How To Get Freeview on A Smart TV

What is Freeview TV?

First established in 2002, Freeview is the UK’s digital terrestrial television (DTT). It is owned and operated by Digital UK, which itself is owned by BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. The service offers free-to-view TV with access to more than 70 standard TV channels, 15 HD channels and 30 radio stations, including all BBC channels (including CBeebies), Channel 4, Channel 5, QVC, The Food Network and many more. It works with traditional TV cables that connect your home to the aerial installed at your property.

You’ll need to get Freeview Play for on-demand viewing, with the option to record, rewind, skip and pause live shows. This is also free, but you’ll need a Freeview Play TV or a set-top box for it to work. The box is offered by most major internet and television suppliers in the UK.

Alternatively, you can download the mobile app on another device, such as a smartphone or tablet. This way you can watch content from all the main stations through the app whenever you want. Unlike most pay-TV services, such as Virgin Media or Sky, Freeview doesn’t require a monthly subscription. You do, however, need to cover the yearly cost of your TV licence, which is now £159 per year.

Freeview TV Channels

As mentioned above, this free-to-air digital TV service offers 70+ standard channels and 15 HD channels with no need for a monthly subscription. Here’s a selection of some of the most popular Freeview channels:

How to get Freeview TV

Freeview is subscription-free and easy to set up. You’ll need a TV, aerial, TV licence and, in some cases, WiFi. Here is a four-step explanation of how to get Freeview for your home:

1. Get Freeview TV, recorder or a box

If your television was manufactured after 2010, it will probably already come with Freeview pre-installed. You just need to connect your device to a working transmitter via a cable. If you have a Freeview HD TV, you also get access to 15 HD channels for free.

To be able to record, pause and rewind live TV, you’ll need the Freeview Play box or a Play smart TV. Keep in mind that this requires an internet connection to work, so it won’t be an option for you if you don’t have WiFi.

You can purchase a box or recorder from a wide range of retailers, as well as major internet providers. You can get a Freeview Play device from most leading manufacturers, including LG, Toshiba, Hisense, TCL, Sony, and Panasonic. Samsung smart TVs don’t offer Freeview Play and will only have pre-installed free-to-air TV if they were manufactured between 2010 and 2016. You will need to get a Freeview box if you have a Samsung smart TV.

2. An aerial

You need to have a roof aerial installed to enjoy every free television channel. It needs to be in good condition and pointing in the correct direction. If you don’t already have an aerial, you’ll need to get one installed by someone who is qualified. You can find a local installer through GetMeViewing.org.uk or GetMeDigital.com as well as other local sites.

It’s always a good idea to get a few quotes to ensure you get the best deal on your aerial installation.

3. A TV licence

You need to have a TV licence to watch any broadcast TV service in the UK, and this usually costs £159 per year. This is the only yearly cost you’ll need to enjoy free digital TV in the UK. Keep in mind that you may need to pay a one-off aerial installation fee if you don’t already have one installed.

4. Broadband connection

If you’re only watching terrestrial Freeview channels, you won’t need an internet connection. However, Freeview Play does require the internet because it offers catch-up television which is available online.

How to get Freeview on your smart TV

You can set up a Freeview-ready TV in 4 easy steps:

Plug in your television and add batteries to the remote.
Plug in the aerial and turn on the TV.
Input your WiFi network and password when prompted.
Tune your TV to find all the available Freeview channels.

Once you’ve done this, you’re ready to start watching TV. If you’re missing certain channels, take a look at our section on how to add channels to Freeview.

Freeview Play

Watch live and catch-up television for free with a Freeview Play TV or Freeview Play box. To begin, you’ll need to have a working TV aerial and internet connection. The aerial needs to be plugged into your smart TV or box. Then you’ll need to connect the device to the internet. Here’s what you’ll get:

More than 70 standard channels
15 HD channels
40,000 hours of on-demand content
Catch-up TV available directly via the TV Guide
Freeview Play apps page with access to TV players
Red Button+ service on BBC channels
Streaming channels
Search & recommendations
Help & alerts

You can download the Freeview Play app on your phone or TV to browse shows from BBC iPlayer, My5, UKTV and All 4 in one place or watch from your PC or laptop through the television guide online.

Find out more on how to set up your recorder or Freeview Play account and how to add additional channels to your service below.

How to set up a Freeview recorder

It doesn’t take long to get set up. Just follow these five easy steps:

Plug the aerial lead into the aerial socket on your box.
Connect the HDMI cable using the port marked HDMI1 on the box. If you don’t have an HDMI port, try looking for something called an RF modulator.
Put the TV on standby then switch it on using your remote control.
Plug the power cable into your new box and switch it on.
Most boxes are ready to start tuning straight away. If you have problems with tuning, see the Freebox guide. You’ll be able to save all the channels you have found so you can start exploring the range of channels available to you.

Unfortunately, Freeview is not always available on all Samsung TV models. If your Samsung TV was manufactured before 2016, it will probably have Freeview built in. If your Samsung smart TV is newer, you are likely to need to opt for a box to enjoy free TV channels in the UK.

Best Freeview Play boxes

These are some of the top-rated Freeview Play recorders you can buy from most UK retailers:

Panasonic DMR-BWT850EB 1TB with Blu-ray
Manhattan T3-R
HUMAX Aura 1TB
HUMAX FVP-5000T

They all offer slightly different connectivity points, hardware and streaming services. You should shop around to find the best set-top recorder for you.

Do I need a Freeview box?

Most TVs from 2010 onwards already have Freeview installed. If this is the case with your TV, you won’t need a box because you will receive live TV and radio services straight from your aerial to your TV.

If your TV is older than this, you may need the Freeview set-top box. With this, you can also access extra perks such as recording, pausing, rewinding and skipping. It typically costs anywhere between £40 and £200 to purchase. You also get catch-up TV on demand, so you can watch your favourite TV shows whenever you want. And because it’s connected to the internet, it’s always up-to-date with the newest features and content.

The price point varies according to how many digital TV features, recording features and connectivity points it offers. You will also pay more for a box that can play content in 4K and offers direct access to popular streaming services like Netflix. You will, however, need your own Netflix subscription to enjoy this feature.

If you have a satellite dish rather than an aerial, a Freesat set-top box will allow you to access Freeview channels. Freesat is owned by BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and offers more than 170 standard channels and more than 25 in HD. It also offers access to leading on-demand streaming platforms such as BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub, as well as paid-for streaming services like Netflix.

Adding channels to Freeview

Enter your postcode into the Freeview channel checker to find out which channels are available in your area. You should receive more than 70 standard channels and 15 in HD. Once your aerial cable is plugged in, you can add Freeview channels by tuning your TV. In most cases, you’ll find popular live channels such as Channel 5, CBBC, ITVBe, BBC Radio, PBS America, Quest Red, Ideal World, CITV, BBC Four, BBC News, CBS Reality and more.

If you have Freeview Play, you’ll get additional on-demand programmes from BBC iPlayer, All 4, My5, ITV Hub and UKTV Play.

To get access to all channels, it’s best to get Freeview Play, but that’s not to say you won’t get all the stations with terrestrial Freeview. This will depend on what’s available in your area.

Pay-TV providers offer a limited number of Freeview channels, but you can get sports or movie channels for a monthly premium subscription. You can add additional streaming services such as Netflix, Disney or NOW TV to your smart TV to get access to even more of your favourite films and series.

There’s also the option to watch live TV through your Firestick with the TV Player for £6 a month. The Freeview app is not available in the Amazon app store so you won’t be able to enjoy it this way, but this is an alternative way of adding any missing channels to your Freeview television. Freeview continues to add new channels to their service, so re-tuning your TV from time to time will guarantee you the most up-to-date channels.

Missing channels

If you’ve used a channel checker and you know you’re not receiving certain channels you should, your TV might need retuning. It should be quick and easy to retune your TV and can usually be done in settings.

If you’re still having problems finding certain channels and want to have access to them, you will probably need an engineer to take a look at your aerial or get yourself a Freeview Play box.

How to get Freeview on other devices

Get the Freeview app on your smartphone or tablet to watch live Freeview channels on the go. You can get it via the Apple Play Store and Google Play Store. The ChannelBox app also lets you stream more than 60+ channels while you’re connected to the internet.

There’s also the option to download individual streaming apps such as BBC iPlayer, All 4, My5, ITV Hub and UKTV Play.

Are Freeview and YouView the same?

There are many similarities between the two but they are not the same. YouView is an on-demand TV service offering all free-to-view live channels as well as catch-up on BBC iPlayer, All 4 and other on-demand services. YouView also allows you to record, rewind, pause and search in the electronic programme guide (EPG).

It’s free to watch, you just need to buy a set-top box from a retailer or broadband provider, which costs about £50. You can pay a monthly subscription to get more content from services such as Netflix or NOW TV.

YouView is offered as part of a broadband bundle from providers such as TalkTalk or BT. It’s also available to buy subscription-free from major retailers, as well as being integrated into some Sony Android TVs. You usually need both an aerial and broadband connection but the BT Box Mini works with just the internet.