It's been an exciting period for Simplestream on the Freely platform. Freely is rapidly establishing itself as the UK's standard for internet-delivered broadcast television, and our footprint within it continues to grow. Simplestream is the technical provider delivering the most channels on the platform and we wanted to share what we're running, what we're building, and what's coming next.

More Channels Than Anyone Else on Freely

Simplestream is streaming more channels on Freely than any other provider. That's not just a number we're proud of - it's a reflection of the trust broadcasters have placed in our infrastructure and our ability to deliver at scale. From major free-to-air portfolios to specialist content brands, we're delivering a significant and growing proportion of what audiences watch on Freely-enabled devices every day.

Live Streaming with Server-Side Ad Insertion

All of those channels are delivered live, and with full Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) capability built in. For broadcasters, that means targeted advertising that works across every device without interruption or buffering. SSAI allows ad breaks to be stitched directly into the stream at the server level, removing the friction of client-side ad loading and delivering far more sophisticated audience targeting.  

Automated Catch Up workflows

Beyond the live experience, we're also delivering catch-up services for broadcasters on Freely, allowing viewers to go back and watch programmes they may have missed. In an era where audiences expect to watch on their own terms, restart and catch-up is no longer optional, it's a core part of the viewing proposition, and our platform makes it straightforward for broadcasters to offer it alongside their live streams.

VOD - On-Demand Content at Scale

Alongside catch-up, we support full Video on Demand libraries, giving broadcasters the flexibility to make their content available whenever and however their audiences want it. Our VOD infrastructure is built to handle extensive catalogues with the same reliability and performance we bring to live streaming.

React-Powered Applications

On the application side, we have re-engineerd our TAL frameowork that traditionally supported more legacy devices for Freeview Play and YouView and have now built our Freely apps using React, giving us a modern, flexible, and highly performant foundation. React allows us to move quickly, iterate on features, and deliver smooth, responsive user experiences across the range of Freely-certified devices.  

FAST Channel Streaming

We're also actively delivering Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television, FAST channels, on the platform. FAST represents one of the most exciting growth areas in streaming, offering broadcasters a way to create always-on linear channels from their content libraries, monetised through advertising without any subscription barrier for viewers. Our infrastructure allows for the channel creation and supports FAST channelplayout and delivery natively, it's an area where we're seeing strong and growing demand across all platforms.

Consent Management Platform - Coming Soon

In the coming weeks, we'll be launching our own Consent Management Platform. As privacy regulation continues to evolve and audience consent becomes ever more central to how advertising works in streaming, having a robust, integrated CMP is essential. Ours will work seamlessly alongside our SSAI capabilities, ensuring that targeted advertising is delivered in a way that is both effective and fully compliant.  

Freely is the future of free television in the UK, and team Simplestream is building a great deal of that future. If you'd like to find out more about what we can do for your channels on Freely, we'd love to talk.

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