Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Days after British streaming joint venture Freely announced a Q2 2024 launch date, the French media regulator Arcom has released a report recommending that French DTT channels copy their public service broadcaster counterparts. Freely aims to unite all VoD and live content from British broadcasters into one HbbTV app. Hitting two birds with one stone, Arcom has decided that all French national DTT channels—public and private—would now be granted the title of “services of general interest” (SGIs), and recommended that to ensure the visibility of those SGIs, they should all be united under a common application on all set top and connected TV user interfaces. The concept of an SGI is derived from…