Freeview is making some changes including launching new channels and shutting some things down. Here’s all you need to know and how to make sure things are up to date.
If you are one of the millions of people who use Freeview for your fix of telly then you might fancy giving your set-top box or TV a retune. The popular free-to-view service has just announced some ‘important changes’ which include channel launches, changes and some that are closing down for good.
“On 16th October 2024 some broadcasters are making important changes to their channels,” Freeview explained in an update on its blog page.
So what’s new and what’s shutting?
Firstly, there are four new channels arriving on Freeview which include U&Eden (channel 57) from the team at UKTV. This service, which has been available on Sky for a while, features high-quality natural science programming including BBC blue chip series like Planet Earth and the UKTV Original, David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities.
The other new channels coming to Freeview are the CNA news service (channel 276), New Media TV (channel 269) and GIGS (channel 284) which shows live performances and documentaries.
Next up there’s the U&DaveJaVu service which is moving from channel 57 to channel 74 and That’s TV 3 (channel 71) which is becoming That’s Christmas just in time for the festive period.
That’s all the good news but what is closing down?
A trio of channels will no longer be available this week including Al Jazeera Eng (channel 235), Amazing Discoveries (channel 269) and U&Yesterday+1 (channel 74).
To get all those changes you’ll need to perform a quick reboot. “You will need to retune to update your TV and keep your channels and TV Guide up to date,” Freeview explained.
Retuning is pretty simple, just follow the instructions below.
HOW TO RETUNE YOUR FREEVIEW TV
Freeview has issued advice on how to retune devices and here are the steps every user needs to follow.
• Press menu on your box or TV remote control
• Select ‘set-up’, ‘installation’, ‘update’ or a similar option. If you’re asked for a password, the default code is ‘1234’ or ‘0000’.
• Select ‘first-time installation’ (sometimes called ‘factory reset’, ‘full retune’ or ‘default settings’).
•Press ‘OK’ if your equipment asks if it’s OK to delete existing channels and then your retune should start automatically. If you’re prompted to, save the channels that are found.
