Freeview boss reveals key feature your next TV needs – you could end up with big streaming bills if you don’t get it

THE boss of Freeview has encouraged viewers to make their next TV purchase wisely, as the UK heads towards an aerial-free future.

Freeview unveiled in April its eventual-successor, Freely, which is a platform available on select TVs where viewers can watch top shows from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and more.

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Freely essentially puts all the best content from these channels in one place, so you don’t have to scroll through the iPlayer app to find a trending show.

However, the platform is only available on TVs from a handful of brands, like Hisense and Amazon Fire.

“As people are starting to think about their next smart TV, we want to encourage them to make a choice of a TV with Freely because we think it’s our best service and it’s the future,” Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Everyone TV, which operates Freeview and Freely, alongside Freesat, told The Sun.

Thompson noted that an increasing number of households are becoming “streaming-first” or even “streaming-only” households.

He believes that number will only grow in the coming years.

These are homes that have nearly, or completely, removed the need for aerial or satellite broadcasts, and have instead switched to internet-based TV.

Freely is watched live over the internet, just like Netflix and Disney+.

But instead of having a subscription, Freely is a free service that is built into select TVs.

“Freely is where we see our future,” Thompson added. “And I think over a period of time, we’d like to see more and more viewers adopting Freely and taking the marketplace in that direction.

“Over a long period of time, that will become our major platform. But that’s a journey of years.”

Freeview will live well into the 2030s, according to Thompson, squashing fears the service will be replaced by Freely by the end of the decade.

“Freeview is going to carry on for many, many years to come,” said Thompson.

“I know occasionally people worry about [if there’s] a risk that Freeview is going to be switched off or people are going to be forced to buy new TVs. None of that is the case.”

He added that Everyone TV will continue to support Freeview and Freesat for customers still relying on aerial and satellite.

It’s important to note that while Freely can be watched exclusively over Wi-Fi, it is a hybrid platform.

That means viewers who live in areas with a patchy internet connection and strength can plug their TV into their aerial.