For free, a new streaming service backed by the BBC, ITV and other UK public broadcasters will be available on Amazon Fire TVs following a “significant deal” with the US tech giant, the companies said on Monday.

The deal is a win for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, whose joint venture, called Everyone TV, launched Freely earlier this year, allowing viewers to stream live TV and on-demand content for free when they buy a smart TV. carrying service.

The tie-up will help bring content from the four public service broadcasters – which are required by UK law to offer programming useful in the public interest – to more UK households, via smart TVs running Amazon’s popular Fire operating system.

“A deal of this kind, between a tech giant and those working in the public interest, is extraordinary,” said Everyone TV chief executive Jonathan Thompson.

“This represents significant progress in extending the reach of Freely and therefore ensures that UK audiences can access free TV well into the future.”

The launch of Freely in April marked the first time that all four of the UK’s public broadcasters have come together to set up a streaming service, as they look to live TV in the future of the streaming age.

It offers 70,000 hours of on-demand content for free, more than any other major streaming platform in Britain including Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime and Apple TV, according to London-based Ampere Analysis.

Everyone TV has also signed a deal with TV maker TCL, which will include Freely in their new smart TVs in 2024, it said.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

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