The amount of devices compatible with Freeview Play is set to expand greatly with four new manufacturers jumping on board.

From next year, televisions from Hisense, Sharp, Toshiba and Blaupunkt will come with the Freeview Play catch-up service. They join existing and future sets from Panasonic, LG and JVC.

Freeview Play is the on demand tech from the UK's free-to-air digital TV brand which gives you the ability to scroll backwards through the electronic programme guide as well as forwards, in order to catch-up with shows you might have missed. Click on programmes shown on BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and UKTV channels and they will play automatically through the respective broadcaster's catch-up app.

The service is also available on set-top-boxes from Panasonic and Humax.

"With new manufacturers on board, Freeview Play has become the most-widely adopted catch-up TV platform in the UK, which is no mean feat in just over a year," said Guy North, Freeview's managing director.

"Freeview Play now has the content, functionality and distribution to really deliver scale in the TV market, meaning we are well on our way to achieving our ambition of making connected viewing accessible and affordable for everyone."

The 2017 Freeview Play specification, which all partners must adhere to, includes new search and recommendations features.