How to Watch TV on Phone LIVE in 2024
| Reuben Howe
There's hundreds, probably thousands of shows and films that you plan to "get around to watching" one day. Having content accessible on your phone can help you chug through that backlog!
But, what about TV moments that hit the nation live? More and more, people are missing out on the joys of live TV. With retention and engagement much higher for TV shows which roll-out week-to-week rather than all at once, there's actually a fair few reasons why sorting out Live TV on your phone is a good idea.
Thanks to miniaturisation of technology and development of powerful Wifi networks, you can get a nifty little TV receiver for your mobile which is small enough to fit in your pocket! Like your own portable set top box, just tiny and for your phone!
How to Watch Live TV on Phone
It all sounds great, but how do you actually access Freeview, the Everyone TV UK broadcasts of over 100+ channels, on a mobile?
The Freely streaming service is unavailable on mobile, so we need a way to get proper terrestrial TV on a mobile.
Phone's don't come with a coaxial aerial port, so a wireless solution would be best.
This leads us to a Freeview Receiver and Decoder with Wifi Relay!
What this means is a device which uses an internal or external terrestrial aerial to receive Freeview, just like a set top box or TV. Then, the box relays that signal to your mobile phone not through a cable, but through the device's own Wifi.
This is then processed by a (free) app on your phone, and viola you have Freeview Live broadcasts on your phone screen!
The beauty of this is that the signal is authentic to any other Freeview device, allowing you to browse a full EPG and even record TV onto your phone. From caching the Euros Live on your lunch break or in the garden (or pub garden!) to checking in with the news on your commute home.
Relaying the Freeview signal wirelessly means you have all the same Freeview channels you need, just accessible on-the-go.
The unit itself is tiny and fits in a pocket, but we advise having a high gain portable aerial in your bag to make the most of the reception.
The DVB-T405 has seen years of success of camping trips and the like, and is the definitive answer to watching Live TV on your phone without having to rely on internet, 4G, streaming and catch-up services.
Besides which, there's no subscription getting thrown onto the pile of recurring costs, it's a one-off payment for the receiver and then you're set!
View the DVB-T405
Live TV on Mobile - Why Bother?
In the face of the dozens of streaming apps on your phone, what's Live TV going to be good for?
Watch TV Together with the Nation
There's some real benefits to reigniting the "live TV" vibe of the 'olden days'. Discourse and discussion around TV shows, especially those either exceedingly popular or exceedingly hard-hitting, has somewhat changed in recent decades.
It used to be that anyone you discussed a show with could only ever be as far through the show as yourself (Unless you happened to know the actors, I suppose!). This meant everyone was "on the same page" and any opinions, theories and the like were all formed based on identical information.
While this certainly doesn't mean everyone agreed about shows, it meant that everyone's opinion was at least showing an individual difference in outlook, rather than simply a result of binging the show vs only watching one episode.
Compare that to now, where 24 hours after a show is released some of the population have seen every episode, and some have seen the first one only! Discussions and theorising and all that community engagement is suddenly skewed, with opinions formed and shared from completely different contexts.
Live TV On-the-Go
Being able to catch Live TV anywhere, right from your phone, makes viewing real Live broadcasts easy again by bringing you Live TV in-the-moment, reinvigorating the experience and adding that hit of discovery.
Catch-up and streaming creates a library of 1000+ shows to watch, Live TV flips the script and says "Here's what's on, find something you like". The immediacy and engagement is truly unique to live broadcasts.
No Subscription or Recurring Costs
Oh, also, Live TV is free! Once you get the initial bit of kit to access Freeview on your phone, you have NO recurring costs of subscriptions. Subscription content has been standard for so long that getting free, Live broadcasts on-the-go might seem unreal.
It's a really viable alternative for catching the latest shows or even just making sure you can see the 6'o'clock news on your commute home.
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