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Why Can't US Audiences Stream Broadcast Channels More "Freely"?

Tim Hanlon

Freely

In a bold move designed to "future-proof" free television for the streaming age, Great Britain's major broadcasters​ ​(the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5​) this week came together to launch their much-anticipated Freely service, a revolutionary new offering that brings live and on-demand content together in one place - ​without charge to consumers (though the BBC is historically funded by a government-mandated "TV tax"). ​Powered by the broadcast joint venture​ Everyone TV - the organization behind the country's successful OTA Freeview and DBS Freesat platforms - ​Freely aims to ​modernize the terrestrial television experience ​for the digital era.

With more than half of UK homes projected to watch ​"television" exclusively via broadband streaming by 2030, Freely has been smartly designed to meet the evolving needs of increasingly digital-​centric British audiences. The ​streaming service allows viewers to switch seamlessly between live and on-demand TV ​across the country's leading broadcast channels (vs. separate apps) - without the need for a pay TV converter ​device or an over-the-air antenna.

​Borrowing from experience gleaned from the launches of Freeview and Freesat, Freely's interface augments traditional grid-based linear TV access with an inventive "MiniGuide" function that pops up whenever users switch channels, allowing for seamless browsing across related live or on-demand content. Also included is the ability to pause and restart live shows (full cloud-based advance recording is rumored to also be in the development pipeline), and a seven-day-advance "TV Guide" EPG feature enables future viewing decision-making. 

Freely

While not yet quite a full-fledged (or tablet/mobile-available) app, Freely is already baked into UK smart TV OS environments from Hisense, TiVo and Vestel's 20+ TV brands (e.g., JVC, Toshiba, Hitachi, etc.), with many more in process; additional broadcast offerings from Scotland's STV, Wales' S4C and free-to-air UKTV channels W, Dave, Yesterday, and Drama are planned programming additions in the coming weeks.

​It's enough to make the fee-overloaded, streaming-first American TV/video consumer rabidly jealous: why can't we US viewers have the ability to easily stream full, (ostensibly) free local broadcast signals instead of having to either: 1) pay for them as part of a linear MVPD TV bundle; 2) settle for faux newscast-only FAST-channel approximations; or 3) MacGyver a separate/parallel/clunky antenna integration?​  

​As the US broadcasting industry faces its own challenges in the streaming era, Freely offers a valuable ​set of lesson​s in innovation and adaptability​.  

And, if urgently heeded, a major opportunity to reinvent its offerings to not only stay relevant, but also thrive amid an undeniable sea change in consumer viewing behavior.

We'll outline just how in our "Part Two" next week!

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