BBC plans to release a Fire TV Stick and Roku rival to prepare viewers for end of terrestrial TV
BBC is gearing up to launch a streaming set-top box to challenge the likes of Fire TV Stick, Roku, and Apple TV. Connected via Wi-Fi, it would enable viewers to stream live and on-demand content from the BBC without a traditional aerial. This could pave the way for terrestrial television to be switched off nationwide in the 2030s.
BBC Director General Tim Davie suggested this gadget would help “take people over the bridge” towards all broadcast television being delivered over a broadband connection, known as IPTV or Internet Protocol Television.
There’s no word on the final design, capabilities, or price of this streaming stick. However, The Times reports that BBC Director General Tim Davie has discussed his ambitions with other public service broadcasters — ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 — who would provide access to live streams of their channels and on-demand players.
BBC Director General Tim Davie floated the idea of the public service broadcaster launching its own Fire TV Stick alternative during a keynote speech in the Lowry Theatre, Salford, in which he outlined how the corporation could have a “maximum catalytic effect” across the UK. Other proposals included baking Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its BBC Bitesize revision service to provide a “personal learning companion” for schoolchildren across the UK.
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Amazon and Roku dominate the affordable set-top box market in the UK, following the decision by Google to discontinue its similarly priced Chromecast dongle last year.
At £149, Apple TV 4K is a pricier proposition.
The first Fire TV Stick launched worldwide in November 2014, two years after Roku streaming players first arrived on UK shores. Both of these companies offer products with lightweight designs that plug directly into the HDMI port on the back of your flatscreen — bringing a slew of live channels, on-demand streaming services, games, and other popular apps that might not be available on the operating system that powers your television.
In the UK, both FireOS and Roku OS offer access to live and on-demand content from broadcasters via apps like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, and of course, GB News. Streamers like Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Disney+ are also available to download on the proprietary operating system.
Extra features, like voice controls, AI-powered recommendations based on your viewing history, support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos quality, are available on pricier versions of the hardware. Last year, Amazon confirmed that it had now sold over 250 million Fire TV devices worldwide.
Buying a new Smart TV from many of the biggest manufacturers will unlock access to Freely — a platform built from the ground up by the same team behind Freeview and Freesat — that lets you stream terrestrial channels via Wi-Fi connection with no need for additional hardware.
Without an aerial, you can place your new Smart TV anywhere in the room as long as it has a minimum internet speed of 10Mbps. This is similar to solutions like Sky Glass, Sky Stream, Virgin Media Stream, and the rebooted EE TV launched last year.
Freely is also included on select Fire TVs as the default way to stream live television too.
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BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 have ensured their catch-up services are deeply integrated into Freely so when you miss the start of a live broadcast you’ll be able to skip back to the beginning — with the show streamed behind-the-scenes from BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and others. Entire boxsets will be presented in the menu, so you can catch-up on earlier series of a show before tuning into the next live episode.
GB News was added to the service as part of a blockbuster update earlier this year.
The arrival of Freely doesn’t mean Freeview is going anywhere for now, but as more people upgrade their televisions and gain access to the new platform, we’ll likely to see Freeview and Freesat fall out of favour in the coming months and years.
The industry-wide pivot is something campaigners have warned about, cautioning that millions could be left without access to live television channels. Likewise, the proposal from the BBC Director General to launch a new Streaming Stick has already caused some consternation.
Dennis Reed, Director of nonprofit campaign group Silver Voices, said the idea of a BBC Streaming Stick was an “outrageous attempt” to bounce the UK Government into action before proper consultation.
“Davie is living in a fool’s paradise if he thinks he can take on the likes of Amazon and Netflix without public broadcasting being squeezed out of existence,” he told The Times.
“The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 and 5 should stick with what they do well — using the reliable and secure terrestrial TV network, where they are kings.”
Mr Reed claimed the BBC “has no regard” for the millions of older people who are unable to afford the broadband connection required to use a BBC-designed Streaming Stick to enjoy access to its output.
Ofcom figures show that 31% of Britons aged 65 and over don’t currently use the internet at home. According to estimates by consultancy firm EY, this gap would result in over 5.5 million households being unable to tune in to live television from the BBC and others.
The uptake of high-speed broadband is only set to increase by 10% between 2022 and 2040.
And that assumes you’ll have the right broadband connection available to you. Where you live could also determine whether you’re able to watch BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and GB News over online-only services.
The areas of the UK where homes are most likely to be without a high-speed connection by 2040 are Northern Ireland (24% of all homes), North East England (21%), Yorkshire and the Humber (20%), North West England (19%), Scotland (19%) and Wales (19%), the report forecasts.
While there’s no cost associated with tuning in to free-to-air channels via an aerial, the same doesn’t apply when using a Wi-Fi connection.
Despite these drawbacks, BBC exec Tim Davie has previously declared that the UK would benefit an “IP switchover” that would see traditional terrestrial television turned off in the 2030s.
Speaking to The Times, he said: “Many people would be quite happy if their satellite dish or TV aerial was removed tomorrow. They wouldn’t notice. But there is a significant chunk of people that would be extremely worried. They feel they’d lose access. They wouldn’t understand how to do the transition.
“But there are huge benefits, financially and socially, and the BBC can play a real part in that.”
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If you want to start streaming free-to-air channels and on-demand shows via Freely, you’ll need to upgrade to a new Smart TV with support for the next-generation platform. Manufacturers including Hisense, Bush, Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic, and now Philips ship TVs with Freely baked-in, so there’s plenty of choice!