Freely across its 2024 lineup of TVs, with the likes of Bush, Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic, and Metz also switching from Freeview to Freely as the default way to watch free-to-air channels on their newest Smart TVs. The platform is also available on select Fire TVs as the default way to stream live television.
Developed by the same team behind Freeview and Freesat, Freely uses Wi-Fi to stream live television from dozens of popular channels, including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and many more. In the coming weeks, GB News will join the lineup of live channels available to watch on these TVs without an aerial.
With more content to stream on Freely than both Netflix and Disney+ can muster, Everyone TV wants to eliminate any that might be wasted scrolling through menus, or jumping between on-demand streaming services to search for a specific show.
My List is a new carousel on the homepage of Freely that contains all of your favourite shows. These can be from any of the 11 different players available on the platform, including BBC iPlayer, ITVX, U, and more.
If you've added a series to My List, new episodes will automatically added to the carousel as they become available. Clicking on a title will immediately the relevant streaming app — with no need to keep track of which broadcasters have the rights to your new favourite binge-watch.
Yes, gone are the days of endlessly scrolling through menus to find popular shows like The Traitors, EastEnders, Coronation Street, and Love Island. Add any of these shows to My List once, and you'll be alerted when new episodes direct from the homepage of your Freely TV.
Netflix offers similar functionality, also called My List, although it only collates shows and films from its own platform. Sky Stream and Sky Glass (which could be superseded in the coming days) include a feature called Playlist that brings together shows and films from live channels, catch-up services and streamers like Apple TV+, Netflix, Prime Video, and Paramount+, to name a few. Likewise, those with a Fire TV Stick from Amazon can keep tabs on new episodes of their favourite shows from the main menu.
So, to some extent, Freely is playing catch-up here. However, this isn't something we've seen from a free-to-air broadcast platform before. And it's nice to see features that previously required a separate purchase to access built into the next generation of flatscreen TVs at no extra cost.
"The new function allows users to select 50 of their favourite titles from Freely's incredible catalogue, across 11 different players, to be added to a dedicated rail on the homepage, eliminating the need to tirelessly scroll through menus or search for a specific show," the team at Freely explained to GB News.
Freely already offers several innovative features previously unavailable on Freeview, including the ability to pause and restart live television. The platform has been built for the modern teelvision landscape, with viewers increasingly relying on on-demand content and many shows exclusive to streaming services.
As a result, you can quickly browse previous episodes in a series directly from the TV Guide menu, thanks to deep integration with catch-up services from BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
Freely has announced a significant expansion of its service coming in early 2025, with four new partnerships set to boost its content offering. GB News will join the platform, alongside AMCNI UK, PBS America, and QVC, bringing the total number of live channels available to over 40.
The expansion will add several new channels, including TRUE CRIME, LEGEND, PBS America, and shopping channels QVC and QVC 2. AMCNI UK will introduce genre-themed channels featuring nostalgic, action, and investigative programming content.
The platform's on-demand library will grow to include 74,000 hours of content, surpassing major streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Apple TV+.
Jonathan Thompson, CEO at Everyone TV, said: "These new collaborations mark a significant milestone as Freely continues to redefine the streaming experience, offering something for everyone, with content across a variety of genres."
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Instead of requiring a traditional TV aerial, Freely delivers content over broadband connection, with speeds as low as 10Mbps sufficient for streaming. This internet-based approach allows viewers to place their television anywhere in their home, rather than being restricted by aerial connection points.
The service is backed by the UK's biggest broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, ensuring comprehensive coverage of British television content.
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