Amazon Prime Video Comes To Freesat (But Only For Some)

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Amazon’s streaming video platform, Prime Video, is coming to Freesat this week – but only on the newer, 4K Freesat boxes.

Along with Netflix and most of the major UK catch-up apps, this makes the Freesat box one of the more comprehensive broadcast streaming boxes.

Prime Video offers a large library of shows, Premier League matches and popular original productions, such as The Boys, The Grand Tour, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and more.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Prime Video is coming to Sky Q and the NOW TV boxes – and now, Freesat is next in line.

Amazon Prime Video

Freesat, a joint venture between ITV and the BBC, offers more than 200 free-to-air TV channels and radio stations, all transmitted via digital satellite (so you need a dish on your roof).

Freesat currently reaches 2 million home in the UK each week, and in addition to the dish, you also need a Freesat set-top box connected to your TV.

While many Freesat customers still use the old Humax boxes, the Prime Video app will only be available on the new 4K Freesat Boxes, which were released earlier this year.

Watching freesat in living room
Photo: Freesat

Freesat tells us that this is due to the hardware on the older devices not being able to support the newer apps.

Once you install the Prime Video app on your 4K box, you will be able to sign up with your existing Prime Video subscription, or sign up for a new one.

A new Prime Video subscription costs £5.99/month (or £79/year if you get the full Amazon Prime membership), though you can also get a 30-days free trial.

With the addition of the Prime Video app, and the recent launch of a BritBox app on Freesat, the 4K box is becoming one of the more inclusive broadcast-based streaming boxes, with apps for most of the major UK services, including:

  • Netflix
  • Prime Video
  • BritBox
  • BBC iPlayer
  • ITV Hub
  • My5
  • STV Player
  • YouTube

… And more. Disney+ is notably missing from that list, as well as NOW TV and, unfortunately, All4 – Channel 4’s catchup app (The HD version of Channel 4 is also missing from the regular Freesat channels list).

Nevertheless, when compared to most of the Freeview Play boxes, Freesat has the upper hand. Even the recently-released Humax Aura Freeview box, which has most of the major streaming services as well – is still missing Netflix.

Freesat 4K remote
The Freesat 4K Remote

“Amazon Prime Video is a hugely welcome addition to the Freesat service”, said Alistair Thom, CEO of Freesat.

“Streaming services are of course going from strength to strength and the range of content that Prime Video brings to our existing free to air service allows us to offer our customers a unique hybrid service.

“They will have a virtually endless choice of content to pick from, all without being chained to paying a monthly pay TV subscription.”

8 thoughts on “Amazon Prime Video Comes To Freesat (But Only For Some)”

  1. Have a look at Freesat on Trustpilot before you purchase the “new” 4k Arris Freesat Box/Recorder! This may help you can make a more informed decision.

    Reply
  2. “Freesat tells us that this is due to the hardware on the older devices not being able to support the newer apps.”
    This is just lazyness.
    If my 8 year old roku can still access the primevideo app then they could have worked something out

    Reply
  3. Unfortunately, the quality of the software on the new Arris Freesat devices is almost unusable, very slow and clunky. I wish it wasn’t, I have had to visit three owners of these devices to see if it was the way they set them up and they are just slow on a channel change, the phone app is useless. I should wait until the resolve these problems, who knows how long. Humax had cracked the reliability and their hardware and software worked well and quickly, what a poor decision to move from them, and who ever would have accepted such a poor replacement for them.

    Reply
    • Agree. For confirmation, see https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.freesat.co.uk
      When Freesat was introduced as the UK’s only free satellite service, there were a few receivers/pvrs to choose from, of which the Humax was the most popular.
      Now Freesat have frozen out these and introduced their own box with less functionality. (X 32 fast forward instead of X 64 , no advert zap button etc).
      On top of that, it doesn’t work, so the future looks bleak. I shall keep my trusty Humax for now, but I won’t be able to get the next generation features like recording 4 channels simultaneously.

      Reply
  4. I just sent the one I had back it would not record some times end up missing the program you want to view but it did have a very good picture and sound

    Reply

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