'Freely' Streaming Platform to be Available on Amazon Fire TVs to Boost BBC and ITV

Freely, a new streaming service sponsored by the BBC, ITV (ITV.L), opens new tab and other British public broadcasters, will be offered on Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab Fire televisions following a "landmark deal" with the U.S. technology giant, the companies said on Monday.

The agreement represents a victory for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5. Their joint venture, Everyone TV, debuted Freely earlier this year, enabling customers to purchase smart TVs that support the service and access live TV and on-demand material for free.

Through smart TVs running Amazon's well-liked Fire operating system, the partnership will help make content from the four public broadcasters—which are mandated by UK legislation to provide programs beneficial to the public interest—available to more British households.

CEO of Everyone TV Jonathan Thompson remarked, "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."

With the April debut of Freely, all four of Britain's public service broadcasters collaborated for the first time to create a streaming service, with the goal of preparing live TV for the streaming era.

According to data from London-based Ampere Analysis, Freely offers 70,000 hours of on-demand entertainment, more than any other major streaming platform in Britain, including Netflix (NFLX.O), opens new tab, Disney (DIS.N), Amazon Prime, and Apple TV (AAPL.O).

Additionally, it was reported that Everyone TV has an agreement with TCL, a TV maker, to integrate Freely into their upcoming 2024 smart TVs.