Freesat’s 4K Boxes receive new freemium karaoke app in latest upgrade to the service. Stingray Karaoke sits alongside established apps including Netflix and the BBC iPlayer.
Stingray Karaoke lets you create your own little karaoke booth via the Freesat 4K TV. The service features 1000s of songs from top artists like Adele, ABBA, Taylor Swift and many more, all with pitch-perfect audio and high-quality, easy-to-read scrolling lyrics. Genres include Pop, Rock, R&B and even Disney songs.
There are five free songs available each month. But to gain access to the full set of songs on the service, viewers can opt to pay £5.99 a month for unlimited access to 100,000+ songs. An annual subscription costs £39.99.
Viewers who subscribe to the service can also access Stingray Karaoke on their mobile or desktop PC.
Where to find Stingray Karaoke on Freesat 4K boxes
- go to the app section on your Freesat box
- select Stingray Karaoke.
The app isn’t included on older Freesat boxes.
Stingray Karaoke is available on newer Samsung Smart TVs, so viewers with a Samsung smart TV with in-built Freesat tuner may already be able to access the app.
▶ Q&A: Freesat and subscription apps
Isn’t Freesat supposed to be Free?
Freesat TV channels are free-to-air.
However, the apps included on the Freesat 4K box include a mix of free and paid for apps. For example, the Freesat 4K box series also includes Netflix.
The idea is that you can access a wide range of live TV and streaming services with just one device.
This is what you also get using a smart TV, where you can access Freeview or Freesat TV channels alongside a range of free and paid-for apps. Each device will support a different range of apps, depending on manufacturer and operating system.
If Sky, BT and Virgin Media can offer streaming services like Netflix for free, why can’t Freesat?
Sky, BT and Virgin Media O2 bundle selected streaming services as part of a wider pay TV or broadband subscription. While they are offered as ‘free’, effectively you are paying for them as part of your existing subscription with the provider.
Freesat, as free-to-air platform operator does not have its own billing system. Instead, any subscription made is directly with the provider of the app, and you’ll be able to use that subscription on any other supported device, even if you decide to stop using Freesat.
Marc Thornham