Freely, Freeview and What You Genuinely Get Free
The short answer
Freeview delivers around 70 channels over an aerial; Freely delivers a similar lineup over broadband with integrated catch-up and no aerial required. Both are genuinely free with a TV Licence. Neither carries Sky Sports or TNT Sports, which is the only real gap.
Freely launched as the UK broadcasters' answer to streaming — Freeview delivered over broadband, with live channels and catch-up in one guide. It confuses people because it sounds like a paid service and is not.
This post covers what each gives you, and we will say plainly where you do not need to pay us anything.
Key takeaways
- Freeview needs an aerial; Freely needs broadband and no aerial
- Both are free and both require a TV Licence for live television
- Neither carries Sky Sports, TNT Sports or a substantial film library
- Freely is built into newer televisions rather than being an app you install
- For non-sport households, these genuinely may be all you need
The differences
| Freeview | Freely | Paid IPTV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery | Aerial | Broadband | Broadband |
| Aerial needed | Yes | No | No |
| Live channels | ~70 | ~70 plus streaming-only | 20,000+ |
| Catch-up integrated | Via Freeview Play | Yes, in the guide | Yes, 7-day |
| Sky Sports | No | No | Yes |
| TNT Sports | No | No | Yes |
| Film library | Very limited | Limited | 80,000+ |
| Cost | Free | Free | About £5/month annually |
| TV Licence needed | Yes | Yes | Yes, for live TV |
Who should just use Freely or Freeview
If that describes your household, use Freely and keep your money. We would rather tell you that than sell you a subscription you will resent in three months.
- Households that do not watch live sport
- Anyone whose viewing is BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 plus catch-up
- Renters in flats where a dish or aerial is impractical — Freely solves this without cost
- Second televisions in bedrooms and kitchens
- Anyone currently paying for a package they barely use
The honest test: write down what you watched last week. If nothing on that list requires Sky Sports or TNT Sports, you do not need a paid service.
Where the free options genuinely fall short
That list is the entire argument for a paid service, and it is a narrow one. It happens to cover the things a large number of British households care most about — but if it does not cover yours, the free option wins.
- No live Premier League, Champions League, Formula 1 or cricket
- A thin film and box-set library
- Almost nothing in 4K
- No international or foreign-language channels
- No PPV events
Using both together
Plenty of our customers keep Freeview on the television tuner and use the streaming app for everything else. It is a sensible arrangement: the aerial keeps working during a broadband outage, and you get the terrestrial channels with no dependency on anything.
There is no conflict between the two, and no reason to remove one to use the other.
Frequently asked
Is Freely actually free?
Do I need an aerial for Freely?
Does Freely have Sky Sports?
Can I use Freely and IPTV together?
Do I need a TV Licence for Freely?
Broadcast rights, fixtures and prices change. This page was last checked on 10 August 2026 — tell us on WhatsApp if you spot something out of date and we will correct it.