More UK Smart TVs get a completely free service that rivals Sky

Additional TV brands have joined forces with Freely to offer the free TV service on their Smart TVs in the UK.

Already available on models from Amazon, Panasonic, TCL, Sharp, Toshiba, Bush and Hisense, the streaming service will be available on select TVs from Philips later this month, while new JVC sets running Titan OS will also launch with access in the summer.

In addition, T3 recently revealed that Thomson models running on the TiVo platform will also launch with the ability to use Freely for live TV viewing and catch-up content.

This latest push will greatly expand the amount of Smart TVs with Freely support, just as the service increases the number of channels it offers. It will also soon gain new features through an update planned for later this month.

These include a new Backwards TV Guide – allowing you to scroll back through the EPG to stream programming shown earlier in the day. A Never Miss feature is being added too, which will highlight shows and movies that are coming up, on now, and what you might have recently missed.

Finally, you'll be able to save up to 50 favourites on your own list to select directly on the homepage.

What is Freely?

Freely is a completely free service that works with broadcast partners such as the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5 to give you more than 50 live TV channels streamed over the internet – including all of the main terrestrial stations.

As with Sky Glass, it doesn't require an aerial or satellite dish, just a decent broadband connection. You can connect your TV to your Wi-Fi network (or via Ethernet) and away you go.

Its availability is growing all the time, and you can see a current list of TVs that support it on the dedicated Freely website.

Philips' 2025 Ambilight TVs with Freely support will release later in May, while JVC's new models will follow this summer and be available from the likes of Currys.