Sky has a new UK TV rival, with Freely, Netflix and HBO Max built-in at no extra cost

Vodafone is finally offering its own TV streamer and service, to take on the likes of Sky, Virgin Media and EE/BT. However, it is really hitting the group running with a number of key inclusions that make it worth more than a second glance.

For starters, the new Vodafone TV runs Freely – the UK's fastest-growing free TV service with all the major channels and catch-up services. It also takes on Sky directly with included Netflix and HBO Max as part of the package.

That's something Sky has offered on Sky Glass and Sky Stream for a while, as part of its Sky Ultimate TV package. However, Vodafone is coming into the marketplace strong with a similar offer of Netflix Standard with Ads and HBO Max Standard with Ads subscriptions also thrown in.

On top of this, the Vodafone TV hub runs Android TV, so you can install just about every other streaming service you can imagine, plus games and other apps from the Google Play Store. And there will be more than 300 cloud streamed games available to play without a console at launch, using a smartphone as a controller or a Bluetooth gamepad linked to the box.

Additional streaming services available

Vodafone customers will also have the opportunity to add extra streaming memberships to their plan on a Vodafone Subscription+. That includes Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube Premium.

We're still awaiting full specs for the streaming box, but it has been revealed that it sports 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage for the apps and games. It supports 4K HDR, Dolby Vision and up to Dolby Atmos sound.

There's no word yet on pricing. but Vodafone TV will be available to both Vodafone mobile and broadband customers from October. We'll bring you further details as soon we have them.