BBC, ITV and Channel 4 to invest £125 million in new Freeview app

Posted on: Tuesday 12 June 2018

Three of the UK's biggest TV channels are joining forces to invest in Freeview to ensure it can stand up to competition from services like Netflix and Amazon Prime.2018

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The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are joining forces along with telecoms firm Arqiva to invest £125 million in bringing Freeview up to date for the Netflix generation.

Together, the four companies own Digital UK, and will be using that brand to develop a new Freeview mobile app, due to launch later this year.

In addition, the collaborators are looking into introducing voice search navigation for Freeview, and at adding features that will allow viewers to restart live programmes when they are midway through.

As a result, this investment will help to bring Freeview more in line with modern TV-watching services like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Jonathan Thompson, chief executive officer of Digital UK, commented: "This new commitment from our shareholders is a major boost for UK viewers.

"Building on this spirit of collaboration, we will not only safeguard free-to-view TV but reinvent it for a new age of viewing."