Streaming service Freely has surpassed 500,000 weekly users in its first year, according to new data released by Everyone TV.
The platform — a joint venture between BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 — launched in 2024 as a free streaming alternative, giving audiences access to live and on-demand programming from the UK’s national broadcasters. Users can access the service via the internet or as an app on smart TVs. It is operated by Everyone TV, the organisation behind Freeview and Freesat.
As well as celebrating its half-a-million milestone, Freely claims it is on track to become the UK’s largest TV device platform by 2030, overtaking Freeview. Younger audiences have been central to its growth, with 16–34s emerging as the largest group of early adopters, while 80% of viewers surveyed said they would like Freely built into their next TV set.
Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Everyone TV, said: ‘With the majority of our users streaming-only, it shows that Freely is accomplishing what we set out to do – provide an easy and simple way for audiences to enjoy their favourite free TV shows all in one place as viewing habits shift.’
To mark its one-year anniversary, Everyone TV commissioned Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates to assess public opinion on national broadcasters. The report — The Heart of the Nation: The enduring power of the national broadcasters — surveyed 1,500 people and highlighted the cultural role of public service broadcasting.
While YouTube and Netflix dominate attention, the research suggests that the UK’s biggest shared cultural moments still come from national broadcasters. Findings showed that eight of the top 10 shows for shared viewing came from either the BBC, ITV or Channel 4. Respondents were also asked to recall the most ‘memorable’ TV moments from the last few years and it was again public broadcasters that dominated. Mr Bates vs The Post Office and footage from the Queen’s funeral in 2022 being the two most cited.
Viewers unsurprisingly found news from the national broadcasters the most trustworthy. BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5 all came in the top five most trusted sources, alongside Sky. Another key stat: 60% of low-income households identify public service broadcasters as best representing their local areas, compared with 22% for subscription streaming platforms and 14% for video-sharing platforms.
The study also points to Ofcom Media Nations data showing that national broadcasters still account for 41% of total TV viewing, compared with 14% for YouTube and 8% for Netflix. Mark Oliver, chairman and senior advisor at Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates, said: ‘As we increasingly hear a narrative that “YouTube is the new TV”, the report we have published today plays an important role in setting out the actual facts. British audiences of all ages still favour the long-loved national broadcasters.’
With the research Everyone TV is making a clear pitch to media buyers, stressing that shows from the national broadcasters still offer the greatest reach, trust and cultural resonance.
Freely’s growth among younger audiences has also been deliberately emphasised to complicate the popular narrative that Gen Z and millennials have abandoned traditional TV for TikTok and YouTube. Instead it suggests, with a more modernised platform, younger generations are still open to programmes from the national broadcasters.
