Frndly TV was founded in October 2019 by a group of Dish Network alumni: Andy Karofsky, Bassil El-Khatib, Michael McKenna, and Mike McClain[8]who felt many of the streaming bundles were getting too big.[9][10] In October 2019, Frndly TV launched with 12 live TV channels and cloud DVR storage,[9] with channels that includedHallmark Channel,The Weather Channel, andOutdoor Channel.[11] In December 2019, TechHive awarded Frndly TV runner-up for the best new service of 2019.[12]
In 2021, Frndly TV added several channels with the addition ofDove Channel (March 2021),[10] via a deal withCinedigm Networks as well asBYU TV (April 2021).[15] In June 2021, Frndly TV added two new channels owned byAllen Media Group:Recipe.TV andLocal Now.[16] In July 2021, Frndly TV addedgetTV in a distribution agreement withSony Pictures Television.[4]FETV (Family Entertainment Television) was also added the same month.[17] In August 2021,Circle network was added.[18] Hallmark Movies Now (nowHallmark+) was made available in October 2021 as Frndly's first add on option to the service.[19] Frndly TV andGAC Media reached an agreement to add GAC Media channels GAC Living (nowGreat American Living) and GAC Family (nowGreat American Family) to the service in October 2021.[20] Frndly TV andA&E Networks reached a deal to add A&E's portfolio of channels such asA&E,History, andLifetime to the streaming service on November 18, 2021. With the addition, the price of the service went up for the first time.[21]
Further additions were made in 2022, including theFamily Movie Classics (FMC) channel being added to the service in January 2022.[22] In March 2022, Frndly TV announced a multi-year agreement withWeigel Broadcasting to bring five national TV networks to its lineup:MeTV,Heroes & Icons, Decades (nowCatchy Comedy),Story Television, andStart TV. This made Frndly TV the first live TV streaming service to carry all five of the networks.[23] In June 2022, Frndly TV announced the addition of 3 new channels:Movies!, Dove Movies, andCrime & Investigation.[24][25] This bringing the live TV channel count to over 40 channels; however, Weigel Broadcasting's Movies! would not be added to the service until the following year. In December 2022, Frndly TV began adding more on-demand TV shows and movies from A&E networks at no additional charge.[26]
In January 2023, Frndly TV added theCowboy Way Channel.[27] The following February, Frndly TV addedIon Television,Grit andIon Mystery networks with an agreement with theE. W. Scripps Company.[28] After a long delay, Movies! was added to the service on February 3, 2023.[29] In September 2023, Frndly TV announced thatMeTV+ would be coming to the service in October 2023.[30] This made Frndly TV the first streaming service to offer the channel. In addition, Frndly TV raised the price on all of their plans by $1.00 in September 2023.[31] In October 2023, Frndly TV added five new channels, MeTV+,Pursuit Channel, Waypoint TV,Justice Central andAccuWeather Network; however, the service dropped two channels,Sportsman Channel andWorld Fishing Network.[32][33]
In January 2024, Frndly TV lost Circle TV due to the network ending theOTA broadcast, and Frndly TV opted not to carry the broadcaster's streaming channelCircle Country; however, it gained two channels:Laff andCourt TV.[34] On February 6, 2024, Frndly TV announced that it dropped the Curiosity Channel from their lineup.Bounce TV was added on February 14.[35] On April 10, 2024, Frndly TV announced it would add local non-Big Four affiliates in some markets by the end of April.[36] On April 17, 2024, Frndly TV announced the addition of four new add-ons:Lifetime Movie Club, History Vault,A&E Crime Central, &Great American Pure Flix. Lifetime Movie Club went live on April 16, with the rest of the add-ons launching later in 2024.[37] On June 25, 2024, Frndly TV addedMeTV Toons andDabl to its lineup.[38][39]Aspire TV was added to the service on August 30.[40] On September 17, 2024, Frndly TV addedION+ to the service, and announced Craftsy TV would be added at a later date. The service also announced it would discontinue carrying three channels: Accuweather, Waypoint TV and Pursuit by September 27, 2024; however, only Accuweather and Waypoint were removed, and Pursuit is still on the service.[41][42]
In February 2025, Frndly TV added fourStingray Music channels to its lineup.[43] This addition brought the total of music channels to six, after two holiday music channels were added in November 2024.[44] In March 2025,BabyFirst was dropped andCleo TV was added.[45] In April 2025, Frndly TV informed monthly subscribers that the monthly price would go up one dollar on May 15 for existing subscribers. Customers that paid yearly would not see any price hike.[46] On April 22, 2025, Frndly TV addedReelz to their lineup.[47] On May 7, 2025, Frndly removed Recipe.TV and addedTheGrio to their lineup.[48][49] On September 29, 2025, Frndly TV addedWEST to its' lineup with the addition occurring on the inaugural day of the new network.[50] In October 2025,MovieSphere Gold and EnvoyTV were added to the Frndly TV lineup.[51][52]
On May 1, 2025,Roku, Inc. announced that it was acquiring Frndly TV for $185 million. Frndly TV had already been available on Roku devices prior to the acquisition announcement. The acquisition allows Roku to expand further into live television.[53] The deal was closed within the second quarter of 2025.[54][55] Following the acquisition, Frndly TV became one of the default apps on Roku devices.[56]
700,000 subscribers (as of December 8, 2022[update])[2]