Video-sharing website YouTube will be venturing further into UK living rooms as it launches on Freesat this March.
The first time the online video service will be available from a free-to-air provider in the UK, the upcoming Freesat YouTube channel will allow viewers to access and share user-created video content via their Freesat set-top boxes.
The Freesat YouTube channel will be launched using the Freesat premium internet-connected Freesat Free Time box, which already allows users to access BBC iPlayer and ITV Player as well as more than 150 other channels. The upcoming Freesat YouTube channel is built on HTML 5 and will be the latest version of the YouTube experience, specially optimised for TV screens to be aesthetically pleasing and fully interactive.
“We’re happy to be working with Freesat so that Freesat users can now access YouTube from the platform,” said Peter Sherman, Product Marketing Manager at YouTube. “Our creator community is developing quality content that will delight and inspire viewers and we’re pleased to be able to bring it to people in new ways.”
YouTube boasts over 800 million views per month and can already be accessed using internet-connected TVs, such as Smart TVs or those that use Apple TV boxes.
The Freesat YouTube channel launch is coupled with Freesat celebrating 3 million sales since its launch in 2008. Adding 55,000 new households in Q3 2012, Freesat accumulated more new customers during that period than Sky and BT Vision put together, who gained 25,000 and 20,000 additional subscribers respectively.
“In just four years we have established ourselves as a real challenger and genuine alternative to pay-TV,” said Freesat MD, Emma Scott. “In that time we’ve delivered choice and quality, subscription free. Customer choice has driven every stage of our development; not least the launch of our second generation service, Free Time, in Q3 of last year.”
“We’re now delighted to add to our already fantastic customers offering with YouTube. They join Freesat at a time of rapid growth for our business and will offer an exclusive, first view of their latest version – previously unseen on free to air TV in the UK.”
A Freesat Free Time TV box can be purchased for £279 from selected retailers, giving access to over 150 channels, including 5 HD channels, the ability to pause and rewind live TV and record programmes from the TV guide to the built in hard drive. Freesat boxes can be bought with both 500GB and 1TB internal storage options.
Have you bought a Freesat TV set top box? How does it compare to pay-TV services from Sky or BT? Drop us a line on the Trusted Reviews Facebook and Twitter pages or the comment boxes below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
