LG TV Can Replace Freebox as Decoders Become Less Essential

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Free becomes the first operator to offer its television application, OQEE, on LG televisions running webOS. With this new feature, the operator covers almost all connected televisions.

Good news for Freebox subscribers with an LG connected TV: the application OQEE by Free, which provides access to the Freebox television interface, is now available natively on webOS. In other words: you can unplug your Freebox Player, an application replaces it.

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With this advert seemingly innocuous, Free takes an important step in the disappearance of TV boxes. This is the first time that LG has opened its operating system to live television (excluding myCANAL and Molotov).

LG, Samsung, Android TV, Apple TV… Free is everywhere

Launched with the Freebox Pop in 2020, OQEE by Free was initially presented as an interface exclusive to the new decoder. The operator gradually made it an application available on smartphones and some connected devices, before launching it on televisions. The idea is that anyone connected to a Freebox or Free Mobile account can watch live or replay television with OQEE, without Freebox.

Today, OQEE by Free is available on the following TVs and boxes:

  • LG webOS (from version 4.0);
  • Samsung TV (from Tizen OS 4);
  • Android TV (from version 8.0), this covers televisions from many brands such as Sony, TCL or Hisense, as well as boxes;
  • Apple TV;
  • Amazon Fire TV (starting with Fire OS 6).
OQEE is available on all screens.
OQEE is available on all screens. // Source: Free

The only platforms on which OQEE is unavailable are PlayStation and Xbox, which some use as TV decoders.

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Do we still need a Freebox Player?

At the beginning of 2024, Free launched the Freebox Ultra, its new high-end box. For the first time in its history, the operator has not launched a new decoder. Freebox Ultra subscribers can choose between Player Pop and the equipment of their choice, such as their connected TV or an Apple TV.

The Freebox Ultra and the Freebox Delta. // Source: NumeramaThe Freebox Ultra and the Freebox Delta. // Source: Numerama
The Freebox Ultra and the Freebox Delta. // Source: Numerama

Is this the end of TV boxes? Free says it will launch its own set-top box soon, although interest isn't as great as it was a decade ago. Part of the population still likes operator boxes today, but in the medium term, television seems doomed to becoming an application.

What about the other operators? Orange, SFR and Bouygues are also banking on Smart TVs (all support Samsung in particular), but certain devices remain incompatible (notably Apple and LG).

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