Amazon Fire TVs to offer free streaming platforms in Boost for BBC, ITV
A new streaming service backed by the BBC, ITV and other British public broadcasters will be freely available on Amazon Fire televisions following a “landmark deal” with the US tech giant, the companies said on Monday.
The deal is a win for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, whose joint venture, called Everyone TV, launched Freely earlier this year, allowing viewers to stream both live TV and on-demand content for free when they buy smart TVs . carry the service.
The partnership will help bring content from the four public service broadcasters – which are required by UK law to provide programs beneficial to the public interest – to more UK households, via smart TVs using the Amazon’s popular Fire operating system.
“A deal like this, between a tech giant and those working in the public interest, is remarkable,” said Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Everyone TV.
“It represents a significant development in increasing the availability of Freely and therefore ensures that the British public will have access to free TV well into the future.”
The launch of Freely in April marked the first time that all four of the UK’s public broadcasters have joined forces to create a streaming service, in their quest to future-proof live TV in the streaming age.
Offers 70,000 hours of on-demand content for free, more than any other major streaming platform in Britain, including Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime and Apple TV, according to data from London-based Ampere Analysis.
Everyone TV has also signed a deal with TV manufacturer TCL, which will include Freely in their new smart TVs for 2024, the company said.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
