Latest Moan From You and Me 2025

If it has an HDMI input, which most TVs do, you will be able to use a smart stick or box.
You will be able to use BBC iPlayer which as well as the live TV channels has a huge amount of on demand content. There are similar apps for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. All of them have free content, some (e.g. ITVX) are a mixture of free and paid. Then there are other free apps (funded by advertising) such as Tubi and Pluto, which are mainly American content.

If you buy an Amazon stick and have a Prime account, then you will get to watch Prime Video too. I haven't bothered much in the past but the content has been improving lately.

Personally I find Netflix worth paying for - I am currently working my way through every season of House and Young Sheldon - and also YouTube which is a revelation when you get rid of the adverts. I also have Discovery because I'm addicted to all the gold mining shows.

 

If you already get Freeview and you're happy with it then there probably isn't any advantage. It sounds like a good option for those who don't have good aerial reception, or don't want to have to put an aerial up!

 

Yes, it is the aerial issue pushing me towards Freely.

 

Can you still get those signal boosters.

 

You probably can, but given I have had the problem since 2012 and done nothing to rectify it, it is fairly safe to say I can't be *rsed! The internet uses the time I used to spend watching TV, I guess.

 

@ViewAhead you can check your channels and strength here:

Detailed transmitter information for industry professionals

We often lose the BBC channels despite the mast being at the top of Sutton Coldfield. Poor weather affects it plus the trees behind our house.

 

It predicts I can get 135 channels for free. If only ...

 

You probably need an aerial upgrade.

 

A smart tv would likely be cheaper though.

Have received another reminder re paying for my licence. It included a bit telling me how I will be helping the BBC continue creating content. Not a compelling argument given my views on their output.

 

The BBC seem to have gone quiet on Trump's compensation claim saga.

 

Mine is due the end of the month, second email arrived yesterday.
Well I have a smart TV but I still use the aerial for freeview, not sure how you can get all the channels on a smart TV, I only use the wi fi for I player, You tube etc.
For standard BBC and ITV I use the aerial.

 

It was interesting listening to some of the parliamentary committee questioning of BBC management yesterday. The overall impression I got was they just don't get it. They don't see the problem and they are so used to just dismissing criticism out of hand that they don't know how to respond in any other way. It is a prime example of corporate groupthink.

 

Who didn't get "it" the Parliamentary committee, the BBC board, or either of them.

 

Presumably the Beeb. I suspect that because they have no shareholders to answer to for sales and profits performance they feel no need to justify content and quality except by audience figures and that makes them very complacent and a tad self-righteous.

Some of the programmes they produce are excellent but there is also a great deal of dross which seems to be repeated more often than the good stuff.

 

The BBC does still have some decent content but it can be difficult to find it without having to wade thru all the celeb stuff and endless repeats. Even some of the World Service progs. have dropped in real interest altho if that goes, a huge audience will lose out.