Everyone TV says Freely surpassed 1 million weekly users across the Christmas week, doubling since the 500,000 figure announced in September, and making it the fastest-growing TV platform in the UK in 2025.
The PSB-backed service (BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5) said engagement was strong over the festive period, with 55% of weekly users returning daily. It added that 2-thirds of Freely users now stream all their TV content.
Jonathan Thompson, CEO, Everyone TV, said: “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. 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. It’s a great start to 2026 as we continue to build momentum, putting the nation’s favourite channels and stories front and centre in the streaming age.”
The most popular live streamed channels over Christmas were BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, 5 and ITV2, while on-demand viewing leaned heavily into a mix of drama, soaps and established entertainment brands. Christmas Day viewing spiked, with titles including Emmerdale, Coronation Street, EastEnders, The King’s Speech, Home Alone, Strictly Come Dancing and Mrs Brown’s Boys among the most-watched.
Freely launched in April 2024 as the broadband-delivered replacement for Freeview and Freesat on connected TVs, bringing live PSB streams and on-demand into a single interface.
Platform expansion has also moved beyond built-in smart TVs, with Everyone TV and Netgem taking Freely into plug-in streaming devices as the service targets households not ready to replace their main TV set.
