Free-to-air Freeview Play will combine live TV with BBC’s iPlayer and other on-demand services, challenging Sky’s Now TV and YouView

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Freeview is undergoing the biggest rebrand in its history with a new logo and a connected TV service called Freeview Play that will look to take on rivals such as Sky’s Now TV and YouView.



The new service is due to launch later this year and aims to do for connected television what Freeview did for the digital TV era.



Freeview managing director Guy North said it aimed to simplify the transition for people yet to make the jump to on-demand by wrapping up the BBC’s iPlayer with other on-demand services.

Viewers can choose to get the subscription-free service via new televisions when they upgrade or set-top boxes.



Digital UK ‎managing director of connected TV Ilse Howling, who is leading the product’s development, said “very advanced discussions” are taking place with manufacturers and they will decide how the service looks on-screen.



Freeview is currently in 10.5 million homes and North said: “From our perspective and our shareholders, Freeview Play is about building scale.”



The new Freeview logo sees the end of the star-based brand that has been part of the logo since it launched in 2002.

Last June Freeview shareholders the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV agreed a £100m-plus deal to secure the future of the service and develop the plans for Freeview Play.

It combines catch-up TV with on-demand and live TV all in one place on television sets that have a broadband connection. Viewers will be able to search for programmes by using the scroll back system in the electronic TV guide or via an apps page.

North explained: “Freeview has been built on a vision to make television available to all free from subsciption. In the same way that we took the UK from analogue to digital, Freeview Play is the next step in that vision and it will put the viewer in control, without complexity, commitment or unnecessary cost - we want to keep television fair and open for everyone.”

When asked if the new service would support rival Netflix, North said: “In terms of other connected services it’s up to manufacturers [of televisions and set-top boxes] to do their own deals.”

Howling explained that by pulling all the major catch up and on demand services in one place it would give viewers a “consistent offer”.

When news emerged last summer that Freeview was planning a connected TV service some dubbed it a “YouView killer”. The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 remain shareholders in the rival internet-connected TV service YouView but have scaled back their investment.

Critics argue that YouView’s free-to-air founding principles have been hijacked by shareholders BT and TalkTalk which have turned it into a pay-TV business, hence the major public service broadcasters’ decision to go back to basics and invest more in Freeview.