
UK online TV service Freely will add a swathe of new channels over the coming months.
Freely compatible Smart TVs will be able to access the new channels from ITV, Channel 4, and 5 later this year.
UK viewers with Smart TVs that support Freely will be getting a host of new channels over the coming months – and for free.
Operated by Everyone TV and supported by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, Freely is a fairly new all-in-one television service. It provides access to live TV and on demand content streamed via the internet, and already features a wide selection of channels and catch-up shows.
However, the new live channels that are inbound will take the total up to 55 – some will even be exclusive to the platform.
The new streams will be provided by ITV, Channel 4 and 5, with some dedicated to specific shows or themes.
Coming from ITV are The Chase, and Saturday Night Every Night.
Channel 4 will curate 4Reality, 4Home, and 4Life.
While the newly-rebranded 5 service (from Channel 5 and My5) will launch the mainstay of the new offering: 5 GPs Behind Closed Doors, 5 Bargain Loving Brits, 5 The Yorkshire Vet, 5 History, 5 Crime, Milkshake!, 5 Police Interceptors, 5 Cops, 5 Trucking Hell. 5 A&E, and 5 Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly.
You can see the current list of channels available on Freely here.
What Smart TVs support Freely?
The only caveat to receiving the free channels above is that you need to have a recent TV that supports the Freely service. Many new TVs coming out in 2025 could also be Freely compatible.
This includes sets from Toshiba and Hisense which, as well as the above, will receive additional new channels in April, thanks to the integration of a large selection of streams from the VIDAA FAST network.
Other brands to offer Freely TVs right now include Panasonic (with its Z90A and Z95A OLED models having integration alongside some others). There are also sets for all budgets from the likes of TCL, Sharp, and Bush.
All of the supported sets will receive the 16 new broadcast channels "later this year".
You can check to see if your model is on the current list of compatible TVs on the Freely website.