London-based consortium Everyone TV—which is jointly owned by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5—has officially launched its new Freely streaming service in the UK.

This no-fee platform aggregates live channels plus on-demand content from all four broadcasters, and it’s available to use with an internet connection alone. It also marks the first time Britain’s public service broadcasters have joined forces in the streaming space.

Freely is currently only available on smart TV sets—and more specifically, on a new 2024 line of Hisense TVs that rolled out today. But Turkish manufacturer Vestel will launch its own range of Freely TVs in the coming weeks, and Xperi’s TiVo also plans to offer Freely on its OS platform. 

The content lineup varies depending on whether viewers access the service using Wi-Fi only or a hybrid connection of Wi-Fi plus a TV antenna. Kids offerings like CBBC and CBeebies are in the lineup either way, but an aerial connection opens up a broader range of channels to choose from, including POP and Ketchup TV. 

Freely plans to expand the content offering by bringing in more public broadcaster partners. Scotland’s STV and S4C in Wales have both already signed on to port their channels/on-demand content onto the platform.

Kieran Clifton, director of BBC Distribution & Business Development, described the new service as an “historic moment for UK television,” noting how “delivering live TV over broadband for free is a ground-breaking innovation that will future-proof public service broadcasting.”

Everyone TV also operates digital terrestrial television platform Freeview and free-to-air service Freesat in the UK.