Netgem TV offers 235 live TV channels, including 120 in addition to Freeview, it also acts a smart TV box with support for a range of on-demand apps.
Customers can add extra premium content from NOW, Netflix, Prime Video, Discovery+, and subscriptions via Amazon including Paramount+ and MGM.
Netgem TV is now available exclusively in broadband and TV bundles from ISPs including Community Fibre, Brsk, and Connect Fibre.
At a glance
| Price | From £10/mth |
|---|---|
| Setup cost | From free |
| Minimum term | 24 months |
| TV channels | 240+, inc. 120+ on top of Freeview |
| On-demand apps | 100+ inc. Netflix, NOW, Prime Video, Discovery+, Rakuten, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5 |
| TV box | 4K Ultra HD Netgem box |
| Requirements | TV aerial for Freeview Minimum broadband speed of 20Mbps TV licence to watch live TV channels and BBC iPlayer |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 120 more live TV channels than Freeview | Lacking some apps including Disney+ |
| Good on-demand app support including Netflix, NOW and Prime Video | Minimum term contracts often link to the broadband plan |
| Access to all of the live football in the UK | Limited ISP partnerships |
Best deals
| Package | TV | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
150Mb Fibre Broadband + TV | 230 | 150Mb average | £27.99 | Free | 24 months |
 Offer: Installed in 48 hours + Free setup + Price fixed until March 2026 | ||||||
 |
BetterNet150 + BetterTV | 225 | 150Mb average | £34 | £25 | 24 months |
| Offer: Save £1/mth | ||||||
What does Netgem TV offer?
Netgem TV offers both Free Ad-Supported TV (FAST) and Freeview live channels alongside access to a range of on-demand and catch-up apps.
While many of the live TV channels are delivered over the Internet, the Freeview channels require a standard TV aerial input.
Customers can also expand the content available to them by adding subscriptions to a number of on-demand apps, including popular names like Netflix, NOW, and Prime Video.
Support for Amazon Prime Video means customers also gain access to additional subscription services on Amazon, including Paramount+, Apple TV+, MGM+, Hayu, Discovery+, and Premier Sports.
While it's also possible to access Sky content via NOW and TNT Sports via Discovery+, one major app that's missing on Netgem TV is Disney+, and there are no workarounds via other services to access it.
The Netgem TV box supports 4K Ultra HD resolution and Dolby Atmos sound, it's also possible to pair Bluetooth speakers wirelessly. The Netgem 4K box can record live TV with a USB stick, and customers can also pause and rewind live TV.
One caveat to Netgem TV is that it's now only available in broadband and TV bundles with a small number of UK ISPs, so availability is fairly limited.
Netgem TV & broadband bundles
While Netgem used to be partnered with TalkTalk, it's now only possible to access the service in a bundle from Community Fibre, Brsk, and Connect Fibre.
Here are two of the plans available with Community Fibre and Brsk:
| Package | TV | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
150Mb Fibre Broadband + TV | 230 | 150Mb average | £27.99 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: Installed in 48 hours + Free setup + Price fixed until March 2026 | ||||||
|
BetterNet150 + BetterTV | 225 | 150Mb average | £34 | £25 | 24 months |
| Offer: Save £1/mth | ||||||
Each of these providers offers an independent full fibre network in fairly select locations across the UK, with Brsk covering 1.8 million premises (with Netomnia), Community Fibre passing 1.3 million premises mainly in London, and Connect Fibre only covering very few locations in Yorkshire, Cambridge and Essex.
What's on Netgem TV?
Netgem TV offers over 240 live TV channels, with at least 120 of these not available on Freeview. Although, it's worth noting the majority of these are Free Ad-Supported TV channels, and so customers won't find too much premium content here.
| BBC One * | BBC Two * | BBC Four * | ITV * | ITV 2 |
| ITV 3 | ITV 4 | ITV Be | CITV | Channel 4 * |
| More 4 | E4 | Film4 | Channel 5 * | 5 Select |
| 5 Spike | 5 USA | 5 STAR | Milkshake | Yesterday |
| Really | CBeebies * | Drama | Dave | QVC * |
| QVC Beauty * | RT * | Al Jazeera * | Gaming TV * | Gossip * |
| Movies News * | Speed TV * | Tastemade * | Cooking TV * | Nature Vision TV * |
| Clubbing TV * | Karaoke TV * | DJTV * | Pop | Tiny Pop |
| Ketchup Kids Channel | Sony Movies | Sony Movies Action | Talking Pictures | 4 Music |
| BBC News * | Sky News | France 24 | Gems | 4 7 * |
| TBN UK | Sewing Quarter | Jewellery Maker | CBS Justice | Food Network |
| Home | Challenge | Blaze | CBS Reality | Tru TV |
| Horror Channel | CBS Drama | Your TV | Travel Channel | Sky Arts |
As mentioned, while the box will work without it, most of the Freeview channels are only available if a customer connects the Netgem box to an external TV aerial.
On-demand and catch-up apps
The Netgem TV box offers support for over 100 apps, including popular subscription based on-demand apps, and free-to-air catch-up apps.
The biggest names supported on Netgem include Netflix, NOW, Prime Video, Discovery+, and Rakuten, although customers also get support to more streaming services through Amazon, including Paramount+, Apple TV+, MGM+ and Premier Sports.
The apps available on Netgem TV include:
| Free apps | Freeview Play apps | Add-on apps | Kids apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | BBC iPlayer | Amazon Prime Video | YouTube Kids |
| TikTok | ITV Hub | BT Sport | Pop Player |
| PLEX | All 4 | Rakuten TV | SmartKids.tv |
| Filmzie | My5 | ACORN TV | Cool School |
| W4Free | UKTV Play | Britbox | Badanamu |
| Deezer | CBS Catchup Channels UK | Hayu | HappyKids.tv |
| Radioline | Horror Bites | Eros Now | Kidoodle.TV |
| Couchplay Games | STV Player | Fite | |
| France 24 English | BBC Sounds | Mubi | |
| France 24 French | Freeview Explore | ||
| France 24 Arabic | |||
| The Weather Network | |||
| International Observatory of Human Rights |
Aside from free-to-air apps, like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 and My5, which require a TV licence, most of the apps are subscription based and will require additional payments to view the content.
Unlike TV providers like Sky, which includes Netflix and Discovery+, Netgem doesn't include any apps as part of the base package, so Netflix, NOW, Prime Video, etc... will all have to be paid for separately.
Personalised recommendations
One of the most attractive elements of the Netgem TV interface is that it offers a personalised experience with recommendations based on previous programmes customers have watched.
This will bring in viewing options from various catch-up and on-demand services the customer has available to them, putting it all in one place and allowing customers to quickly find something they might be interested in.
On the flip side, this may be frustrating to some customers who would prefer just to go to the app and browse from there. That can still be done, but it takes a couple more clicks to get there.
However, there is a Search function that will search for relevant content across all the apps and services available to a customer. From the search results, customers can click through to the relevant app.
Netgem 4K TV box
Customers who subscribe to Netgem via a broadband provider will be provided with the Netgem 4K TV box.
This box offers the following main features:
- 4K Ultra HD viewing resolution
- Dolby Atmos sound
- Bluetooth for pairing external speakers
- HDMI 2.0 port for connecting to a TV set
- S/PDIF for digital audio out (optical)
- USB port for recording live TV with a USB stick (not provided)
- Ethernet LAN port for wired connections, or support for WiFi 5 (802.11ac)
The Netgem TV interface offers an 8-day Electronic Programming Guide (EPG), with personalised recommendations from both live and on-demand content, and access to features including search and any stored recordings.
The 4K TV box can pause and rewind live content, and customers who supply a USB stick with a minimum capacity of 32GB can also record live TV too.
However, because the Netgem 4K TV box only has one tuner, customers can only record one channel, while watching another channel on the same 'Mux' (single shared bandwidth) is the same for both channels.
Examples of those that do, include BBC One and BBC Two, or ITV and Channel 4 or 5. A full listing can be seen on the Freeview site here.
The Netgem box also supports Bluetooth for pairing external speakers, and has Alexa built-in for voice control as well as a remote controller via IR.
Netgem TV app
Customers also get access to the Netgem TV app, which is compatible with both iOS and Android devices like tablets and smartphones.
The mobile app allows customers to watch content and mark favourite programmes (which will help with the recommendation engine discussed above).
The app offers mobile TV across more than 100 live channels and 1000s of on-demand programmes, along with the ability to cast to the big screen.
However, Netgem iterate that restrictions enforced by Freeview mean that channels on that platform can only be watched on TV and require that TV to be connected via an aerial - an unavoidable limitation for mobile app users.
Verdict: Decent content on an Ultra HD smart TV box
Netgem TV offers a budget subscription service with 120 more TV channels than Freeview alone, and provides access to every live football match in the UK too.
Pricing starts at just £10 per month, although any premium content will require additional payments to on-demand apps like Netflix, NOW, Prime Video and Discovery+.
New streaming services from Sky and Virgin Media are rivalling the low-cost price point of Netgem TV, with Sky Stream now starting at £15 per month and Virgin Media Flex starting at just £5 per month.
For some broadband providers however, like Community Fibre and Brsk who've partnered with Netgem, the service offers them a way to rival Sky and Virgin Media by offering their own broadband and TV bundles to customers.
Indeed, Netgem is no longer available directly and only customers of a select few broadband providers can now sign up.
Here are some of the best features of Netgem TV:
- 120 live TV channels in addition to Freeview
- Access to every live football match in the UK (additional subscriptions required)
- 4K Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos, with Bluetooth to pair external speakers
- Pause and rewind live TV and record TV with an USB stick
- Netgem TV mobile app for streaming on the go
There are some drawbacks to Netgem TV though:
- TV aerial feed required for Freeview channels
- Little premium content without additional payments
- Missing some app support including Disney+
- Limited recording ability with only a single tuner
Ultimately, Netgem TV will be an option for full fibre broadband customers in certain areas of the UK, and could work out cheaper than a separate subscription to Sky TV.
However, for those looking for certain channels, like Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, Sky Atlantic, or TNT Sports, it's always advisable to compare broadband and TV bundles to find the best value for money in your area.
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