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Tag: Freely

  • Hisense hits one million sales of Freely-integrated TVs – Tech Digest

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    Hisense has announced a major UK milestone, surpassing one million sales of its televisions equipped with subscription-free streaming service Freely.

    The manufacturer claims this achievement cements its position as a dominant force in the British market, where it recently became the second-largest TV brand by volume.

    As the first manufacturer to partner with Freely in 2024, Hisense has integrated the service across its entire 4K lineup. The platform has proved a significant draw for consumers looking to move away from traditional infrastructure, offering over 60 live channels and 75,000 hours of on-demand content from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 without the need for a satellite dish or aerial.

    “Our partnership with Freely has played a key role in ensuring our range meets the needs of today’s consumers,” said Howard Grindrod, Vice President at Hisense UK. He noted that the milestone comes at a pivotal time as the brand prepares for a massive summer of sports, bolstered by its status as an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 26.

    The sales success also coincides with Hisense’s continued push into high-end display tech. The company recently became the first to bring RGB MiniLED technology to the UK market. Unlike standard displays, this system uses independently controlled red, green, and blue diodes to generate colour at the source.

    Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Everyone TV – the organization behind Freely – hailed the collaboration as a victory for British broadcasting. He noted that growth is accelerating as viewers discover the simplicity of Wi-Fi-only television.

    With the 2026 World Cup set to be streamed live on the platform, both partners expect the momentum to continue as many households now favour “all-in-one” streaming solutions over traditional broadcast methods.


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  • Humax introduces Aura EZ 4K Freely TV recorder – Tech Digest

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    Humax has unveiled its latest home entertainment device, the Humax Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder with Freely.

    The new set-top box, also known as the Humax FHR-6000T, is designed to bridge the gap between traditional broadcast television and modern streaming, offering a subscription-free viewing experience for UK households.

    Humax claims the Aura EZ is the first standalone device to integrate the new Freely streaming platform with recording capabilities.

    When connected to a standard aerial, the device allows viewers to record up to four channels simultaneously while watching a fifth live. However, it is only possible to record, or live pause, traditional Freeview channels. 

    A massive 2TB hard drive comes as standard, providing enough space to store approximately 1,000 hours of recordings.

    Beyond traditional recording, the box unlocks the Freely platform via a Wi-Fi connection. This provides instant access to more than 60 live channels and over 75,000 hours of on-demand content from major broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5.

    Because Freely delivers live TV over broadband, the Aura EZ can provide a full television experience even in rooms without an aerial socket.

    “Aura EZ is designed to be extremely easy to set up,” the company stated, noting that the device can be ready to watch in minutes. The unit supports 4K HDR picture quality and Dolby Digital Plus sound for an immersive cinematic experience.

    To make navigation easier, the remote control features a dedicated “Freely” button for one-touch access to the service’s unified mini-guide and “My List” features.

    For those who want to manage their entertainment on the move, a dedicated Aura EZ app is currently in testing. This will eventually allow users to plan and schedule recordings remotely from their smartphones.

    The Humax Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder is available for pre-order from today at a suggested retail price of £249. It is expected to be available from authorised Humax retailers across the UK later this month.


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  • Bitcoin falls to lowest level since Trump took office, Apple scales back AI health coach – Tech Digest

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    The price of Bitcoin fell to its lowest level     in 16 months despite US president Donald Trump’s personal and public support for cryptocurrency. A single Bitcoin went as low as $60,000 (£44,000), its lowest level since September 2024, before rallying slightly. The drop followed months of surging Bitcoin prices, which saw the cryptocurrency hit an all-time high of $122,200 in October 2025. “Those who bet too big, borrowed too much or assumed prices only go up are now finding out the hard way what real market volatility and risk management look like,” Joshua Chu, co-chair of the Hong Kong Web3 Association told Reuters. BBC 

    TikTok could be forced into changes to make the app less addictive to users after the EU indicated the platform had breached the bloc’s digital safety rules. The EU’s executive arm said in a preliminary ruling that the popular app had infringed the Digital Services Act (DSA) due to its “addictive design”. The European Commission said TikTok, which has more than 1 billion users worldwide, had not adequately assessed how its design could harm the physical and mental wellbeing of users. The Guardian 


    Markets took a tumble this week as AI-company Anthropic released new add-ons to Claude that can perform a range of functions typically filled by software providers. Shares of software-as-a-service companies like Adobe, Intuit, and Salesforce declined sharply on fears that AI tools might chip away at their business. Legacy tech giants with large AI businesses like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google were also hit hard. Yahoo!

    Anthropic, one of the biggest and most influential tech companies in the world, is launching a new model: Claude Opus 4.6. Until now, this would mostly be big news for techies, where Anthropic is admired as the maker of Claude Code, the code-writing AI tool which many engineers say is taking over their work entirely. All of a sudden, however, the impact of these tools is being felt more widely, after a seemingly small release from Anthropic shook some sections of the stock market. Sky News 

    Apple is no longer launching an AI service that can “replicate” a doctor and act as a personal health coach, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The company has reportedly scaled back the unannounced initiative in recent weeks, following a recent organization reshuffling wherein services chief Eddy Cue took over the health division. While Apple has never officially announced the AI health coach, it was reported last year that the company was working on developing the service that has been unofficially dubbed Health+. Engadget


    The second set-top-box with Freely on board    , the Aero 4K TV Streamer comes from Manhattan, which has been making satellite and Freeview boxes and recorders for decades. And it’s instantly a serious contender – not just for Pleio, but Sky Stream and Virgin Media Stream, too. So what’s the catch – if there is one – and what do you get for a surprisingly low entrance fee? Well, a lot, it turns out. The Manhattan Aero is remarkably priced. Available from several UK retailers, including Currys (click here for the direct link), Amazon, and John Lewis, it will set you back a mere £69.99. T3.com

     


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  • Winter Olympics and NFL Super Bowl lead year of free sport on Freely – Tech Digest

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    Sports fans in the UK are set for a major month of broadcasting as the Winter Olympics lead a packed schedule of free-to-air coverage on the streaming platform, Freely.

    The Winter Olympic Games begin with the Opening Ceremony live from Milan on Friday, 6th February. Viewers will be able to stream the events alongside other headline fixtures this month, including the Six Nations rugby and the NFL Super Bowl.

    On 8th February, the Super Bowl will feature the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks, with a halftime performance by Bad Bunny.

    Beyond February, the platform’s sporting lineup includes the Winter Paralympics, Formula 1 highlights, and the Carabao Cup final in March, followed by the FIFA World Cup in June.

    Backed by the UK’s major public service broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5,  Freely is a free-to-air streaming service that allows users to watch live TV channels and on-demand content through an internet connection, removing the need for a traditional satellite dish or aerial.

    The platform has grown rapidly since its 2024 launch, recently surpassing one million weekly users. It offers over 60 live channels and 75,000 hours of content, integrating services like BBC iPlayer and ITVX into a single interface that allows users to pause and restart live broadcasts.


    How to access Freely

    To access Freely, viewers generally need a compatible smart TV or a dedicated streaming device.

    • New Smart TVs: The service is built into many 2024 and 2025 models from manufacturers including Hisense, Bush, Toshiba, Panasonic, and Sharp.

    • Streaming Boxes: For those with older televisions, the platform is available through “plug-in” devices like the Manhattan Aero 4K or the Netgem Pleio.

    • Requirements: Accessing the service requires a stable broadband connection with a minimum speed of 10Mbps.

    Once a compatible device is connected to Wi-Fi or Ethernet, users simply press the “Freely” button on their remote to begin streaming without any subscription fees or contracts.


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  • Google parent earnings beat projections, creepy robot has warm skin! – Tech Digest

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    Google’s parent company, Alphabet,     beat Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, and is planning a sharp increase in capital spending in 2026 as it continues to invest deeply in AI infrastructure. Alphabet on Wednesday reported profit of $34.5bn in the recently ended quarter, as revenue from cloud computing soared 48%. The company also forecast spending between $175bn and $185bn this year, a figure much higher than analysts’ expectations of roughly $115bn. Guardian 

    The US has launched an effort to form a trade zone for critical minerals that are key to making everything from smartphones to weapons as it tries to break China’s dominance of the industry. On Wednesday, the State Department hosted the first Critical Minerals Ministerial event – which was attended by countries and organisations including the UK, European Union, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Delegates discussed the availability of and access to minerals crucial to the manufacture of things like computer chips and electric vehicle batteries. BBC 

    Setting up a new AirTag is just as effortless as its predecessor. Pull out the plastic tag, connecting the battery, and a notification will pop up on your nearby iPhone. You can then name it, assign it to an item and it’ll join your list of findable Apple hardware. I’ve been testing the range of the new AirTag, and if anything, the 50 percent increase in Precision Finding range is a conservative estimate. Naturally, tracking can be affected by building structure, walls and a lack of nearby Find My network devices, but the next-generation AirTag’s “getting closer” screen consistently appeared on my phone when I was around 80 feet away. Engadget


    Disturbingly lifelike humanoid robots     are becoming a big theme of 2026 – and a Shanghai startup has just revealed what might be the closest thing to an extra from Westworld. Fortunately, it’s still easy to tell that Moya is indeed a robot – the plasticky skin, dead eyes, and slightly jerky movements give that away. But a few interesting, or perhaps creepy, details mean it’s also a cut above your average cold-blooded companion. Firstly, Moya’s skin is actually warm. “A robot that truly serves human life should be warm… almost like a living being that people can people can connect with,” claimed Li Qingdu, founder of Moya’s maker Droidup, in an interview with Shanghai Eye. TechRadar 

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  • Freely surpasses one million weekly users over Christmas – Tech Digest

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    Freely, the UK’s free-to-air streaming platform, recorded over one million weekly users during the Christmas period, according to new data from its parent company Everyone TV.

    The organization reported that the service reached this milestone during the week commencing 22 December 2025, marking a doubling of the user base since September, when it reached half a million users.

    Based on this growth trajectory, Everyone TV claimes Freely is the UK’s fastest-growing TV platform for 2025. The service, which is a joint venture backed by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5, provides a single interface for both live and on-demand content delivered via broadband.

    Engagement remained high throughout the festive week, it claims, with 55% of the million-strong user base accessing the platform every day. Usage data also highlighted a shift in viewing habits, as two-thirds of Freely’s audience now stream all of their television content.

    Public service broadcasting channels remained the most popular choice for live streaming. BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5, and ITV2 led the rankings over the holiday. On-demand viewing was dominated by traditional British titles, including soaps such as Coronation Street and EastEnders, alongside dramas including The Night Manager and entertainment favourites such as The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing.


    The individual broadcasters reported record-breaking digital performances. BBC One was the most-watched channel on Christmas Day, with The King’s Speech and The Scarecrow’s Wedding collectively drawing millions of viewers. Channel 4 recorded its highest Christmas week linear share since 2012, while Channel 5 saw a 34% year-on-year increase in its on-demand streaming figures.

    Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Everyone TV, stated that the milestone indicates a clear consumer preference for a unified way to access free-to-air content. “Surpassing one million weekly users is an exciting milestone for Freely, signalling that there is audience demand for a simple way to stream live British TV and discover great on-demand shows – all in one place,” he said.

    Thompson added that the platform’s performance in 2025 demonstrates the efficacy of cross-broadcaster collaboration. “Freely was the largest growing TV platform in 2025, showing the power of the UK’s public service broadcasters working together to make brilliant British TV easy to discover and stream,” he noted. The platform is expected to continue its expansion in 2026 as it is integrated into more smart TVs and plug-in streaming devices.

    Most streamed on-demand shows on Freely (24.12.25 – 02.01.26)

    1. Emmerdale (ITV)
    2. Coronation Street (ITV)
    3. Eastenders (BBC)
    4. The Hunting Wives (ITV)
    5. Red Eye (ITV)
    6. The Traitors (BBC)
    7. Call the Midwife (BBC)
    8. The Night Manager (BBC)
    9. All Creatures Great and Small (5)
    10. Home Alone (Channel 4)
    11. World’s Strongest Man 2025 (5)
    12. The War Between the Land and the Sea (BBC)
    13. Titanic Sinks Tonight (BBC)
    14. Midsomer Murders (ITV)
    15. The Inbetweeners (Channel 4)

    Most streamed on-demand shows on Freely, Christmas Day 2025

    1. Emmerdale (ITV)
    2. Coronation Street (ITV)
    3. EastEnders (BBC)
    4. The King’s Speech – 2025 (BBC)
    5. Only Fools and Horses: Greatest Christmas Moments (5)
    6. Finding Father Christmas (Channel 4)
    7. Home Alone (Channel 4)
    8. Mrs Brown’s Boys – 2025 Specials Mammy’s Bottles (BBC)
    9. Strictly Come Dancing (BBC)
    10. Amandaland – Christmas Special (BBC)
    11. Call the Midwife – Christmas special 2025 (BBC)
    12. All Creatures Great and Small (5)
    13. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (Channel 4)
    14. Call the Midwife – Christmas special 2023 (BBC)
    15. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance most fowl (BBC)


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