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Frndly TV

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Frndly TV
Frndly TV Logo
FoundedOctober 1, 2019; 5 years ago (October 1, 2019)
HeadquartersDenver, Colorado, U.S.
Founder(s)
  • Bassil El-Khatib
  • Michael McKenna
  • Andy Karofsky
  • Mike McClain[1]
IndustryPay television
ServicesStreaming television
URLfrndlytv.com
UsersIncrease 700,000 subscribers (as of December 8, 2022)[2]

Frndly TV is an American streaming television service that offers live TV, on demand video and cloud-based DVR[3] for over 40 live television networks.[4] Frndly TV has a channel lineup with a focus on family-friendly programming,[5] and includes U.S. networks Hallmark Channel,[6] The Weather Channel, A&E, History, Lifetime, MeTV, MeTV+, MeTV Toons, Story Television, and Up TV.[7]

History

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Frndly TV was started by Bassil El-Khatib, who worked 12 years at Dish Network and Sling TV, and other former Dish executives who felt many of the streaming bundles were getting too big.[8][9] In October 2019, Frndly TV launched with 12 live TV channels and cloud DVR storage,[8] with channels that included Hallmark Channel, The Weather Channel, and Outdoor Channel.[10] In December 2019, TechHive awarded Frndly TV runner-up for the best new service of 2019.[11]

In March 2020, Frndly TV added Curiosity Channel[12] and INSP,[13] bringing the live TV channel count to 15.

In 2021, Frndly TV added several channels with the addition of Dove Channel (March 2021),[9] via a deal with Cinedigm Networks as well as BYU TV (April 2021).[14] In June 2021, Frndly TV added two new channels owned by Allen Media Group, Recipe.TV and Local Now.[15] In July 2021, Frndly TV added getTV in a distribution agreement with Sony Pictures Television.[4] FETV (Family Entertainment Television) was also added the same month.[16] In August 2021, Circle network was added.[17] Hallmark Movies Now was made available in October 2021 as Frndly's first add on option to the service.[18] Frndly TV and GAC Media reached an agreement to add GAC Media channels, GAC Living and GAC Family, to the service in October 2021.[19] Frndly TV and A&E Networks reached a deal to add A&E's portfolio of channels such as A&E, History, and Lifetime to the streaming service on November 18, 2021. With the addition, the price of the service went up for the first time.[20]

Further additions were made in 2022, including the Family Movie Classics (FMC) channel being added to the service in January 2022.[21] In March 2022, Frndly TV announced a multi-year agreement with Weigel Broadcasting to bring five national TV networks to its lineup: MeTV, Heroes & Icons, Decades (now Catchy Comedy), Story Television, and Start TV. This made Frndly TV the first live TV streaming service to carry all five of the networks.[22] In June 2022, Frndly TV announced the addition of 3 new channels: Movies!, Dove Movies, and Crime & Investigation.[23][24] This bringing the live TV channel count to over 40 channels; however, Weigel Broadcasting's Movies! would not be added to the service until the following year. In December 2022, Frndly TV began adding more on-demand TV shows and movies from A&E networks at no additional charge.[25]

In January 2023, Frndly TV added the Cowboy Way Channel.[26] The following February, Frndly TV added Ion Television, Grit and Ion Mystery networks with an agreement with the E. W. Scripps Company.[27] After a long delay, Movies! was added to the service on February 3, 2023.[28] In September 2023, Frndly TV announced that MeTV+ would be coming to the service in October 2023.[29] This made Frndly TV the first streaming service to offer the channel. In addition, Frndly TV raised the price on all of their plans by $1.00 in September 2023.[30] In October 2023, Frndly TV added five new channels, MeTV+, Pursuit Channel, Waypoint TV, Justice Central and AccuWeather Network; however, the service dropped two channels, Sportsman Channel and World Fishing Network.[31][32]

In January 2024, Frndly TV lost Circle TV due to the network ending the OTA broadcast, and Frndly TV opted not to carry the broadcaster's streaming channel Circle Country;however, it gained two channels: Laff and Court TV.[33] On February 6, 2024, Frndly TV announced that it dropped the Curiosity Channel from their lineup. Bounce TV was added on February 14.[34] On April 10, 2024, Frndly TV announced it would add local non-Big Four affiliates in some markets by the end of April.[35] On April 17, 2024, Frndly TV announced the addition of four new add-ons: Lifetime Movie Club, History Vault, A&E Crime Central, & Great American Pure Flix. Lifetime Movie Club went live on April 16, with the rest of the add-ons scheduled to launch sometime in 2024.[36] On June 25, 2024, Frndly TV added MeTV Toons and Dabl to its lineup.[37][38]Aspire TV was added to the service on August 30.[39] On September 17, 2024, Frndly TV added ION+ to the service, and announced Craftsy TV would be added at a later date. The service also announced it would discontinue carrying three channels: Accuweather, Waypoint TV and Pursuit by September 27, 2024; however, only Accuweather and Waypoint were removed, and Pursuit is still on the service.[40][41]

Supported devices

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Frndly TV's service can be streamed via a number of platforms including includes Android devices, and Apple devices including iPhone and iPad. In addition, the service is available via Roku, Vizio, Samsung, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Chromecast and multiple web browsers.[42]

References

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  1. ^ "Dove Channel Joins Frndly TV's Profitable vMVPD Offering". Broadcasting Cable. March 22, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  2. ^ Abarinova, Masha (December 7, 2022). "Frndly TV reaches 700,000 subscribers". Fierce Video. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  3. ^ October 2019, Michael Balderston 01 (October 2019). "Frndly TV Streaming Service Launches for Families". TVTechnology. Retrieved January 21, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b Lafayette, Jon (July 8, 2021). "Frndly TV Adds GetTV to Streaming Lineup". Broadcasting Cable. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  5. ^ Baumgartner, Jeff (August 23, 2019). "Frndly TV Seeks Subs in an Unfriendly Pay-TV World". Light Reading. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  6. ^ Elliott, Megan (November 2, 2019). "This New Streaming Service Lets You Watch the Hallmark Channel for Just $5.99/Month". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  7. ^ "4 Things to Know Before You Sign Up for Frndly TV". Clark Howard. December 20, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Gurwin, Jason (August 14, 2019). "Former Sling TV Exec Launches Frndly TV with 12 Live Channels Including Hallmark, GSN, & The Weather Channel Starting At Just $5.99". The Streamable. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Lafayette, Jon (March 22, 2021). "Dove Channel Joins Frndly TV's Profitable vMVPD Offering". Broadcasting Cable. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  10. ^ Newman, Jared (August 22, 2019). "Frndly TV: A cheap way to get Hallmark Channel, Weather Channel and more without cable". TechHive. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  11. ^ "The 2019 cord-cutter awards: Best devices, services and innovations". TechHive. December 26, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "The Live TV Streaming Service Frndly Adds CuriosityStream". Cord Cutters News. March 4, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  13. ^ "Frndly TV Has Added INSP to Its Lineup". Cord Cutters News. April 18, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  14. ^ Lafayette, Jon (April 15, 2021). "Frndly TV Adds BYUtv to Streaming Channel Lineup". Broadcasting Cable. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  15. ^ King, Michael (June 11, 2021). "Frndly TV Adds Two Free Channels From Weather Channel's Parent, Allen Media". The Streamable. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  16. ^ "FETV (Family Entertainment Television) Joins Frndly TV Lineup". Broadcasting Cable. April 15, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  17. ^ "Frndly TV Adds Circle, Free Country Music & Lifestyle Network". August 10, 2021.
  18. ^ "Frndly TV is Adding a Hallmark Movies Now Add-On on October 1". Cord Cutters News. September 30, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  19. ^ "Frndly TV Will Add GAC Channels on October 19". Cord Cutters News. October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  20. ^ "Frndly TV Will Add A&E Channels & Raise Price to $6.99/Month". Cord Cutters News. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  21. ^ "Frndly TV Adds FMC to Channel Lineup". Cord Cutters News. January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  22. ^ "Frndly TV Will Add Five New Channels to Its Live Streaming Lineup". Cord Cutters News. March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  23. ^ "What channels does Frndly TV offer?". Frndly TV. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  24. ^ Tamanini, Matt (June 30, 2022). "Frndly TV to Add Classic Film Channel Movies! to Streaming Lineup". The Streamable. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  25. ^ Fletcher, Bevin (December 20, 2022). "Frndly TV expands VOD offering with A+E content". Fierce Video. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  26. ^ Bouma, Luke (January 27, 2023). "Frndly TV adds The Cowboy Way Channel, Full of Classic Westerns". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  27. ^ Bouma, Luke (February 2, 2023). "Frndly TV Adds Ion TV, Grit, & Ion Mystery". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  28. ^ Bouma, Luke (February 3, 2023). "Frndly TV Finally Adds The Movies! Channel to Its Lineup". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  29. ^ Bouma, Luke (September 5, 2023). "Frndly TV is Adding MeTV+ To Its Lineup in October". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  30. ^ Cheng, Roger (September 6, 2023). "Frndly TV Raises Price to $7.99, But There's a Way to Still Get a Cheaper Rate". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  31. ^ Bouma, Luke (October 2, 2023). "Frndly TV Adds 2 New Channels But Drops 2 Channels". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  32. ^ Bouma, Luke (October 9, 2023). "Frndly TV Just Added 2 New Channels Today". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  33. ^ Bouma, Luke (January 3, 2024). "Frndly TV Adds 2 New Channels, Including Laff". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  34. ^ "A new channel is going to be joining the Frndly TV lineup". Instagram-Friendly TV(verified account). February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  35. ^ Lafayette, Jon (April 10, 2024). "Frndly TV Adds Local Stations to Streaming Lineup in 6 Markets". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  36. ^ Bouma, Luke (April 17, 2024). "Frndly TV Adds 4 Add-ons In Partnership With A+E". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  37. ^ "Frndly TV & Philo Will Offer MeTV Toons At Launch". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  38. ^ Bouma, Luke (June 25, 2024). "Frndly TV Adds Two New Channels To Its Lineup". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  39. ^ Bouma, Luke (August 30, 2024). "Frndly TV Adds a New Channel". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  40. ^ Bouma, Luke (September 17, 2024). "Frndly TV Expands Lineup with ION+ Addition". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  41. ^ Bouma, Luke (September 17, 2024). "Frndly TV Is Losing Three Channels But Added Two More". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  42. ^ "What do I need to watch Frndly TV?". Frndly TV Help Center. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
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