The price of Freely’s Netgem Pleio streaming box jumped to £119.88 from £99 — a 21% increase in just two months since the device first hit shelves.
Pleio is the first set-top box that brings Freely to any television. Dubbed “the puck” by manufacturer Netgem, it lets you stream free-to-air channels and on-demand boxsets from free-to-air broadcasters over Wi-Fi.
For those who don’t know, Freely launched in the first half of last year. Built by the same team as Freeview and Freesat, this new platform is forecast to overtake both of these by the end of the decade.
The streaming box also sold out within hours when it first arrived on Amazon on November 21, 2025 due to “exceptional demand.”
However, the recent increase in the Pleio price is a result of an increase in hardware costs.
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Speaking to GB News, Managing Director of Netgem UK, Sylvain Thevenot said: “We’ve been delighted to see demand exceed expectations but as we scale manufacturing we’re facing significant increases in RAM costs, due to the rising cost of RAM globally. Given how RAM-intensive the product is, we simply haven’t been able to sustain the launch pricing. This wasn’t about capitalising on popularity, but about keeping the product viable while staying true to our values around choice, simplicity, and value.”
The original £99 price tag for the Pleio box included the set-top box, remote, games controller, and a three-month trial to its premium subscription, which includes access to premium channels and cloud gaming.
Instead of a limited three-month subscription, Pleio also now comes with a 12-month subscription to premium channels and cloud gaming.
It’s worth remembering that ownership of the hardware is deferred until the 12-month subscription period ends, which means you’re essentially leasing or financing it as part of the subscription. You can’t sell the Pleio box after six months as a second-hand item, since you don’t technically own it at that point.