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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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.