The wait for a Freely box is over – but so is the stock. Pleio, the first standalone Freely streaming box, launched on Friday morning for £99 and by Friday evening it was completely unavailable on Amazon.
Some early buyers have already received their devices, while others who ordered later in the day are now facing delays until next week – and anyone trying to order now is stuck without stock.
The speed of the sellout has caught Netgem by surprise, with the company’s managing director acknowledging they “far exceeded our expectations” for launch day demand.
But whilst some customers are celebrating finally getting their hands on a Freely box without buying a new TV, others are frustrated at missing out – and for some, questions are emerging about the price, the lack of recording, and the need for fast broadband.
What Is The Pleio?
For those who missed Friday’s launch, the Netgem Pleio (pronounced “PLAY-oh”) is the first standalone device that brings Freely to existing TVs without requiring a completely new television.
Freely is Everyone TV’s streaming platform designed to eventually replace traditional Freeview and Freesat.
Instead of using an aerial or satellite dish, Freely delivers live TV channels through your broadband connection – BBC, ITV, Channel 4, 5, and around 55 others.
You can watch live channels directly without opening any apps – they stream straight from the EPG. But Freely also lets you scroll backwards through the TV guide to find programmes that aired days ago.
When you select one, it opens in the relevant catch-up app (BBC iPlayer, ITVX, etc.) – but you’ve found it through the unified guide rather than having to remember which channel it was on and hunt through separate apps.
Since Freely launched in April 2024, the only way to access it has been buying a brand new smart TV from manufacturers like Hisense, Bush, or Panasonic.
The Pleio changes that for £99, letting you add Freely to any TV with an HDMI port.
But the Pleio isn’t just a Freely box. It runs Android TV 14 with full Google Play Store access, meaning Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and hundreds of other apps.
It also includes 250+ cloud games with a wireless gamepad, and access to 150+ extra FAST channels (though the gaming and extra channels require a £9.99 monthly subscription after a three-month trial).
The most significant decision? There’s no aerial port. Unlike current Freely TVs that let you “top up” with traditional Freeview channels, the Pleio is streaming-only. You get what’s available through Freely’s lineup and nothing else.
The Friday Sellout
The Pleio launched on Amazon on Friday morning, with Netgem also sending people to the giant retailer from Freely’s official website, and their own Pleio website.
Early buyers who ordered Friday morning have already received their devices and started using it.
But as the day progressed, delivery estimates began slipping – first to next week, then by evening the product showed as completely out of stock.
Some Cord Busters readers managed to secure orders before stock ran out, while others have expressed frustration at missing the launch window entirely.
The speed of the sellout appears to have caught Netgem off guard. Sylvain Thevenot, Managing Director of Netgem UK, told Cord Busters today:
“We have seen exceptional demand for PLEIO that has far exceeded our expectations. While we knew the UK was ready for a modern, aerial-free TV experience, the speed at which the public embraced this new proposition took us by surprise, and we sold out of our initial allocation on Amazon in under 24 hours.
“We have already shipped a significant new wave of devices to replenish stock, but given the Black Friday volume, Amazon’s fulfilment centres are taking a few days to process and scan new inventory.
“We expect to be back in stock tomorrow, but stock will likely be intermittent for the next week. We advise customers to check back frequently – fresh stock is in the building and will be hitting the shelves as soon as the logistics catch up with the demand.”
The timing couldn’t be worse for restocking. Black Friday week means Amazon’s warehouses are dealing with huge volume, creating delays in processing new inventory even when it’s physically on-site.
Of course, we don’t know how many units were actually available on launch day – but either way, it appears there weren’t enough to meet the demand.
For customers waiting to order, this means checking back regularly over the coming days rather than expecting consistent availability.
Early Reception: Enthusiasm Mixed With Concerns
So far, online reaction to the Pleio has been strong, but it’s not uniformly positive.
Many viewers are genuinely excited about finally accessing Freely without replacing their entire TV. For households with poor aerial reception, the streaming-only approach solves years of frustration with pixelated pictures and missing channels.
The Android TV integration has also drawn praise – unlike some previous UK streaming boxes with limited app support, the Pleio gives you access to essentially everything through the Google Play Store.
But three recurring concerns keep emerging in discussions:
The Price Question
At £99, the Pleio costs significantly more than mainstream streaming alternatives. Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K sells for £59.99 (and much less at the moment, with Black Friday deals), while Roku’s Streaming Stick Plus normally comes in at £39.99.
The Pleio’s defenders point out that it offers proper Freely integration that neither of those devices can match – plus the included gamepad and three months of gaming/extra channels. But critics argue that for viewers with no interest in gaming, they’re effectively paying extra for hardware they’ll never use.
The Recording Problem
This one keeps coming up repeatedly: the Pleio can’t record anything. There’s no recording capability whatsoever – you’re entirely dependent on broadcaster catch-up services, unlike traditional Freeview devices like the Manhattan T4-R.
For viewers accustomed to recording programmes to watch later, skip adverts, or build libraries of content, this is a fundamental limitation.
The related concern: without recording, you can’t skip adverts on commercial channels. You’re watching ITV and Channel 4 content with all the ads intact, or waiting for it to appear on catch-up where ad-skipping still isn’t available.
The Freeview Transition Anxiety
Perhaps the most significant concern isn’t about the Pleio itself, but what it represents. The streaming-only approach – ditching the aerial port entirely – signals where UK television is heading. When traditional broadcasting eventually ends, devices like the Pleio are what we’ll have.
Some commenters are uncomfortable with that future. Making television entirely dependent on broadband means your TV goes dark when your internet does.
It transforms “free” TV from genuinely free (once you own the equipment) into something requiring ongoing broadband subscriptions that average nearly £27 per month.
For viewers in rural areas where broadband remains patchy, or households where affordability is a genuine concern, the transition raises real questions about universal access to television.
My Verdict
I’ve been testing the Pleio for a couple of weeks, and whilst it’s not perfect, it delivers on the core promise of bringing Freely to existing TVs without needing an aerial.
The Pleio Freely box
Setup is straightforward, streaming quality is excellent with decent broadband, and the Android TV integration works well – giving you Netflix and other apps alongside live TV in a way that Fire TV and Roku can’t quite match.
The gaming element is surprisingly fun for casual play. But there are rough edges: a noticeable 3-4 second lag when changing channels, three separate search functions that don’t talk to each other properly, and occasional frame drops on demanding apps like Disney+. See my full review.
What Happens Next
For those waiting to buy a Pleio, Netgem’s advice is clear: check back frequently over the coming days as new stock gets processed through Amazon’s system.
The company has already shipped more inventory, but Black Friday logistics mean it won’t appear instantly – expect intermittent availability rather than consistent stock.
The bigger question is whether this launch-day sellout represents genuine mainstream enthusiasm for Freely, or simply pent-up demand from early adopters who’ve been waiting 18 months for a standalone box.
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