In Faultline’s exclusive coverage of BT’s Multicast-Assisted Unicast Delivery (MAUD) project last week, we referenced how collaboration from local broadcaster-owned streaming services is essential for the project’s success – none more so than a forthcoming joint venture called Freely. As if by magic, the backers of Freely have since set a launch timeframe and expanded on details for an unassuming entrant with potential for major global influence over network-level engineering. Backed by UK public service broadcasters BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, Freely will arrive some time in Q2 2024. The live and VoD streaming service will break ground in multicast and HbbTV use cases which could later be exported outside of the UK. Freely is being developed…