Freely unveils Hisense as its first smart TV partner

Freely – a new TV service designed to deliver live and on-demand content for free over your internet connection – has confirmed Hisense as its first smart TV partner.

Freely was first announced in September and is the brainchild of Everyone TV (formerly Digital UK), a joint venture owned by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and the company that looks after Freeview and Freesat.

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While not positioned as a direct replacement for those services, it certainly has the potential to become the go-to option for those with a smart TV and reliable broadband connection.

The service will allow users to stream live and on-demand content from all four of the aforementioned broadcast networks over the internet, removing the need for a satellite dish or TV aerial, and support for more free-to-air channels is set to be announced in due course.

Other details about Freely are thin on the ground but the new brand’s logo has been revealed and includes “Freemoji” – a pared-back brand mascot that takes the form of a couple of dots and an arc bearing a vague resemblance to a face. It’s also been confirmed that Freely will have a bespoke TV guide designed to provide easy access to your favourite content and help you discover your next binge-watch series.

Hisense is the first TV company to jump on board with Freely having signed a five-year partnership that will see the service pre-installed on its 2024 range of smart TVs.

We’ve reviewed a couple of Hisense smart TVs this year – the Hisense U8K and Hisense E7K Pro – both of which received solid four-star ratings and incorporate Freeview Play, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that the Chinese manufacturer has been quick to partner with Freely.

Speaking about the partnership, Everyone TV’s Chief Commerical Officer, Deep Halder, said: “We’re delighted that Hisense is partnering with us to bring Freely to market in the UK.

“Building on our long history of working together successfully, we are excited to be bringing the first free aggregated live and on-demand TV experience to British viewers, built into Hisense’s next-gen smart TVs.”

Arun Bhatoye, Head of Marketing at Hisense UK, added: “We’re excited to partner with Freely, an innovative platform bringing UK viewers their beloved content across the latest Hisense TV lineup.

“Our philosophy revolves around giving our customers more choice and this collaboration remains consistent with that principle.”

More information about Freely, including launch timings and additional smart TV partners, will be announced next year. In the meantime, make sure you check out our pick of the best TVs for every budget, our favourite TVs available for under £500 and our pick of the top TVs for gaming.