Major UK channels club together with brand new free streaming service to rival Netflix-Robert Oliver-Entertainment – Metro

You could soon be watching the BBC on a brand new app (Picture: Getty)

The four major broadcasters in the UK have all come together to rival streaming giants Netflix and Disney Plus.

BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 have banded together to create a brand new free streaming service that’s aiming to rival Netflix and Disney Plus.

Each of the UK’s five biggest broadcasters have developed the platform to air live TV across broadband, which will mean you no longer need a TV aerial at home.

The new service, which will be called Freely, is expected to launch at some point in 2024 and will be installed on the next generation of smart TVs available in the UK.

However, the app is unlikely to be available to those still using TVs built before 2024, with the app not able to be installed at this present moment.

Freely will be developed by the organisation known as Everyone TV, which runs free TV in the UK and is jointly owned by the five terrestrial channels.

Other channels, including ITV, have joined the initiative (Picture: Getty)

Its chief executive, Johnathan Thompson, said that TV broadcasting now must reflect the new world of TV, dominated by on-demand streaming services.

‘[Freely] is a reflection of the fact that a growing number of UK viewers are watching content online, but still want easy access to the shared experience of live TV,’ he said.

According to current statistics, 15% of people in the UK don’t have a TV aerial, preferring to watch live TV via apps such as All4, iPlayer, and ITVX.

Freely would allow you to watch Strictly on a streaming service, free of charge (Picture: PA)

However, this number is expected to hit 50% over the next 10 years, which is something Everyone TV say they are anticipating.

In addition, ITV’s chief executive, Dame Carolyn McCall has said that they want free channels to be ‘easy to find’ for people who use internet-connected TVs.

‘More and more UK households use internet-connected TVs – it’s critical that the public service broadcaster channels remain available and easy for them to find.’

‘This new collaboration enables the UK public to continue to get all of their favourite British TV channels, for free — just as Freeview did at the advent of digital TV.’

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