Freely – the streaming platform that’s set to replace Freeview – has been busy over the past few weeks, with new features rolling out across the platform itself and both of its standalone streaming boxes.
The Freely platform has a new version bringing improvements to all devices (including Freely TVs), the Manhattan Aero box has a significant update in the works – though it hit a small snag on the way – and the Pleio puck has continued its steady stream of monthly improvements on both the software and content side.
Here’s what’s new, what’s coming, and what to do if you haven’t seen an update yet.
The Freely Journey
If you need a quick refresher – Freely is Everyone TV’s streaming platform – the organisation behind Freeview and Freesat – and it’s designed to eventually replace both as the UK’s default free television standard.
Instead of relying on an aerial or satellite dish, it delivers live TV entirely over your broadband connection.
You get BBC, ITV, Channel 4, 5, and 60-plus other channels in a unified programme guide, with seven days of catch-up built in. No aerial required, no signal issues.
It launched in April 2024 and was initially only available on select new smart TVs from brands including Hisense, Panasonic, Amazon Fire TV, and others. That changed in November 2025, when the first standalone Freely box – the Netgem Pleio – arrived, bringing Freely to any TV with an HDMI port.
The Manhattan Aero followed in February 2026 as a second, more affordable option.
Today, if you want Freely, you’ve got several routes in: a compatible smart TV with Freely built in, or one of the standalone boxes.
The Standalone Freely Boxes
There are currently three standalone Freely boxes on the market, each aimed at a slightly different buyer.
The Netgem Pleio is a small streaming puck that runs Android TV 14 with full Google Play Store access, giving you Freely alongside Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, NOW, and hundreds of other apps on the same device.
It also comes bundled with a wireless gamepad and access to 300+ cloud games through the Pleio Extra subscription – included free for 12 months with purchase, and £9.99/month after that. Freely itself remains completely free.
The Pleio launched at £99, went through a fairly chaotic pricing period – briefly hitting £119.88 in January before bouncing around for weeks – before Netgem settled on a permanent £99 in April. It currently costs £99.
The Manhattan Aero arrived in February 2026 at £69.99, running TiVo OS alongside Freely. It’s the simpler of the two – no gaming, no Google Play Store – but it has a clean, easy-to-navigate interface, an Ethernet port the Pleio lacks, and no ongoing subscription fees for any of its core functionality.
It also sold out at Currys within 24 hours of launch, and has kept selling out with every subsequent restock.
The Aero’s pricing story is similar to the Pleio’s. It launched at £69.99, but rising component costs – driven largely by the global AI buildout pushing up RAM prices – forced a price increase in May, and it now costs £89.99. That’s narrowed the gap between the two boxes to just £9.
The Humax Aura EZ sits at the other end of the market at £249. It’s a hybrid device that combines Freely with a Freeview recorder, so you can still record from an aerial alongside streaming. It’s the only option if recording is important to you, though it has had some technical issues since launch.
The Freely Platform Update (All Devices)
The biggest news for the widest audience is the platform-wide Freely software update – Version 1.21.43.4 – which rolled out on May 26.
This one applies to every device that runs Freely, whether that’s a standalone box or a Freely-enabled smart TV.
Your device should update automatically, at least in theory – but Freely updates don’t always land at the same time on every device – so if you haven’t seen any changes yet, it’s worth checking manually.
Go to Settings on Freely, select Software Updates, and follow the on-screen steps.
So what’s actually new?
Mini Guide – Actionable on Next
The first change is small but useful. The mini guide – the strip that appears at the bottom of the screen when you’re watching something – now lets you interact with the “On Next” tile on the right-hand side.
Previously, that tile was just informational, telling you what was coming up. Now, selecting it brings up options: you can choose to watch it straight away if it’s available on demand, add it to My List, or browse more episodes.
You no longer have to wait for the next programme to go live – if it’s available on demand, you can start it whenever you like.
Episodic My List
The second addition is an expansion of the My List feature. You can now add individual TV episodes directly to My List from the TV guide – not just series or on-demand content.
When you add an episode, you’ll be shown when it’s next airing, and given the option to watch it immediately if it’s already available on demand. To use it, select “Add to My List” from any episodic content in the TV guide.
It’s an interesting feature, and as far as I remember, not something that’s available on any other streaming service (where you can usually only add a full series to the watchlist, and not single episodes) – so if there’s a very specific episode you want to remember to watch, and you don’t really care about the rest of the show – this will come in handy.
However, to keep you on your toes, this only seems to work when you go into specific episodes from within the Freely TV Guide, and not when you go directly into a show page (in which case you’ll only get the option to add the full show to your list).
Also, as usual, remember that Freely’s My List is separate from any other Watchlist you have on your device (your TV’s or your Pleio / Aero watchlist).
Either way, both of these changes point in the same direction: Freely is trying to close the gap between the rigid structure of linear TV and the flexibility you’d expect from a streaming service.
In addition, Everyone TV says this update includes various bug fixes and performance improvements to improve overall user experience and stability of Freely.
The Manhattan Aero Update
The Aero’s software update – Version 19.1021.142 – started rolling out on May 13, and adds several new features that address some commonly requested improvements.
However, it’s worth flagging that the rollout was paused shortly after it began, following reports of Aero units waking up unexpectedly from standby.
Manhattan has been investigating the issue, and the good news is that they believe it has now been identified and resolved.
Pending final testing, they’re expecting to release a new version of the update next week. In the meantime, some Aero units may already be running the new software, while others will still be on the previous version.
Here’s what the update brings when it starts rolling out again:
Auto Frame Rate
This is the headline addition. Auto Frame Rate automatically switches the Aero’s HDMI output between 50 Hz and 60 Hz depending on what you’re watching, to reduce motion judder.
Without this setting, the Aero outputs at a fixed refresh rate – typically 60 Hz on a 4K TV. That works well for most streaming content, but British TV is produced at 25 frames per second, which divides cleanly into 50 Hz but not 60 Hz.
When the Aero sends that content at 60 Hz, your TV has to adjust the timing of the frames to make them fit – and the result is a subtle but noticeable judder, particularly on smooth camera movements and sports.
Auto Frame Rate fixes this by switching the Aero’s output to match the content, so 50 Hz content gets a 50 Hz signal and 60 Hz content gets a 60 Hz signal. The result is smoother, more natural motion across the board.
It’s off by default. You can enable it at Settings → Display settings → Auto Frame Rate.
Do note, however, that compatibility varies by TV.
CEC Volume Control
The second new setting lets the Aero’s remote control the volume on your TV, soundbar, or AV receiver via HDMI-CEC, rather than adjusting the Aero’s own internal volume.
If you’ve ever found it annoying to juggle two remotes – one for the Aero, one for the TV – this should help. It’s off by default, at Settings → Inputs → CEC Volume Control.
Compatibility varies here too. Many Sony, Hisense, Philips, Fire TV, and Android TVs work. Some Samsung TVs work, but LG TVs don’t. If your TV doesn’t support CEC Volume Control, a connected soundbar or AV receiver may not work either, as the TV acts as the hub.
Before enabling it, Manhattan recommend setting your Aero’s volume to maximum first. Once CEC Volume Control is turned on, the Aero’s internal volume can no longer be adjusted, so you’ll want it at full for the best sound quality from your TV or audio setup (just maybe warn the neighbours first).
Other Changes
Standby When Inactive: A new setting that lets you disable the Aero’s existing automatic 20-minute standby. On by default – so the behaviour stays the same unless you change it – at Settings → System → Power & Energy Saving.
TiVo+ carousel: A new strip of free live TiVo+ content has been added to the Home screen.
Navigation sounds: Audio feedback now plays as you move through the interface. Set to Low by default, adjustable or disableable at Settings → System Sounds.
Sports search improvements: Sports content is now easier to find using search and voice.
Various stability and performance improvements.
The Netgem Pleio Updates
The Pleio has had a busy few months on the software and content side. Here’s a recap of what’s changed since the start of the year – for more detail on each update, see our February and May coverage.
On the interface front, February brought two long-awaited home screen additions: Continue Watching and My List. Both work as you’d expect – Continue Watching lets you pick up content where you left off, and My List lets you save things to watch later.
The caveats are worth knowing though: both features only track content you access through the Pleio’s own interface, not directly through third-party apps.
The Freely section also has its own separate watchlist that doesn’t sync with the main My List – a consequence of the Pleio’s somewhat fragmented dual-system nature – a problem we keep bumping into with basically every Freely device.
April’s update added a picture-in-picture-style preview for the FAST channels section – when you pause on a channel thumbnail, the live feed from that channel starts playing in the background behind the UI.
Useful for browsing, though it can be a bit startling if you weren’t expecting it, and there’s currently no option to turn it off.
On the gaming and content side, the library has grown steadily each month.
Recent additions to the cloud gaming library include Mafia: Definitive Edition (the headline addition in February – a full console-quality title and, according to Netgem, the first time it’s been available on a UK TV streaming device), plus more recent additions including NBA Bounce, Backpack Hero, Dome Keeper, Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart, Bang-On Balls: Chronicles, DC Justice League: Cosmic Chaos, OlliOlli World, and others.
New FAST channels added in recent months include The Osbournes, Baby Shark TV, Adrenaline+, Unbeaten, Cosmic Frontliners, and Magellan Wildest.
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Will Fire tv sticks/cubes ever get a Freely app? It would be much simpler than adding another bit of hardware.
A couple of times my new AERO box has ‘frozen’ requiring a 60 second reset otherwise the ‘no input from source’ is displayed on startup. This generally happens if the BBC app is left after a streamed programme ends and the BBC server loses contact with the box so disconnects from it. I’ve gotten round this by always ensuring the BBC app is logged out of before turning off the box and my Philips tv. It also sometimes occurs on turning them on. So now I turn on the tv with its own remote and the AERO ten seconds or so later so the tv detects the box signal.
But overall I love Freely so thank you for introducing your subscribers to it and also to the new AERO box from Manhattan.
Bought a new tv with freely what a load of rubbish after 4 months of not connecting picture going dark then after being told to reset at factory settings still having the same problem,went back to the supply they sent two men out to try and solve the problem and even they said freely is not worth the money so now gone back to a tv that only got free view am a lot happier if all TVs switch to freely then we will become a tv free house
Will Freely ever provide the one massive feature it’s lacked from day one: recording? Streaming services pull content all the time, sometimes – incredibly – in the middle of a brand new season (All4/E4’s Rick and Morty season 8 anyone? Weekly airings and pitiful 30-day streaming rights meant earlier episodes started being pulled mid-season!).
Freely is pathetic for not offering recording and the Humax in this article had to add a terrestrial aerial to allow for Freeview recording to work around Freely’s disastrous omission. This obviously ruins the one big selling point of Freely (“look ma, no aerial!”). I’ll stick with my Enigma 2 DVR – satellite, terrestrial and IPTV supported – you only really need its net connection to download the EPG and firmware updates.
It is pretty clear that the future of streaming fundamentally does not incorporate the ability to record, so if you’re waiting for that it will be a very long wait. You will need to stick with other forms of transmission while they are still available (as you are doing). There is a vast amount of material available through streaming services, and having programming stored locally is not the way things will be in the future.
I think we can see that given the way in which material is nowadays only licensed for streaming for limited periods of time it would not make sense for the licensors to permit the material to be recorded, as it would totally cut across their ability to control where that material is available and when (and the fees they receive for making it available). It is their material after all, and they are basically taking back control of access to it.
In the future (after other forms of transmission disappear, as they will) the only way that you will probably be able to have material available locally is if you pay a fee for a physical version of it, such as a disc.
We may not like it, but the path seems pretty clear.
Freely would be prefect if it either had a tick allowing you to identify watched episodes in My List, or a way to manually ticking it, I’m a month behind on most shows and it’s confusing trying to work out what I’ve watched ot not
I have a 55″ LG TV. Utube is unwatchable due to constant buffering. So I bought a Hisense 55″ TV with FREELY. Fantastic. Picture is stunning, clear and sharp, and NO buffering, so I can watch utube okay, Freely is far better than aerial. Lots of channels, plenty to keep anyone entertained. 🙂
I’d rather the now/next display to be more like a mini guide so you can browse further ahead.
On demand still buggy on my Panasonic TV with inbuilt freesat when trying to load a show from the guide or through an app via freesat. I always get ‘service unavailable’ or gets stuck on a loading screen. The update has not fixed that. If I go to the same apps via Panasonic’s system, no problem. Perhaps a factory reset might fix, but that would be a massive faff customising & signing in to everything again.
Update wishlist:
– When EPG displayed, video of channel you are on to be visible – not completely blocked out.
– As freely internet channels and aerial channels are all mixed together in the EPG with a lot of channels duplicated, mark or colour code the channels by type, give option to bunch them together or filter by source type.
OOPS, meant to say “still buggy on my Panasonic TV with inbuilt FREELY when trying to load a show from the guide or through an app via FREELY” (not freesat!)
I have a Toshiba TV with Freely built in, and a recent update added Now TV to the onboard apps. So with a sub you should now able to get Sky, HBO Max, etc.
This update arrived about a month or so ago, and the most recent one has now added TLC and Really amongst others
I’m lost here, these devices are for UK tv services which are all broadcast in or divisible by 50hz so why were they ever produced with a fixed output of 60 which is a US standard. How do they produce 24hz for the main streaming apps.
@Ting
Some services (not UK ones) are outputted at or are divisible by 60 Hz, depending on the content being played. I would recommend that you enable the auto adjust refresh rate option. as differences in refresh rate can often cause motion judder issues, especially when playing content from a peripheral device that is connected to a TV. Enabling the adjust refresh rate option will mean that the Aero will use the most appropriate refresh rate for the content being played and switch between 50 and 60 Hz as required depending on the service used and the content being played.
48 Hz output may also be used, but it depends on whether your TV set is capable of it. Most sets which do not support variable refresh rate are not capable of outputting at this rate , so if you have such a TV set. For example, you will see Tubi content being output at 48 Hz by the Aero
Internal apps that are part of the smart TVs OS will often switch between 50 and 60 Hz as required automatically. However, peripheral devices usually require a specific function as is being described here
I have 3 Freely boxes and 1 Freely TV i am very happy with them very reliable better than Sky stream that suffers from annoying buffering during live TV.
Really good to know that. I’m looking at my Sky stream and thinking, I don’t really take advantage of all of the channels and end up using streaming apps a lot. My main concern is with Freely is that the apps I use most are not yet available, or I can’t find out if they actually are, or when they might come. I’m thinking HBO (so I can watch TNT Sports), NowTV (for Sky Sports) and Premier Sports (which I heard may be available now).
My BB is very good but I’ve never really been 100% happy with the Sky stream boxes, always seem a little glitchy ….may have to look at the Pleio as the apps I need are probably available as it uses Google Play store.
With the Manhattan, is there anything that you miss from the Sky stream? Like playlists/add programs etc.?
I have a Freely telly “Powered by TiVo”.
“H.B.O. Max” and “Premier Sports” are on TiVo now, but not on Freely.
“Now” is apparently coming to TiVo, but the date is unknown (it is also not on Freely).
Netgem Pleio has Now TV and hbo max as it’s android based