Everyone TV, backed by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5, is extending the reach of its Freely television platform to online devices, starting with Netgem later in the year. It means that existing televisions can access services online through a plug-in puck, without needing an aerial connection.
French company Netgem will be the first Freely ‘plug-in and stream’ device partner. It will include more than 40 live channels, with more coming, and access to apps including the BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and Channel 5.
Netgem has designed the small and modern device to provide a seamless and intuitive user experience, integrating the Freely interface at its core and giving easy access to stream live television and on demand free-to-air shows, sitting alongside access to popular global and local streaming applications. Pricing for the product has yet to be announced.
The puck device will also include additional streaming channels and provide access to the Netgem Cloud Gaming service.
“This innovation represents a game-changer for viewers who seek a streamlined TV and entertainment experience delivered over Wi-Fi,” said Sylvain Thevenot, the managing director of Netgem in the United Kingdom. The integration of Freely with Netgem’s entertainment service positions this streaming puck as the optimal choice for all households and breathes a second life to all TV sets at an affordable price.”
In response to a consultation from the regulator Ofcom, Netgem had previously said that public service broadcasters in the United Kingdom should adopt a similar principle to other European markets, with an open set of technical and functional requirements as opposed to imposing a single solution in the market. However, it said it would be happy to implement a solution provided by broadcasters, as long as Freely is made available transparently and with clear timelines to allow it to remain competitive in a market in which television is already available online through operators like BT, VirginMedia, and Sky.