Sky and Virgin Media's biggest free threat now comes from projectors too, not just streaming TVs

The landscape of UK television is changing. Broadcasters and providers are seriously considering the next phase – including the switch to delivery by broadband, instead of satellite, cable and even antenna.

It's why Sky is slowly moving away from Sky Q to Sky Glass and Sky Stream, while Virgin Media is also dipping its toe into the online-only waters with its own Stream box. But there's an alternative to both – one that's completely free, And it's rapidly expanding.

Freely isn't only a free rival to Sky and Virgin Media, but conventional TV platforms too. Backed by all the major UK broadcasters – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and 5 – it provides more than 44 channels over the internet, with accessibility to catch-up content too.

Its only issue to date is availability – you could only access Freely on select Smart TVs from a handful of manufacturers. Existing TVs are not backward compatible. But that's about to change.

We will soon see Freely launch on a couple of new set-top boxes, from Netgem and Humax, and now Hisense has updated its 2025 and 2024 laser projectors to offer the streaming service, as well.

How does Freely work on Hisense projectors?

As revealed by Forbes, Hisense has added Freely to its Smart Laser projector range, including the PL1SE [pictured].

This includes the brand's short throw projectors, so you can turn your living room into a home cinema, even if you don't have much space.

Freely enables streaming live TV directly on each of the supported projectors, which includes all BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and 5 channels, plus additional, exclusive stations and those from other partners – such as the U network.

Hisense is one of the brands that has been making Freely TVs from the start, so it's not surprising that it's moving the service onto other products. But by expanding into projectors, it shows the scope of the platform's ambitions.

As BBC director general, Tim Davie, boldly outlined earlier this year, TV is moving into a new online age and this is just the start. We fully expect to see Freely appear on more devices soon.