Frequently Asked Questions

Launched in Summer 2024, the U streaming service, previously UKTV Play, has all of UKTV's family of free-to-air channels - U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&YESTERDAY and U&W. The same channels you love, just with new names.

Whatever you want to watch, whenever you want to watch it. We’ve got U.

Welcome to U, the free on demand TV service. Watch the best comedy, drama, entertainment and documentaries from U&Dave, U&Drama, U&W and U&Yesterday. Watch on your TV, mobile, tablet, or online.

Are you a stand-up comedy fan? Military history your thing? Or perhaps you fancy a bit of period drama? With numerous categories to choose from, you'll be sure to find something to watch. Once you've got started, we'll recommend shows that we think you'll like based on your viewing history.

Browse categories and box sets, featuring some of the best comedy, drama, entertainment and documentaries. Some full box sets are available as soon as episode 1 has broadcast. Catch up on demand with your favourite TV shows from U&Dave, U&Drama, U&W and U&Yesterday.

You can stream your favourite TV shows for free via the U app on your TV, mobile, tablet or online.

It only takes a minute to sign up, then you're all set to start watching. To use the U app on your TV or other streaming devices, you'll need to register on our website first. Then, simply follow the on-screen instructions to pair your device with your U account.

We ask you to fill in a few details because the better we know you, the better your experience on U will be. As well as making it easier to find the shows you love, it helps us bring you more relevant adverts.

It only takes a minute to register, then you can start watching thousands of hours of shows on demand and totally free of charge. We'll never ask for any payment details.

Yes. You can set a Parental Control PIN in your Account section. You'll need to do this on every device individually, even if they're all linked to the same account.

Once it's set up, the device will not play Guidance-labelled programmes unless you type in your four-digit PIN.

As much as we'd love to make all our shows available on U, unfortunately some aren't. TV and online rights mean it's not always possible to bring you the shows you love.

Most shows can be watched for 30 days after the first broadcast. Some may have different availability, though. It's all to do with rights, which sadly aren't up to us.

You can only watch U in the UK.

We have taken the decision to remove live streaming of our free-to-air TV channels from our U app on mobile and web. You can still watch your favourite U shows through the U app using search or browsing the home, categories, or channel sections.

Most of our shows have subtitles. Just look out for the subtitles button in our video player to turn them off or on.

Instead of charging a subscription, we show adverts to cover our costs. That means you can watch thousands of hours of great TV for free.

Sustainability is one of the core pillars of UKTV's business, and we constantly review and develop our sustainability strategy. You can find out more about our approach to sustainability here.

Please check the 'add-ons', 'extensions' or 'settings' section within your web browser to determine if any ad blocking extensions or plugins are installed.

It may not be obvious from the name of the browser extension if they block advertising. Examples of extensions which will cause the ad blocker warning prompt to display include 'AdBlock', 'Ghostery' and 'uBlock Origin'.

To view the content on the U website, please ensure that the website address 'u.co.uk' is whitelisted.

You can see the U supported browsers on our Ways to watch page.

Yes. Download the U app to watch loads of your favourite shows on your smartphone or tablet.

You can find out more about our Android and iOS apps on our Ways to watch page.

For both Apple and Android devices, the app uses about 36Mb of storage.

If your videos are freezing or a bit stop-start, it's probably down to a restricted internet connection. This could be caused by network traffic, WiFi speed, and your WiFi connection strength.

Get in touch and we'll do our best to get your shows up and running.

Once you've set up an account, download and open the U app on your TV or set-top box. Then, simply follow the on-screen instructions to link your TV to your account.

Before you start watching, you'll need to register and set up an account at u.co.uk. You can start watching straight away on a computer.

To watch on your TV, phone or tablet, you'll need to download the U app. Then, simply follow the on-screen instructions to link it to your account.

The code can only be used once and will expire after 30 minutes. If the code has been on your TV screen for longer than this, it will be replaced with a new code.

The code is five characters long and is made up of letters and numbers only. Make sure there are no spaces or symbols when you tap it in to your account.

The code will appear on your TV screen when you try and watch a show without signing in. To start watching, sign in and then follow the on-screen instructions.

Visit u.co.uk/activate to enter your code, and follow the onscreen instructions to finish linking your device to your account.