Freeview might still be one of the most popular ways to watch TV in the UK but there is another way to tune in and it appears it will be getting better this year. Freely, which is actually owned by the same team behind Freeview, went live during 2024 and offers access to over 45 channels without needing an aerial stuck to the chimney.
Live and on-demand shows are beamed to the screen using your broadband instead, making it easier to tune in and less likely to be affected by things such as the weather.
There were already some benefits of switching but Freely now says it has just added a new ‘My List’ feature to its platform which lets users add up to 50 of their favourite shows to this dedicated rail on the homepage.
That should make it much easier to find episodes of the things they watch the most such The Traitors, EastEnders, Coronation Street and Love Isand.
“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 Freely team explained.
If that wasn’t enough to make this service sound a little more enticing, there’s more to come.
Freely says this is the “first step” towards viewer personalisation with “many more exciting updates and features” to follow later this year.
So, how do you watch Freely?
As long as you have a decent broadband connection you can switch over Freely. The only thing you’ll need to invest in is a new TV and older models won’t have this platform built in.
Some major manufacturers now sell Freely-powered TVs with Hisense, Panasonic, Bush, TCL and Toshiba just some of the names now offering access to this service.
Along with watching live and on demand content, Freely will also let you pause live TV, show you what’s on now and next via the TV guide and offer recommendations of things to watch.