{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreieb57fpl3w7zuep3g77nmlgo3sabevbi2zyflwgqn7z4wsz4nuvbi",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:oznbnvgr7dmvddiyvr7dih52/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhbeodssxyz2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreibfpsepkjcjvzjgu4zakgkazsbhuc5dbbwaxdgj2butcdakruq5lm"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 138401
  },
  "path": "/tech/freely-tv-restock-confirmed-currys-john-lewis-amazon",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-17T15:57:47.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "on the sold-out Aero 4K TV Streamer",
    "launched for £69 earlier this year",
    "GB News",
    "sold out in under 24-hours",
    "that's more than Netflix",
    "usually only associate with paid-for platforms like Sky Glass or Sky Stream",
    "the announcement",
    "a slew of Sky TV-like features for your favourite free-to-air channels",
    "the Pleio box from French manufacturer Netgem",
    "on the shelves of Amazon UK, too",
    "**it launched in the first half of 2024.**",
    "**this new broadband-powered platform is forecast to overtake both**",
    "**Aero 4K TV Streamer**",
    "**GB News**",
    "**usually only associate with paid-for platforms like Sky Glass or Sky Stream**",
    "**went through a price rise in the last couple of months**.",
    "**Manhattan Aero 4K TV Streamer**",
    "British startup Nothing is giving away Bluetooth earbuds worth £79",
    "**New iPad Air arrives with one major change – and thankfully, it's NOT the price**",
    "**Best VPN deals**",
    "**Sky Glass Gen 2 review**",
    "Windows 11 reaches impressive new milestone",
    "Biggest shake-up to Google Maps promises to 'change what a map can do'",
    "**Humax Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder with Freely was just unveiled**",
    "**Buy the Humax Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder with Freely**",
    "Stream On: The Future of UK TV",
    "unlocks Sky Glass-like features",
    "**Millions of UK viewers could be \"forced into paying for broadband\"**",
    "**recently retired its own satellite solution**",
    "**Sky Glass Gen 2**",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nIf you've been waiting to get your hands **on the sold-out Aero 4K TV Streamer** , the delay is almost over.\n\nThis set-top box, built by British brand Manhattan, **launched for £69 earlier this year**. It's the second-only Freely TV box to launch in the UK, unlocking the ability to stream the biggest free-to-air channels, including **GB News** , ITV, BBC, and Channel 4, with just a Wi-Fi connection. It **sold out in under 24-hours** when it made its debut on Currys.\n\nThere's also an on-demand catalogue brimming with over 75,000 hours of on-demand content (believe it or not, **that's more than Netflix**). Unlike Freeview, Freely boasts several clever features that you'd **usually only associate with paid-for platforms like Sky Glass or Sky Stream** , including pausing live television and restarting a show that's in progress.\n\nAfter weeks of being unavailable, GB News has learned that **March 30, 2026** will be the next opportunity to buy this popular Freely TV box.\n\nAlex Arbab-Zadeh, COO of Manhattan TV, told GB News: \"Since the incredible initial response to the launch of Aero, we've been laser-focused on getting stock of this amazing product back and available as fast as possible.\n\n\"Delivery dates are all confirmed, and the Aero will be available to buy again at Amazon, John Lewis, Curry's and Richer Sounds, all during the week commencing Monday 30th March.\"\n\nFor those who missed **the announcement** , this British-made box is designed to bring Freely to _any_ flatscreen via HDMI – unlocking **a slew of Sky TV-like features for your favourite free-to-air channels**.\n\nAt £69.99, it's much cheaper than **the Pleio box from French manufacturer Netgem** , which launched at the tail-end of last year and immediately sold out. Netgem was the first manufacturer to launch one of these set-top boxes and has struggled to keep the box **on the shelves of Amazon UK, too**.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nIf you're not familiar with Freely,******it launched in the first half of 2024.**\n\nBuilt by the same team behind Freeview and Freesat, **this new broadband-powered platform is forecast to overtake both**by the end of the decade. At the beginning, Freely was _only_ available on brand-new Smart TVs built from the ground up for its software, which lets you pause live free-to-air television channels and restart a show that's already in progress. The TV Guide lets you scroll backwards in time, bringing a selection of on-demand content drawn from catch-up services like BBC iPlayer and ITVX into the EPG.\n\nBut if you didn't want to upgrade to a new flatscreen, you had to stick with Freeview or Freesat. That's all changed with the arrival of these Apple TV-like boxes that bring the latest Freely features to _any_ television with a 10Mbps internet connection.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe **Aero 4K TV Streamer** is built by the British brand, Manhattan.\n\nPlug this box into the HDMI port on the back of your telly, and you're able to stream the biggest free-to-air channels, including **GB News**, ITV, BBC, Channel 4, and more.\n\nThere's also an on-demand catalogue brimming with over 75,000 hours of on-demand content (believe it or not, **that's more than Netflix**).\n\nUnlike Freeview, Freely boasts several clever features that you'd **usually only associate with paid-for platforms like Sky Glass or Sky Stream**, including pausing live television and rewinding a show that's in progress.\n\nWhile the TV Streamer rivals the Pleio with nearly the same features, Pleio has a couple of noteworthy extras that you may deem worthy of the slightly higher price tag. Currently, it's on sale at its original debut price of £109, but it just **went through a price rise in the last couple of months**.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe Pleio box includes a set-top box, remote, game controller, a 12-month subscription to premium channels, and cloud gaming.\n\nIt's worth remembering that ownership of the hardware is deferred until the 12-month subscription period ends, which means you’re essentially leasing or financing it as part of the subscription. You can't sell the Pleio box after six months as a second-hand item, since you don't _technically_ own it at that point.\n\nIf you're not much of a gamer, the **Manhattan Aero 4K TV Streamer** may be a better pick since it misses out on the game-streaming capabilities of the Pleio.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * **British startup Nothing is giving away Bluetooth earbuds worth £79**\n  * **New iPad Air arrives with one major change – and thankfully, it's NOT the price**\n  * **Best VPN deals**\n  * **Sky Glass Gen 2 review**\n  * **Windows 11 reaches impressive new milestone**\n  * **Biggest shake-up to Google Maps promises to 'change what a map can do'**\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHowever, if you're willing to splash out a bit extra, the **Humax Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder with Freely was just unveiled** for £249.\n\n  * **Buy the Humax Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder with Freely**\n\n\n\nThis is the third set-top box to launch with the Freely platform baked into it. Inside the Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder is a 2TB hard drive capable of recording **up to 1,000 hours of content**. When connected to an aerial, this new Humax device enables viewers to record up to four channels while watching a fifth channel live, ensuring they never miss their favourite television shows, sports fixtures, or films.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTo schedule a recording, you can tap the Menu button on the remote control to reveal the seven-day TV Guide, making it faster – and simpler – to select a show for recording. The Humax Aura EZ comes with a dedicated Freely button on the remote control, enabling fast and convenient access to the newest streaming platform.\n\nUnlike the Pleio and Aero boxes, the Aura EZ requires an aerial for full, traditional recording functionality and does not appear to support third-party apps like Netflix or Disney+.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nEach of these Freely-powered devices arrives just as Freeview faces a potential switch-off in the next few years.\n\nAccording to a recent study, dubbed **Stream On: The Future of UK TV** , every UK household could have access to internet-delivered TV by the mid-2030s, allowing traditional terrestrial distribution to be retired. A vast number of us have already made the switch, with 94% of UK adults having access to internet at home and 92% of us relying on one video-on-demand (VOD) service, like Netflix, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and others.\n\nWhile streaming can be more convenient — and **unlocks Sky Glass-like features** like the ability to pause or rewind live television – there are downsides. Aside from the BBC licence fee, there’s no cost when tuning into linear TV channels using an aerial.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nLikewise, if you have a satellite dish, Freesat lets you watch dozens of free-to-air channels at no cost. However, this isn't the case for broadband-based television, which requires an internet connection in your home.\n\nYou'll need a minimum connection speed of 10Mbps for Freely, with most broadband companies charging at least £10–£15 a month for the sort of speed you'll need to watch. **Millions of UK viewers could be \"forced into paying for broadband\"** as a result.\n\nAnd there are thousands of UK homes still without a broadband connection.\n\nFor those who aren't yet connected, the UK Government's target of 99% broadband coverage by 2030 should help plug the gap. The latest research was put together by Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates based on a representative survey of 1,000 UK TV viewers. It was published by Sky, which **recently retired its own satellite solution** in favour of internet-powered solutions like **Sky Glass Gen 2** and Sky Stream.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter **",
  "title": "REVEALED: When you'll finally be able to buy this sold-out British-made Freely TV box again"
}