Freely Expands with Roku

Everyone TV, which operates the free U.K. streamer Freely, has reached a deal to bring the platform, backed by BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, to Roku smart TVs.

Freely will be built into the next generation of smart TVs powered by the Roku operating system, becoming the default TV guide on additional Sharp, JVC and METZ models, and introducing Polaroid TVs with Freely for the first time.

Freely has existing partnerships with Amazon Fire TV, Bush, Hisense, JVC, METZ, Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, TCL, Titan OS, TiVo, Toshiba and VIDAA.

Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Everyone TV, said: “Offering Freely on the Roku operating system is a major milestone for us, as we continue to expand reach for the free streaming platform. We’re delighted that, as a huge global player, Roku has recognised the importance of easy and seamless access to public-service broadcast content for U.K. audiences and I look forward to seeing Freely smart TVs with Roku in market this summer.”

Richard Halton, U.K. country manager at Roku, added: “Roku believes that all TV will be streamed. We are excited to partner with Freely and continue our collaboration with U.K. broadcasters. Together we will bring the best content discovery experience to viewers across the U.K. We look forward to unveiling our new Roku TV models with Freely built-in, which will be available from U.K. retailers this summer.”