Home BBC and other UK broadcasters unite for new Amazon streaming deal with Freely

BBC and other UK broadcasters unite for new Amazon streaming deal with Freely

TLDR

  • BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 team up to bring Freely to Amazon Fire TV.
  • Freely will offer live TV and on-demand content on new Amazon Fire smart TVs this autumn.
  • Freely provides 70,000 hours of free content and aims to expand its reach in the UK market.

British broadcasters BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 are teaming up to bring their new streaming service to Amazon, following a “landmark deal” with the US technology giant. The joint venture, known as Everyone TV, introduced Freely earlier this year. It gives viewers free access to live TV and on-demand content through compatible TVs.

Starting this autumn, the platform will be available on a variety of next-gen smart TVs running the Amazon Fire operating system. It will also become the primary TV guide on Amazon Fire TV smart TVs and those with Fire TV built-in.

The company’s chief executive, Jonathan Thompson, told Broadcast: “A deal of this kind, between a technology giant and those working in the public interest, is remarkable. It represents a significant development in widening the availability of Freely and therefore ensuring UK audiences can access free TV well into the future.”

He added that he was “pleased Amazon sees the immense value that easy access to public service broadcaster and other free-to-view content brings to UK audiences.”

Thompson continued: “This is the beginning of a journey, bringing invaluable content to UK audiences and uniting what was an increasingly fragmented viewing experience.”

Amazon’s director of Fire TV Europe Emma Gilmartin said: “This new deal for Freely allows us to provide even more value to our customers by giving them easy access to the best free TV shows, films and live channels from UK broadcasters, alongside the great content they already enjoy on Fire TV.”

What is Freely and why is it coming to Amazon?

Launched in April, Freely provides a combination of live channels and on-demand content from its four founding broadcasters, along with additional free content like UKTV channels, select Sky channels, Warner Bros. Discovery channels, and more.

The Fire TV operating system will make Freely available on new Amazon Fire TV smart TVs, including the Fire TV 2-Series and 4-Series.

According to Everyone TV, the platform gives viewers access to 70,000 hours of on demand content for free. Everyone TV has also announced a deal with TV manufacturer TCL to include Freely in their new 2024 smart TVs.

Amazon has been attempting to attract more viewers and advertisers in recent months. Last week, ReadWrite reported subscribers to Amazon Prime’s ad-supported tier will be seeing more ads in 2025. Amazon also shared data that suggests they can reach 19 million British viewers monthly, which could be why they’ve struck up this deal.

Featured image: Ideogram

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Suswati Basu
Tech journalist

Suswati Basu is a multilingual, award-winning editor and the founder of the intersectional literature channel, How To Be Books. She was shortlisted for the Guardian Mary Stott Prize and longlisted for the Guardian International Development Journalism Award. With 18 years of experience in the media industry, Suswati has held significant roles such as head of audience and deputy editor for NationalWorld news, digital editor for Channel 4 News and ITV News. She has also contributed to the Guardian and received training at the BBC As an audience, trends, and SEO specialist, she has participated in panel events alongside Google. Her…

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