BBC and other UK broadcasters unite for new Amazon streaming deal with Freely --[Reported by Umva mag]

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

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