Netgem Pleio Freely Box Review: Freeview, Reimagined

For years, the dream has been simple: one device that gives you both Freeview’s live TV and a proper streaming stick’s apps, all working together seamlessly.

Or better yet, just make Freely an app for Fire TV or Roku and be done with it.

Well, we’re not getting the app – but we are finally getting the box. And whilst it’s not quite the perfect all-in-one solution we’ve been hoping for, it’s a hell of a lot closer than anything that’s come before.

The Netgem Pleio (pronounced “PLAY-oh”) is the first standalone Freely streaming device, ditching the aerial entirely and delivering everything through your broadband.

For £99, you get live streaming channels from BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and more, full access to Android TV’s app library including Netflix and Disney+, and even cloud gaming thrown in for good measure.

It’s an ambitious attempt to drag free TV into the streaming age whilst keeping all your subscription services in one place. The execution isn’t flawless – there are quirks, rough edges, and a few confusing design decisions – but the Pleio does something no other device currently offers: genuine Freely integration on hardware you don’t need to replace your entire television to access.

Is it worth £99? Does the streaming-only approach actually work? And can one device really handle Freeview, Netflix, and gaming without feeling like a compromise?

Let’s find out.

Who Is The Netgem Pleio For?

The Netgem Pleio is trying to solve a problem that’s existed for years: how do you get both live TV channels and streaming apps without needing multiple devices and / or depending on aerial reception.

Traditionally, getting both live TV and streaming apps has meant either dealing with multiple devices – a Freeview box plus a Fire TV stick – or relying on your Smart TV’s built-in apps alongside its aerial-dependent Freeview tuner.

Either way, you needed an aerial. And if your aerial reception was dodgy, half your channels would be unwatchable.

The Pleio combines everything into one small puck that sits behind your TV. It streams live channels through your broadband (no aerial required), gives you access to all the major streaming apps through Android TV, and throws in cloud gaming as a bonus.

And, instead of just being another streaming stick with some live TV channels tacked on, the Pleio is built around Freely – a whole new platform designed to make live and on-demand TV work together seamlessly.

What Is Freely?

If you haven’t been following the Freely story, here’s what you need to know: Freely is Everyone TV’s streaming platform designed to eventually replace traditional Freeview and Freesat.

Instead of using an aerial or satellite dish, Freely delivers live TV channels through your broadband connection. You get BBC, ITV, Channel 4, 5, and around 55 other channels, all wrapped up in one unified programme guide.

And as with Freeview Play that came before it, rather than forcing you to remember which show was on which channel and then opening the right app to find it, Freely lets you scroll backwards through the TV guide and jump straight to programmes that aired days ago. It’s all integrated into one interface.

Freely launched in April 2024 exclusively on new smart TVs. The catch? You had to buy a whole new television to access it. Got a perfectly good three-year-old TV? Tough luck.

The Pleio changes that. For £99, you can add Freely to any TV with an HDMI port, without replacing hardware that’s working fine.

But Freely itself has limitations – no recording, a smaller channel selection than traditional Freeview, and complete dependence on your broadband connection.

If you’ve got decent internet and don’t care about recording, those trade-offs might be worth it for the convenience of streaming. If your broadband is patchy or you rely on recording programmes, they’re deal-breakers.

So Who Actually Benefits?

The Pleio makes most sense for a few specific situations.

If you live somewhere with terrible Freeview reception – pixelated pictures, missing channels, signals that disappear when it rains – the Pleio solves that completely.

As long as your broadband is solid, you get perfect picture quality on all the main channels without ever touching an aerial.

It’s ideal for second rooms where running aerial cables is a hassle. Bedrooms, kitchens, home offices – anywhere you’ve got Wi-Fi, the Pleio gives you full access to live TV and streaming without complicated installations (AND games).

And if you’ve been curious about Freely but baulked at buying a new TV just to try it, this is finally your entry point.

What the Pleio isn’t, though, is a replacement for traditional Freeview recorders. There’s no recording capability whatsoever – you’re entirely dependent on broadcaster catch-up services. For viewers who rely on recording to skip adverts or build libraries of content, that’s a limitation no amount of streaming convenience can overcome.

The Pleio sits in an interesting middle ground – more capable than a basic streaming stick, more accessible than buying a new TV, and banking on the idea that streaming-first TV is where we’re all heading anyway.

Setting Up The Netgem Pleio

The Pleio itself is surprisingly tiny – at just 64mm across and 14mm thick, it’s genuinely palm-sized. At 40g, it’s also remarkably light – so light, in fact, that the HDMI cable can pull it around on your TV stand.

That’s not really an issue though, since the remote uses Bluetooth rather than infrared. You don’t need to point it at the box or worry about line of sight, so you can tuck the Pleio wherever it’s convenient.

If you’re planning to hang it behind your TV, you’ll probably want a shorter HDMI cable than the one supplied in the box.

The remote is also feather-light, which takes a bit of getting used to if you’re accustomed to the heft of a traditional TV remote.

In the box, you get the puck itself, the Bluetooth remote (with batteries included), the gamepad, a power adapter, and an HDMI cable.

One thing worth noting: the gamepad charges via USB-C, but you only get one cable in the box. So you’ll need to either swap it with the power adapter when charging, or get yourself another USB-C cable and adapter.

A quick note before we continue: I was testing a pre-release version of the Pleio, so there could be some slight variations once customers receive their devices. I’ll continue testing the box over the coming weeks and will update this review if there are any major changes.

Getting Started

For new users, the setup process should be fairly straightforward.

Connect the Pleio to your TV via HDMI, plug in the power, and you’re guided through the basics – connecting to Wi-Fi, entering your postcode (so Freely can show your local channels), an email address for the gaming service, and your Google account if you want the full Android TV experience with access to the Play Store.

One thing worth mentioning: there’s no Ethernet port on the Pleio. It’s Wi-Fi only, though it does support Wi-Fi 6, which should provide a solid connection if your router supports it (but it’s backwards compatible with Wi-Fi 5).

When you first turn the device on – and indeed, every time you turn it on – you’re greeted with the main Freely screen. This is actually convenient for anyone who just wants straightforward access to live TV without navigating through menus.

Using The Pleio

Press the Home button on the remote and you’re greeted with the main Freely screen – thumbnails of what’s live right now, recommendations for on-demand shows, and quick access to the Freely streaming apps.

It’s immediately clear that Freely is front and centre here. The recommendations, programme suggestions, and content discovery all lean heavily towards Freely channels and apps.

There are some recommendations from third-party services as well – Netflix and Prime Video at the moment, with more promised in the future – but Freely is definitely the star of the show.

To jump over to the Android TV side, there’s a dedicated “Apps” button on the remote that switches you to the standard Android TV app launcher. Alternatively, you can press the voice button and ask for a specific app – though confusingly, this only works for Android TV apps, not Freely apps. More on that quirk later.

In terms of speed and responsiveness, the Pleio performs well. Moving through menus is snappy, apps load quickly, and the overall experience feels modern and capable.

It’s not quite as polished as a Fire TV stick – there’s the occasional stutter and some features feel like they’re still bedding in – but it’s perfectly usable and genuinely pleasant to navigate day-to-day.

The remote itself is Bluetooth, which means no pointing or line-of-sight worries. It’s extremely lightweight (perhaps a bit too lightweight – it feels almost toy-like), but the button layout is sensible, with dedicated shortcuts for Freely, the Guide, Apps, and voice control.

The Freely Experience

For most readers, this is what you’re really here for – how does Freely actually work on a standalone box?

The short answer: pretty much exactly like it does on Freely TVs, which is to say, rather well.

The Programme Guide

Press the “Guide” button on the remote (or select the Guide icon on the main Freely screen) and you’re presented with an electronic programme guide that will feel immediately familiar to anyone who’s used Freeview.

It’s almost identical to a traditional Freeview EPG – rows of channels, columns of time slots, programme information when you highlight something.

The only real differences are the channel numbers (which don’t match Freeview’s numbering) and the channel count itself – 55+ on Freely versus 80+ on traditional Freeview.

EPG Navigation is straightforward and intuitive. Freeview users will feel right at home within seconds.

One feature I would have liked to see: the ability to skip forward or backwards to a specific day, like you can on the Manhattan T4-R. Instead, you have to continuously scroll through the guide, which gets tedious if you’re trying to check what’s on four days from now.

But that’s a minor grumble. For the most part, the EPG does exactly what it needs to do.

Watching Live TV

Here’s where Freely’s streaming-first approach shows both its strengths and its limitations.

To watch live channels, you don’t need to sign into anything. The streams work independently of the apps, so you can flip through BBC One, ITV, Channel 4, and the rest without creating accounts or logging in.

That’s genuinely convenient, and it makes the Pleio more accessible than platforms that require sign-ins before you can watch anything.

However, there is a 3-4 second lag when changing channels. It’s noticeable, particularly if you’re used to the instant switching of traditional aerial-based Freeview. You get used to it fairly quickly, but it takes some of the spontaneity out of channel surfing.

Once a channel is playing, though, the experience is solid. HD channels look great – often better than Freeview, particularly if your aerial reception has always been a bit dodgy.

There are no pixelated pictures when it rains, no interference when a plane flies over, no need to fiddle with aerial positioning. It just works.

SD channels, predictably, look just as rough as they do on Freeview. That’s not the Pleio’s fault – but it’s worth noting.

Pause and Restart

Freely supports pausing live TV on all the channels, but only for 15 minutes. After that, it just starts playing again automatically.

If you’re still in the loo or dealing with an unexpected phone call, you’re going to miss stuff. That’s disappointing compared to devices like the Manhattan T4 Freeview Play box, which doesn’t support recording either but offers a 90-minute live pause buffer.

The “Restart” feature – which lets you jump back to the beginning of a programme that’s currently airing – only works with the core public service broadcasters at the moment.

It’s missing from channels like U, PBS America, Legend, and others, even though many of those channels have their own streaming apps. Hopefully this expands over time.

Backwards Scrolling and Catch-Up

As with Freeview Play, Freely now supports a backwards-scrolling EPG, which lets you browse programmes that aired in the past and jump straight to them on the relevant catch-up service.

To access this properly – streaming episodes on-demand, watching full catch-up libraries, the Restart feature, and getting recommendations for other episodes – you do need to sign into the individual broadcaster apps (BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, etc.).

Once you’ve done that, the integration works seamlessly. Select a programme that aired yesterday, and you’re taken straight to it in the appropriate app.

It’s not quite as smooth as having everything in one unified system, but it’s far more convenient than manually opening apps and hunting for programmes yourself.

The No-Aerial Reality

Here’s the thing about ditching the aerial entirely: it feels surprisingly liberating.

Yes, you’re getting fewer channels than traditional Freeview. And yes, if your broadband goes down, you’re stuck with no TV at all. But in normal day-to-day use, the fact that you never have to worry about aerial reception, retuning every month, or channels flickering during bad weather… it all just works.

Broadband outages do happen, but they’re relatively rare these days – certainly rarer than dodgy aerial signals in many parts of the country. If you live somewhere with reliable broadband and have always battled with Freeview reception issues, this approach makes a lot of sense.

That said, if you don’t have access to fast, stable broadband where you live, the Pleio simply isn’t for you. Freely recommends a minimum of 10Mbps, and whilst that’s achievable for most UK households, it’s worth testing your connection before committing to a streaming-only TV setup.

The Missing Channels

Freely’s channel lineup continues to expand, but it’s still noticeably smaller than traditional Freeview. Some of the missing channels are available as FAST channels through the Pleio’s optional subscription tier, but others simply aren’t accessible at all.

You won’t miss most of them – let’s be honest, shopping channels and obscure niche services aren’t why most people watch TV. But I do think there are some hidden gems buried in the smaller Freeview channels, and those may end up disappearing entirely if they don’t have the means to join the streaming revolution.

The good news? Talking Pictures TV joined Freely this week, plugging one of the most requested gaps in Freely’s lineup.

Pleio’s Curated Content Tabs

One of the issues viewers face these days, is actually FINDING good stuff to watch. The Pleio tries to help with that, with several curated “content hubs”, that curate content from Freely and some of the other streaming services.

The tabs, which can be accessed from Pleio’s main menu, are Series, Movies, Sport, and Kids.

As with the rest of the device, the recommended titles are heavily slanted towards those available on Freely (the bonus – that means they’re all free to watch).

For now, there are also recommendations from Netflix and Prime Video, along with content you can buy from Rakuten’s VOD store – but Netgem tell me more services will be added to these recommendations in the future.

One thing that’s missing is a global watchlist – you can add Freely shows to the Freely watchlist (directly from the EPG), but there’s no single watchlist that covers Freely shows AND streaming shows, like you get (with varying degrees of success) on devices like Sky Stream, Fire TV and Roku.

The Streaming Apps

One of the Pleio’s major advantages over previous Freeview devices is its access to the full Google Play Store.

Unlike the Humax Aura, which ran a weird custom version of Android TV with a limited app selection (notably missing Netflix), the Pleio gives you access to pretty much everything you’d find on any standard Android TV device.

Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, YouTube, Sky’s NOW, Paramount+, Discovery+ – they’re all here. You’ll also find VPN apps if you need them. For most users, the app selection won’t be a limitation.

Performance across these apps is generally good. Streaming from Netflix and Prime Video worked smoothly during my testing, with no buffering issues or unexpected crashes.

However, some of the heavier apps did show their strain on the hardware. Disney+, which is notoriously demanding on streaming devices, stuttered here and there.

While watching a film, I experienced some annoying frame drops that disrupted the viewing experience.

This isn’t a deal-breaker – most apps run fine (even ITVX, which is also notoriously heavy on some devices), but it’s worth noting that the Pleio isn’t quite as powerful as top-end streaming devices like the Fire TV 4K Max.

A Tale Of Two Systems

Here’s where we need to talk about the Pleio’s biggest usability challenge: the disconnect between its Freely side and its Android TV side.

This isn’t just about having two separate systems living on one device – it’s about those systems not really talking to each other properly, which creates friction that users will notice.

The Three Search Problem

The most obvious example of this disconnect is search. The Pleio actually has three separate search functions, each delivering different results from different sources.

First, there’s the dedicated “Search” button on the remote (the magnifying glass icon), which opens Netgem’s custom Freely search.

This searches across all Freely channels, PSB catch-up content, live programmes, and selected streaming apps – currently Netflix, Prime Video, and Tubi, with more promised in the pipeline.

Second, there’s the Google Assistant voice search, accessed via the voice button on the remote.

This searches through Android TV apps – but unlike most Android TV devices, which return results from your installed apps, the Pleio’s implementation currently only returns YouTube results. It’s a significant limitation compared to standard Android TV devices.

Third – and this one’s easy to miss – there’s a search function within the EPG itself, which only searches through the live programme guide.

Three separate searches, three different sets of results, and no unified way to find content across everything the device can access. It’s confusing, and there’s no getting around that.

Your best bet? Stick with the magnifying glass button, which gives you the most comprehensive results. But even that won’t show you everything available on the device – so there’s no true ‘Global Search’ like the one you’d find on devices like Sky Stream.

Why Are There Two Systems?

According to Netgem, this dual architecture is intentional rather than an oversight.

The Netgem custom search is designed to handle Freely’s HbbTV-based content, which simply doesn’t integrate with Google’s standard Android TV search index. The technical architecture of how PSB content is delivered through Freely isn’t compatible with how Android TV expects content metadata to work.

That’s a perfectly reasonable technical explanation. The problem is that “intentional” doesn’t mean “intuitive.”

And here’s where things get particularly confusing: the Freely apps (BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, etc.) that come with the Freely integration are separate from the standard Android TV versions you’d download from the Google Play Store.

They’re built differently to work with Freely’s HbbTV system, and they live in a different part of the device’s architecture.

From a user perspective, this can feel broken. You press the voice button and ask for BBC iPlayer, and the Google Assistant can’t find it – because it’s a Freely app, not an Android TV app. Ask for ITVX, and the Assistant offers to install a second copy from the Play Store – which then sits alongside the Freely version, creating duplicate icons and confusion about which one to use.

Netgem’s explanation is that most users will naturally gravitate toward the Freely interface and its integrated search, making the Google Assistant search largely irrelevant. And to be fair, that’s probably true for anyone primarily using the device for Freely content.

But it undermines the “all-in-one” promise. If you’re constantly having to remember which search finds which content, and which version of an app you should open, that’s cognitive load that shouldn’t exist on a device positioning itself as simple and unified.

Will This Improve?

To Netgem’s credit, they acknowledge these limitations and say they’re working on UI refinements and expanding search coverage. The company tells me they’re exploring ways to make the distinction between systems clearer, and they’re adding more streaming services to the custom search index.

That’s encouraging, but it doesn’t change the current reality: the Pleio feels like two devices awkwardly sharing the same hardware, rather than one cohesive experience.

For users who primarily want Freely and occasionally dip into Netflix or Prime Video, this probably won’t bother you much. For those expecting seamless integration between everything the device offers, it’s going to feel frustrating at times.

The Cloud Gaming Gamble

One of the Pleio’s most unusual features is its included gamepad and access to 250+ cloud games through Netgem’s subscription service.

This is a bit of a gamble on Netgem’s part. I’m sure some potential customers will see the gamepad featured so prominently in the marketing, think “I’m not a gamer,” and immediately look elsewhere.

But Netgem clearly wants gaming to be an integral part of this device – not least because it’s tied to that optional £9.99 monthly subscription – so having the gamepad right there in the box will likely tempt many people to at least give it a try.

And try I did.

The game library includes some recognisable titles – though mostly from years ago – alongside plenty of casual games you’ve probably never heard of.

I spent some time with Saints Row IV (even though I finished it over a decade ago), tried a few racing games, and even discovered a bizarre game where you race across a supermarket with a screaming man and a screaming goat. Yes, really.

Will this replace my PS5? Absolutely not. But that’s not the point.

The appeal of cloud gaming on the Pleio is immediacy. There’s no downloading, no installing, no updates.

You browse the library, select a game, and you’re playing within seconds. For quick 20-minute sessions when you just want something lighthearted and fun, that’s genuinely useful.

Performance-wise, I experienced almost no noticeable lag. There were a few stutters here and there, but nothing that seriously disrupted gameplay. Granted, these are mostly older games without demanding graphics.

The gamepad itself is comfortable enough and responsive, though it’s not as accurate or well-built as a PS5 controller. For what it does, though, it works well. And the bonus is that it’s just there, ready to go, without needing to dig out a separate console.

Netgem tells me that during their testing, older customers particularly appreciated having this for their grandchildren when they come over. That makes sense – it’s an instant entertainment option that doesn’t require owning a separate games console or dealing with complicated setups.

Importantly, the gaming element doesn’t complicate things for users who don’t care about it. It’s a menu tab and a remote button that you can safely ignore if gaming isn’t your thing. Though yes, you are paying a bit extra to have that gamepad included in the box, whether you use it or not.

You get three months of gaming access free when you buy the Pleio. After that, continuing access requires the £9.99 monthly subscription.

• December Update: Shortly after launch, Netgem increased the free gaming access to 12 months. So you get a full year of gaming (and the extra channels) before you have to pay £9.99/month to keep it.

The Subscription Add-on

As mentioned, the Pleio comes with a 12-month trial of Netgem’s subscription service, which includes both the cloud gaming library and access to 150+ extra channels. After those 12 months, continuing access costs £9.99 per month.

To be clear: Freely itself remains completely free. The core 55+ channels, the EPG, the catch-up services – all of that continues working without any subscription (other than the TV Licence, of course).

But the gaming and extra channels disappear (after a year) unless you pay.

For customers who get the Pleio through their ISP (currently WightFibre, Connect Fibre, BRSK, and others), the subscription is typically included as part of the paid bundle, so you won’t face this decision.

But for anyone buying the Pleio at retail for £99, the question becomes: is £9.99 a month worth it?

The Extra Channels

The 150+ extra channels are predominantly FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channels covering everything from specific shows to themed content.

You’ll find ex-Freeview channels like Great! Movies, music channels, news channels, documentary channels, and some sports content.

To be fair, most of these channels are available elsewhere – often for free on platforms like Samsung TV+, Plex, Pluto TV, Rakuten TV and others. The Pleio’s advantage is having lots of them in one place, which is convenient if you enjoy channel surfing through niche content.

Are they worth £9.99 a month on their own? Probably not. But here’s the thing: the subscription isn’t just channels or just gaming – it’s both together.

If you genuinely use the cloud gaming feature, even occasionally, and you enjoy having those extra channels available for casual viewing, then £9.99 a month starts looking more reasonable.

It’s less than a Netflix subscription, and you’re getting a decent library of games plus a wide channel selection.

However, if you’re only interested in Freely’s core offering and don’t care about gaming or niche FAST channels, you can safely skip the subscription entirely and still have a perfectly functional streaming device.

The subscription feels like Netgem’s attempt to create ongoing revenue beyond the initial hardware sale – which is fair enough in today’s streaming world.

Bottom Line – Is The Netgem Pleio For Me?

The Netgem Pleio is a promising first attempt at bringing Freely to the masses – and for the most part, it succeeds.

If you’ve been frustrated by poor Freeview reception, or you’ve been curious about Freely but didn’t fancy buying a whole new TV, the Pleio delivers exactly what it promises.

For £99, you get a capable streaming device that genuinely integrates live TV and catch-up services in a way that Fire TV and Roku can’t match.

The dual architecture creates some friction – three separate searches, the occasional duplicate app, a disconnect between Freely and Android TV – but in day-to-day use, it’s more of an annoyance than a deal-breaker.

Stick primarily to the Freely interface and you’ll be fine, with the behemoth streaming services tagging along.

The bigger question is whether Freely’s limitations work for your household. No recording means complete dependence on catch-up services. Fewer channels than traditional Freeview means accepting gaps in the lineup.

Streaming-only means your TV goes dark when your broadband does. These are fundamental trade-offs, not quirks that updates will fix.

How Does It Compare?

The Fire TV Stick 4K costs £59.99 and offers a more polished streaming experience with a better-integrated search and a massive app library.

Its Live tab provides BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and others in one guide – not as seamlessly as Freely, but close enough for many viewers. If you don’t specifically need Freely’s integrated approach, the Fire TV stick is cheaper and arguably better for some.

The Roku Streaming Stick Plus costs £39.99 and offers an even simpler interface that’s genuinely intuitive for anyone intimidated by modern streaming devices. Again, no Freely – but if simplicity is your priority and you’re happy jumping between apps, Roku remains hard to beat.

The Pleio’s advantage is that it offers something neither of those can: proper Freely integration. If that matters to you – if you want live TV and catch-up unified in one interface, delivered through broadband rather than an aerial – then the extra £40-60 over those alternatives makes sense (along with the gaming option).

The Grandparents Test

Speaking of simplicity: could you give this to your tech-phobic parents or grandparents?

Maybe – with caveats.

If you teach them to press the Freely button and stick to the Guide, they’ll have everything they need without too much complication. The EPG is familiar, channel selection is straightforward, and catch-up content is easily accessible. That’s simpler than most streaming devices.

But the Pleio isn’t as simple as a Roku, and it’s certainly more complex than traditional Freeview. There are multiple buttons to remember, different ways to search, and the potential for confusion if they accidentally wander into the Android TV side.

This is exactly why the BBC is exploring their “radically simplified” Freely box. For users who genuinely want nothing more than a digital replacement for traditional TV, the Pleio still asks a lot.

For everyone else – particularly younger viewers comfortable with streaming, or households that value having both Freely and full app access – the Pleio strikes a reasonable balance between capability and usability.

The Verdict

The Pleio isn’t perfect. It’s rough around the edges in places, but it’s also genuinely useful, and it solves real problems for real people.

If you live somewhere with terrible aerial reception, the Pleio transforms unreliable Freeview into rock-solid streaming. If you’ve been curious about Freely, this is your entry point without buying new hardware.

Most importantly, there’s room for this to get better. Netgem is actively working on improvements – expanding search coverage, refining the UI, adding features. The Pleio you buy today will likely be more capable in six months, and significantly better in a year.

For £99, you’re getting a 4-star device with genuine potential to reach 5 stars as updates roll out. That’s not a bad proposition – particularly when the alternative has been “buy a whole new TV or go without.”

If Freely’s limitations work for your household and you’ve got decent broadband, the Pleio is worth considering. It’s not the perfect Freely + Android box, but it’s a solid first step – and right now, it’s the only game in town.

Note: The device was supplied by the manufacturer for this review. As always, this did not influence my unbiased opinion of the product.