Freely, the Everyone TV-operated internet-delivered platform backed by U.K. PSBs BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, is on track to be in 10.5 million U.K. homes by 2034, eclipsing the well-established Freeview DTT service.
The forecasts, hailing from the independent analyst firm 3 Reasons, chart the steady decline in U.K. homes without broadband access, set to fall to 220,000 by 2034—less than 1% of TV homes. This is just a quarter of the original 800,000 predicted by DCMS in a 2024 report. Meanwhile, Barb has indicated that CTV take-up is rapidly rising, with the use of internet-connected televisions increasing to 84% of homes from 66% since 2020.
Freely is being used by about a million users currently. Freeview is in 9.7 million U.K. homes now, and 73% of those homes are already watching TV on the internet, in addition to DTT. By 2034, Freeview is expected to be used by fewer than a million homes. Today, about 2.6 million homes rely on DTT because they don’t have access to IPTV or broadband.
Everyone TV is a member of the Future TV Taskforce, mapping out the transition from DTT to IPTV.
Jonathan Thompson, Everyone TV’s CEO, said: “The way audiences engage with TV is changing and these updated forecasts reflect that clear direction of travel. It is vital that any future change in TV distribution is carefully planned and managed, that issues of connectivity and affordability are addressed, and that no viewer is left behind. Freely provides simple, trusted access to live, linear channels and on-demand content from our public service broadcasters and combines this with innovation that can benefit all audiences. It can be a gateway for people to safely and easily enter into an increasingly digital society and not be excluded.”
