rival

FREEVIEW’S successor will appear on even more screens after landing a deal with one of the world’s biggest TV brands.

Freely, made from the same company as Freeview, is encouraging viewers away from the humble TV aerial to using Wi-Fi instead.

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This means you don’t need to worry about pesky signal issues – nor having to place your telly near the aerial port in the wall.

For the moment, the service is hybrid so it can take Freeview channels the traditional way as well as via broadband.

Just recently, more than a dozen channels you can’t get with an aerial were added.

This includes a channel for game show favourite The Chase, all Channel 4’s best property shows on 4Homes, plus 5 Cops for all ofmi 5‘s real crime hits.

Freely – which is run by BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5’s Everyone TV – has been adding a number of device partners since bursting onto the scene over a year ago.

Fire TV was a big newcomer but now Roku is getting on board too.

Freely will be available on the next generation of smart TVs powered by the Roku operating system.

Roku can be found on a number of major TV models, such as Sharp, Polaroid, and METZ.

“Offering Freely on the Roku operating system is a major milestone for us, as we continue to expand reach for the free streaming platform,” said Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Everyone TV.

Just last month, Freely announced some new features to rival premium services like Sky’s own streamed TV alternative Sky Glass.

A new backward TV guide was introduced, allowing people to scroll back on the screen and instantly see what’s been on recently, with a quick link directly to a catch up stream if one is available.

You can scroll back a full seven days.

A Never Miss feature was also added, which highlight programmes coming up, on now, and those you just missed, alongside the biggest and best shows available on demand.

And My List will let you save up to 50 of your favourite shows from the UK’s biggest free-to-air broadcasters all in one place so you can keep track of them.

RECENT CHANNEL ADDITIONS ON FREELY

• The Chase
• Saturday Night Every Night
• 4Reality
• 4Homes
• 4Life
• 5 GPs Behind Closed Doors
• 5 Bargain
• 5 The Yorkshire Vet
• 5 History
• 5 Crime
• Milkshake!
• 5 Police Interceptors
• 5 Cops
• 5 Trucking Hell
• 5 A&E
• 5 Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly

Image credit: Everyone TV

FREELY ON A STICK?

So far, Freely has only been made available on new smart TVs for sale.

But BBC boss Tim Davie recently hinted that a Fire Stick-like device with Freely on it could come in the future.

“We have been working hard to build digital platforms and content to meet changing audience needs, enriching our offer and welcoming the possibilities of a post broadcast world,” he said during a speech at Salford’s Lowry Theatre.

“We want to double down on Freely as a universal free service to deliver live TV over broadband.

“And we are considering a streaming media device with Freely capabilities built in, with a radically simplified user interface specifically designed to help those yet to benefit from IP services.”

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE WE REPLACE FREEVIEW

Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun

DTT – digital terrestrial television – is the system used for Freeview broadcasts today.

About 18million homes still use it as their main way of watching TV.

Before we even begin to think about switching it off, we have to make sure no one is left behind.

So any internet-based alternative – Freely or otherwise – needs to be just as easy to install and use.

Then there’s the matter of broadband.

The UK needs to have reliable broadband everywhere so everyone has access.

Emphasis on reliable – no one wants buffering mid-way through a live football match.

So not only will broadband need to be pretty much everywhere it will need to be fast enough to handle demand all the time.

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MMA icon Ben Askren is “unresponsive” in hospital after being struck down by severe pneumonia.

The former MMA and wrestling star infamously came out of retirement to face Jake Paul in a boxing match in 2021.

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Askren, a former Olympian, was active in MMA for over a decade.

News of his hospitalisation broke during UFC 316 in New Jersey on Saturday night.

Funky has not been active in the squared circle since his exhibition with Paul almost four years ago.

But he is fondly remembered in wrestling circles as one of the greatest grapplers of all time.

Askren, 40, is currently battling “a sudden and severe onset of pneumonia”.

His wife Amy penned a heartfelt update on her husband’s condition.

She wrote on Facebook: “You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something.

“He developed severe pneumonia, which came on very suddenly.

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“He’s currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time.

“We welcome all prayers for healing and for peace.

“We are trying to keep life as normal as possible for our children currently and doing our best to support them thoughtfully, so please refrain from discussing it with them for now.”

Fans were quick to send their well wishes to the Askren family.

Former UFC champ Henry Cejudo wrote on X: “Pray for Ben Askren.”

One fan wrote: “You got this Ben, keep fighting.”

While another commented: “Wishing the best for Ben Askren and his family. Ben was an innovative and creative wrestler in his prime and now he builds up some of the best wrestlers America has ever seen. The wrestling world owes a debt of gratitude to a man like him.”

He’s currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time.

Amy Askren

Askren began wrestling at the age of just 6.

He competed for the Missouri Tigers in college, twice becoming a D1 national champion.

Askren was a member of the 2008 US Olympics wrestling team, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Cuba’s Ivan Fundora on points.

Following his Olympic adventure, the Iowa-native transitioned into MMA.

He boasted 19 wins from 22 MMA pro fights, with his first loss coming in an infamous flying kick KO by Jorge Masvidal five seconds into their bout at UFC 239.

Askren’s highly publicised boxing bout with YouTuber Paul saw 500,000 PPV buys.

Paul, then aged 24, won the bout via TKO in one minute and 59 seconds of the first round.

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu said the body’s status would be on par with the UN’s International Court of Justice.

The Chinese government has signed a convention establishing an international mediation organisation located in Hong Kong, with Beijing hoping it will rival the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as the world’s leading conflict resolution body.

The Convention on the Establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) was signed into law on Friday, in a ceremony presided over by Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi in Hong Kong.

The ceremony was attended by representatives from several countries, including Indonesia, Pakistan, Laos, Cambodia and Serbia. Representatives from 20 international bodies, including the United Nations, also attended the ceremony, according to Hong Kong’s RTHK public broadcaster.

A video shown at the signing ceremony said the scope of cases handled by the body would include disputes between countries, between a country and nationals of another country, and between private international entities.

Beijing plans for the body to cement Hong Kong’s presence as a top global mediation hub, as it hopes to bolster the city’s waning international credentials.

In an un-bylined opinion piece published in China’s state-run Global Times newspaper, IOMed was described as the “world’s first intergovernmental international legal organisation dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation”.

IOMed would fill a “critical gap in mechanisms focused on mediation-based dispute resolution”, it said.

“The establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation marks a milestone in global governance and highlights the value of resolving conflicts in an ‘amicable way’,” it added.

The ICJ – the principal judicial organ of the UN, also known as the World Court – is currently the top body for solving legal disputes between member states in accordance with international law. It also provides advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by UN bodies.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said this week that IOMed’s status would be on par with the UN bodies the ICJ and the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

Lee said it would also help bring “substantial” economic benefits and job opportunities, as well as stimulate various sectors including hospitality and transport, to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong has experienced sustained economic stagnation since its handover back to Chinese rule in 1997 after more than a century and a half as a British colony.

Investor confidence has been rocked by Beijing’s increasing control over all aspects of life in the territory – including the economy – while gloom also persists about the state of China’s post-pandemic recovery.

In an opinion piece published in the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s Justice Secretary Paul Lam said IOMed would help Hong Kong cope with challenges presented by “hostile external forces” that are “attempting to de-internationalise and de-functionalise” it.

“To cope with such a challenge, Hong Kong needs to make good use of the IOMed headquarters as a focus for strengthening the city as an international dispute resolution centre, so as to give full play to its institutional advantages under the ‘one country, two systems’ framework,” Lam said, referring to China’s model of governing Hong Kong, which nominally allows it a level of autonomy.

The IOMed headquarters, due to open by the end of this year or in early 2026, will be located at a former police station in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district.

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Warsaw to show support for the opposing candidates in next weekend’s tightly contested Polish presidential run-off, which the government views as crucial to its efforts for pro-European democratic reform.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk hopes to galvanise support for his candidate, liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, to replace outgoing Andrzej Duda, a nationalist who has vetoed many of Tusk’s efforts to reform the judiciary.

“All of Poland is looking at us. All of Europe is looking at us. The whole world is looking at us,” Trzaskowski told supporters who waved Polish and European Union flags on Sunday.

Tusk swept to power in 2023 with a broad alliance of leftist and centrist parties on a promise to undo changes made by the nationalist Law and Justice government that the EU said had undermined democracy and women’s and minority rights.

Trzaskowski beat nationalist opponent Karol Nawrocki by 2 percentage points in the first round of the election on May 18 but is struggling to sustain his lead, according to opinion polls.

The two candidates are locked in a tight contest before the June 1 run-off with the latest polls projecting a tie of 47 percent of the vote each.

Nawrocki’s voters – some wearing hats with the words “Poland is the most important,” a nod to United States President Donald Trump’s America First policies – gathered in a different part of the capital to show support for his drive to align Poland more closely with Trump and the region’s populists.

“I am the voice of all those whose cries do not reach Donald Tusk today. The voice of all those who do not want Polish schools to be places of ideology, our Polish agriculture to be destroyed or our freedom taken away,” Nawrocki told the crowd.

Some of his supporters carried banners with slogans such as “Stop Migration Pact” and “This is Poland” or displayed images of Trump.

“He is the best candidate, the most patriotic, one who can guarantee that Poland is independent and sovereign,” Jan Sulanowski, 42, said.

An estimated 50,000 people attended the gathering of Nawrocki’s supporters while about 140,000 people participated in the march supporting Trzaskowski, the Polish Press Agency reported, citing unofficial preliminary estimates from city authorities.

Jakub Kaszycki, 21, joined the pro-Trzaskowski march, saying it could determine Poland’s future direction. “I very much favour … the West’s way to Europe, not to Russia,” he said.

At Trzaskowski’s march, newly elected Romanian President Nicusor Dan pledged to work closely with Tusk and Trzaskowski “to ensure Poland and the European Union remain strong”.

Dan’s unexpected victory in a vote on May 18 over a hard-right Trump supporter was greeted with relief in Brussels and other parts of Europe because many were concerned that his rival George Simion would have complicated EU efforts to tackle Russia’s war in Ukraine.

If Kamala Harris runs for California governor, the job is essentially hers for the taking.

So goes the common wisdom.

After all, she’s a household name, which is no small consideration in a state as vast and politically inattentive as California. She has a coast-to-coast fundraising base and a record of winning statewide contests going back to 2010, when she was first elected attorney general.

Who better, supporters say, to engage President Trump than the former prosecutor who whipped him in their one debate and only just lost the popular vote after being thrust overnight into a drastically truncated campaign?

Antonio Villaraigosa isn’t buying that for a second.

Unlike others in the crowded race for governor, who are likely to drop out if Harris jumps in, L.A.’s former mayor said he’s not budging.

In fact, Villaraigosa insists he wants Harris to run — just so he can beat her and, he says, send an anti-elitist message to those Democrats who have their noses in the air rather than eyes fixed on hard-pressed voters and their myriad frustrations.

“I think she’s been OK that we’ve been a party of just people that drive a Tesla and not a Toyota pickup, or ride a bus like my mother did,” Villaraigosa said. “I think she has no idea what it means to buy a carton of eggs and spend $12 at Ralph’s.”

Harris is “the face of that party,” he went on, warming to the heat of his smoldering rhetoric. “The party that thinks that people that don’t have a college education are stupid. The party that believes that … people voted for Trump just because he’s a great used-car salesman and not because what he was selling resonated with people that work every day. The people who shower after work. Not before.”

As Harris uses the summer to decide her future — retiring from politics or running again for president being other options — no Democrat has been as brash and bold as Villaraigosa when it comes to assailing the putative front-runner and erstwhile leader of the national party.

Earlier this week, he accused Harris and Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra of helping cover up President Biden’s decline in office, seizing on the scandal fueled by a new book, “Original Sin,” that offered details of Biden’s eroding mental and physical state.

“She could say she didn’t know,” Villaraigosa said, elaborating on that initial volley during a lengthy conversation. “They can’t prove that she did. But last time I looked, she had lunch with him pretty regularly … She had to have seen what the world [saw] over time and particularly in that debate. The notion that she didn’t? Come on. Who’s going to buy that?”

That sort of talk is more typical of, say, Fox News than a candidate bidding for the support of fellow Democrats. Villaraigosa, a former labor leader who’s gotten crossways with teacher unions among other party mainstays, professed not to care. If anything, he said, he’s been encouraged by the response.

“For every one of those people” — upset by Villaraigosa’s remarks — “there are three of them, maybe not as high up among Democrats, who are saying the same damn thing. That’s why this got so much traction … Since Vietnam, people don’t believe in government anymore. They don’t believe in their leaders. And every time we lie or misrepresent … [or] hide the truth from them, their support and their belief in our institutions” diminishes.

Harris would have plenty of time to push back on Villaraigosa’s depiction, should she choose to run. In the meantime, what’s notable is his eagerness to take on the former vice president, positioning himself as the most vocal and assertive of her potential gubernatorial rivals.

Others have taken a few pokes.

“No one should be waiting to lead,” former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter told The Times’ Seema Mehta after entering the contest in March.

Becerra echoed that sentiment when he announced his candidacy in April. “Watching what’s unfolding before our eyes made it clear this is not a time to sit on the sidelines,” Becerra said.

But that’s comparatively weak tea.

“If she wants to come in the race, she should come in now,” Villaraigosa taunted. “Let’s debate. What are the challenges facing our state? Where are the opportunities? Where do we meld them together? How do we make this a better state for our kids?”

During the 40-minute phone conversation, starting in his car and finishing after Villaraigosa arrived home in Los Angeles, he toggled between criticisms of Harris and statements of good will toward a one-time political ally.

The two have known each other, he said, since the mid-1990s, when Villaraigosa was a freshman assemblyman in Sacramento and Harris was dating then-Speaker Willie Brown. He supported her run for attorney general — “I did three press conferences” as L.A. mayor — and was quick to back her as soon as Biden stepped aside last summer and Harris became the Democratic nominee.

“I supported her,” he said. “I got behind her. Her husband” — former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff — “has thanked me a number of times when he’s seen me in person.”

The disagreement now, Villaraigosa said, is over the direction of a party he sees unmoored from its history as a champion of the middle and working classes and too beholden to interest groups that make up its patchwork coalition. Harris, he suggested, is the personification of that disconnect from Democratic tradition.

“At the end of the day, what I’m arguing for is, let’s get to the place where we’re focused on getting things done and focused on common sense,” Villaraigosa said, citing, among issues, his support for Proposition 36, the anti-crime measure that voters overwhelming approved last November. The vice president, he noted, refused to take a position.

But don’t, he said before hanging up, take his attacks on Harris the wrong way.

“This isn’t personal,” Villaraigosa insisted.

It’s just politics.

THE BOSS of an iconic car brand has revealed a major update on its merger with a rival, as the company admits the EV push is hurting sales.

Despite rumours of a potential tie-up between Stellantis and Renault, both companies have denied seeking a partnership.

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John Elkann, Stellantis Chairman, told the Financial Times: “We are not discussing any merger.”

Management at the automotive giant has been turbulent following the resignation of the former CEO, Carlos Tavares, who they still haven’t replaced.

The automotive giant currently oversees many carmakers such as Peugeot, Fiat and Vauxhall.

However, Stellantis has several underperforming brands, such as Chrysler, described as “a shadow of its former self,” according to motor1.com

Another failing car manufacturer is Abarth, which has seen revenues drop during its push to go fully electric.

This has caused major concern at Stellantis, adding to the company’s decision not to get involved in a massive merger.

Last year, the Auto conglomerate recorded a 12 per cent drop in shipments, which they blamed on “temporary gaps in product offerings”.

On the other hand, the Renault group reported their highest sales.

The two major companies share a common ground regarding the future of cars in Europe.

Both share concerns over strict emission regulations negatively impacting their profit and production of gas-powered city cars.

The European Union recently granted automakers an extension to meet their emission targets.

However, by 2030, stricter regulations will come into force, banning the sale of new cars with harmful emissions across the EU.

This comes after Europe’s second-largest carmaker halted production of an iconic model as its EV lineup faces “deep trouble”.

An initial manufacturing break at Stellantis has now been extended as bosses report a collapse in demand for electric cars.

The Fiat 500 was one of the vast company’s most successful and beloved models across two production runs lasting a collective 35 years.

Dating back to 1957, it has sold more than six million units between its two iterations.

However, the 500e, unveiled in 2020 as an electric alternative, has proved less popular.

The model is intended as the long-term successor to the 500 beyond the 2035 ban on petrol and diesel car sales.

But stuttering demand has now forced a pause in its production.

The latest data suggest that both the petrol and electric 500 sol 74,885 units from January to July.

That’s almost a quarter down on the same period last year.

Bosses told Autocar that poor sales were “linked to the deep difficulties experienced in the European EV market by all producers.”

They have also reportedly told union reps that the electric car segment is facing “deep trouble” more generally.

Fiat CEO Olivier François said: “We obviously, like everyone else, thought that the world would go electric faster and the cost of electrification would go down faster.

“But we couldn’t imagine that Covid would happen, shortage of raw materials would happen [and] the European Society – not all, not the youngest part – would turn their backs on the sustainable solutions.

“But this is the reality. We have to face those realities.”

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

George Simion rejected the exit poll soon after it was released, claiming he was ahead in the vote.

Centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, who has pledged to clamp down on corruption and is staunchly pro-EU and NATO, is on course to win presidential elections in Romania.

Exit polls showed Dan ahead with 54.9 percent. His rival, hard-right nationalist George Simion, was on 45.1 percent.

Simion rejected the exit poll soon after it was released, claiming on Sunday his count estimates have him at 400,000 votes more than Dan.

Dan had campaigned on a pledge to fight rampant corruption and to keep Romania firmly within the European mainstream.

The rerun was held months after the cancellation of the previous election plunged Romania into its worst political crisis in decades.

Turnout was significantly higher in Sunday’s runoff and is expected to play a decisive role in the outcome.

Official results are expected to come in later on Sunday.

Simion appeared alongside Georgescu at a Bucharest polling station on Sunday and told reporters that he voted against the “humiliations to which our sisters and brothers have been subjected”.

“We voted against abuses and against poverty,” he said. “I voted for our future to be decided only by Romanians, for Romanians and Romania. So help us God!”

More to come…

The proposed merger, which would create the largest cable provider in the US, could face antitrust hurdles.

Charter Communications has agreed to buy its rival Cox Communications for $21.9bn in a deal that would unite the two of the largest cable and broadband operators in the United States as they battle streaming giants and mobile carriers for customers.

The deal, announced on Friday, comes more than a decade after the companies reportedly abandoned an earlier merger attempt. Since then, pressure has intensified on cable companies, with wireless carriers attracting broadband customers with aggressive plans, while millions ditch traditional pay-TV for streaming.

The companies said they expect to realise $500m in cost savings within three years of the deal’s expected close in mid-2026.

Under the cash-and-stock deal, Charter will take on about $12.6bn of Cox’s net debt and other obligations, giving the transaction an enterprise value of $34.5bn.

Cox Enterprises, the family-owned parent of Cox Communications, will own about 23 percent of the merged entity, with its CEO Alex Taylor serving as chairman.

The combined firm will rebrand as Cox Communications within a year of the deal’s close, with Charter’s Spectrum being the consumer-facing brand. It will keep its headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, while maintaining a big presence at Cox’s campus in Atlanta, Georgia.

The merger with Cox – one of the biggest deals globally this year – will aid Charter’s push to bundle broadband and mobile services, helping it fend off competition from carriers.

Analysts have said Charter’s strategy of combining internet, TV and mobile services into a single, customizable package has shown merit, but it needs scale as cable firms rely on leasing network access from major carriers to offer mobile plans.

“This combination will augment our ability to innovate and provide high-quality, competitively priced products,” said Charter CEO Chris Winfrey, who will head the combined company.

The Spectrum-owner has a market value of nearly $60bn.

On Wall Street, Charter’s stock rose on the news of the potential merger. As of 12:00pm ET (16:00 GMT) the stock is up 1.66 percent since the market opened.

Antitrust concerns 

The merger will be among the first major tests of M&A regulation under the administration of US President Donald Trump, as it would create the largest US cable TV and broadband provider with about 38 million subscribers, surpassing current market leader Comcast.

It will likely be reviewed by the US Department of Justice’s antitrust division. Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater, who leads the division, has made it clear she intends to focus on mergers that decrease competition in ways that harm consumers or workers.

EMarketer analyst Ross Benes said the merged entity would be the largest US pay-TV operator, but the “ISP (internet service provider) side of the business is more consequential” for consumers, potentially positioning it as a regional monopoly.

Winfrey echoed Trump’s “America First” employment priorities and said the deal would bring Cox’s customer service jobs back from overseas, but he did not specify how many. Charter’s customer service teams are already based entirely in the US.

“This is the first big corporate move (in the same sector) to happen under the new Trump administration so … will set the tone for other potential moves or not,” said PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore.

Charter and Cox had also discussed a merger in 2013 before shelving the plan, according to media reports. But speculation had risen again in recent months after cable billionaire John Malone said in November Charter should be allowed to merge with rivals such as Cox, shortly after Charter agreed to buy his Liberty Broadband.

Liberty Broadband shareholders will receive direct interest in Charter under the terms of the deal with Cox.

DAVID BECKHAM has lashed out at an MLS rival and demanded the club show a “little respect”.

Beckham’s Inter Miami were thrashed 4-1 by Minnesota United on Saturday.

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It was the first time Miami have lost by three goals or more since the arrival of Lionel Messi in 2023.

The heavy loss was the Herons’ fourth defeat in their last five matches.

And Minnesota’s social media team were keen to revel in victory after a dominant performance.

Following Saturday’s game, the club posted a picture of dejected Miami players on Instagram with the caption: “Pink Phony Club.”

The post referred to Miami’s pink kit and played on singer Chappell Roan’s mega-hit Pink Pony Club.

Co-owner Beckham, who helped found the club in 2018, didn’t see the funny side.

The England legend wrote in response on Instagram: “Show a little respect @mnufc be elegant in triumph.”

Minnesota fans had also taunted Miami before the game with a banner which read: “History over Hype, Culture over Cash”.

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After the image was shared by Minnesota’s official account, Beckham added: “Respect over everything @mnufc.”

Messi, 37, scored in Saturday’s 4-1 loss, his 44th since joining the club almost two years ago.

But Miami boss Javier Mascherano has now suffered five defeats since taking over in January.

And the Argentine admits he needs the club’s form to turn around ahead of June’s Club World Cup.

Mascerano said: “It’s a tough loss for us.

“We knew Minnesota could hurt us in this way, in transitions, on set pieces, and they hurt us in the way we had prepared for the game.

“That’s what worries me the most.

“If the players drop their levels, clearly the responsibility falls on me. All on me.

“If the coach does not convince them or transmit what he is looking for, all the responsibility falls on the coach.”

Getty Images

Private tirzepatide sales ‘well ahead of semaglutide’