One of the biggest complaints with cord cutting is that free broadcast TV stations that you can get with an antenna cost money if you live outside of the area they cover. In the U.K. that is starting to change as BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Paramount Global’s Channel 5 have launched Freely bringing their live and on-demand channels to consumers for free to your TV from a new streaming service called Freely.
There are a few catches with this service. First, it only works on smart TVs. Also, if you want to pause your TV, you will need to hurry back as the pause will only last for 15 minutes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The good news is the service also includes a large catalog of on-demand content with ads. You will even find a traditional guide for the live TV content.
The service targets the roughly 4 million U.K. residents who don’t have a TV provider. Cord cutting had a slower start in the U.K. than the U.S., but it has grown as new streaming services have launched putting pressure on traditional broadcasters like the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4.
The question now is with all the limitations will it be able to attract the audience it hopes to or will they continue to move to on-demand services like Disney+.
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