Freeview Digital TV News Update

HD Channels added to Freeview Lineup

Two new channels have just been added to Freeview, to co-incide with today's launch of Freeview HD:

BBC HD - Channel 50
ITV1 HD - Channel 51 (due to launch in 2010)

These have been added to the lineup for Crystal Palace, London. We also expect these to be added to Winter Hill (Manchester/Granada) shortly.

As a reminder, there are no Freeview HD receivers on the market in the UK capable of watching Freeview HD.

More Freeview HD

Babestation 2 on Freeview

Babestation 2, another jiggly girl channel, has today been added to the Freeview channel lineup.

If this type of channel floats your boat, it's on Freeview Channel 99.

TMF rebrands to Viva

TMF, The Music Factory, on Freeview Channel 21, has today relaunched as "Viva". The new channel, Viva, is part of the MTV brand, and the channel has been repositioned from a music channel to an entertainment channel.

Adult channel changes

Two minor changes in the 90 adult channel range:

Television X changes from Channel 98 to 93

New channel TMTV (Tease Me TV, from Bang Media) joined on Freeview channel 98.

BBC Red Button Changes

From the 27th October 2009, the BBC News Multiscreen and the interactive stream (Freeview channel 302) will no longer be available. This is to make room for Freeview HD.

News appears on Freeview Channel 89

A placeholder for a new channel, simply called "News", has just appeared on Freeview Channel 89.

At this time, we have no information on the plan for "news". Watch this space.

Retune your Freeview on Wednesday

In order to continue to get all of your Freeview channels, you'll need to perform a channel rescan after midday on Wednesday the 30th September 2009.

The changes will allow around half-a-million Freeview users to get Five for the first time. The Quest documentary channel will become available on channel 38, and a number of channels will be changing number, including Price-drop TV, Super Casino, Rocks and Co, Smile TV2, Babestation and Partyland.

You'll find the new lineup at http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/freeviewchannels.html

Retuning only takes a few minutes, and you do this Freeview's on-screen menu - look for an option like "Channel setup", "Tuning", or "Scan for Channels".

If you need help rescanning for channels, see the instructions at www.tvretune.co.uk or call the National Freeview Retune helpline on 08456 05 11 22.

More on retuning: http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/freeviewhelp/retune.html

Babestation joins Freeview

Babestation has joined Freeview (Channel 42). for those not familiar with Babestation's format, it consists of scantily-clad women jiggling in response to premium rate text messages and voice calls.

Babestation is on-air from 1am to 6am, sharing with Virgin +1

Mobilizer text service added

A placeholder for a new text service, Mobilizer, has appeared on channel 109. The the catch-line "Mobile Fun 4 Everyone", we don't have info on what this text service will offer, or when it will launch.

Update: Thanks to Robert N for this update on 06 October 09: "I got Mobilizer on BT Vision last night on Channel 109 when I went down the Menu it said No Information Available so I selected it to see what it would do and after a few minutes a Screen came up Mobilizer Loading and then the main screen came up titled Mobile Fun 4 Everyone TXT Rate it Vote for the girl of your Choice"

Price Drop TV to return

Shopping channel Price Drop TV is set to return to Freeview on the 27th of August. The channel vanished in January 2009, but apparently, pressure from viewers has prompted the channel to make a return.

Price Drop TV will be on Freeview channel 43 from 27 August 2009

Quest TV to launch in September 2009

After the recent failed launch, Quest, the free documentary channel from Discovery, is set to have another go at launching on Freeview - this time on the 30th of September.

ESPN on Channel 34

ESPN is now available on Freeview Channel 34. There are three ways to watch ESPN on this channel:

1. Using BT Vision
2. Using Top Up TV
3. Using a box or TV that has a suitable card slot (such as one used for Setanta)

For full details of the options, see http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/channels/espn.html

Big Deal comes to Freeview

Another Quiz channel has joined the Freeview lineup. The channel, Big Deal appeared on Freeview channel 37 today, 15th July.

It appears that the channel will be on-air from 10pm to 5am, sharing time with the new hobby channel Create & Craft.

Discovery vanishes from Top Up TV

Content from Discovery and Discovery Real Time has been removed from the Top Up TV Anytime service as of 7th July 2009. Top Up customers have also recently seen the departure of content from Living, as well as Setanta. Extra content from National Geographic is being provided to fill the Discovery gap.

Create and Craft comes to Freeview

Create and Craft will reportedly go live on Freeview channel 36 in July. It'll be on from 8am to 1pm Monday to Friday.

Trove placeholder added to Freeview

A placeholder for a service called Trove has been added to Freeview.

Trove on channel 306 will be an interactive service (games, weather, travel offers and retail).

Rumour has it, a special Trove-enabled Freeview box will be required.

Setanta Sports goes off-air

Setanta Sports finally pulled the plug on it's UK TV operation this evening after numerous financial problems. The UK wing of the firm is no longer trading or broadcasting.

For more information on this, see our Setanta Help and Advice page

ITV channels may exit Freeview

Struggling ITV may move ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 from Freeview to subscription services Sky and Virgin. More

Virgin 1 now 24 hours on Freeview

Virgin 1 is now broadcasting 24 hours a day on Freeview Channel 20.

The timeshifted service, Virgin 1 +1 is now available on Channel 35 (12 hours day only, from 6pm to 6am).

You may need to perform a channel rescan to get these channels set up on your Freeview receiver.

Quest launch postponed

Quest TV, the free documentary channel from Discovery, was set to launch on Freeview today, the 14th of May 2009.

A message on the Quest site at 10am on launch day now announces that the launch has had to be postponed due to "commercial factors".

Looks like the channel may not launch until towards the end of the year. More details here

UPDATE: Podcast released 14 May covering this story: Quest TV launch update

Five and Smile channel changes

A small reshuffle in the 30 channel number range is complete. Here are the new channel numbers:

30 Fiver
31 Five USA
32 Smile TV
33 Smile TV2 (back after a two month absence)

You may need to perform a rescan to pick up the new numbering.

Gems TV leaves, Film4 adds hours

On the 1st of May 2009, Gems TV left the Freeview lineup. This enables Film 4 to start broadcasting two hours earlier, later this May.

Quest starts on 14th May

A reminder that we can expect the long-awaited Quest, the documentary channel from Discovery, to appear on Freeview later this month.

Quest takes to the air on 14th May 2009 on Freeview channel 47.

Update 14 May 2009: Launch cancelled! Details: Quest Launch Postponed

Fiver and Five USA on the move

Fiver and Five USA are also expected to change channel numbers on May 12th 2009.

Fiver moves to channel 30 (from channel 36), and Five USA moves to channel 31 ( from channel 35).

Virgin to go 24 hours and get a +1

From May the 20th, Virgin 1 on Freeview will switch from 12 hours a day, to 24 hours a day. There will also be a Virgin 1 + 1 (1+1=2?) service added, but this will only be for 12 hours a day.

The change to 24 hours involves Virgin 1 moving to a different multiplex, so users may need to perform a channel re-scan to get the longer hours from 20th May.

Smile TV 2 leaves Freeview

Smile TV 2 has now left Freeview. This channel launched in September 2008 on channel 46 (Multiplex A) offering life coaching, party girls and adult chat.

Gems TV 5% voucher

We've no idea if any Gems TV fans are out there reading this feed... but if you buy your fancy gems online, we've found a special 5% off discount code. Enter the code AFFS-113 at www.gemstv.co.uk for 5% off. Code valid till 30th April 2009.

Partyland appears on channel 50

Just appeared on channel 50 of the Freeview lineup, "Partyland".

As of 15th March 2009, the channel's not brodcasting, but when it does, it'll apparently be offering "Adult chat and editorial". The channel's backed by Five

Dave + 1 renamed

The Home of Witty Banter's +1 timeshift service has renamed from "Dave + 1" to "Dave ja vu".

Nice touch chaps!

Discovery Quest launch date confirmed

The free documentary channel from Discovery, Quest TV, will start broadcasting from 10am on 14th May 2009 on Freeview.

Quest TV will be available on channel 47 of the Freeview lineup.

Update 14 May: Launch postponed. Details: Quest TV Launch Aborted

Yesterday happens next month

History channel UKTV History is set to rename in March 2009.

On the 2nd March, the channel is set to rename to "Yesterday".

Yesterday will apparently shift the emphasis of the channel onto more modern events, with series such as Seven Ages of Rock and The Alan Clark Diaries being sprinkled into the programming mix along with new shows such as International Terrorism.

The channel will remain on channel 12 of the Freeview channel lineup

ITV4 and CITV set to move

News of two Freeview channels set to move later this month...

On the 24th of Feb 2009, ITV4 is set to move from Freeview channel 28 to channel 24, and CITV to move from Freeview channel 75 to channel 72.

Film4 moves channel

Film4 has today moved from Freeview channel 32 to channel 15

Dave + 1 on Freeview

Home of Witty Banter, Dave, is about to have a "Plus 1" timeshift added to Freeview, handy for if you'd like a repeat of a repeat. The service should appear on Freeview on the 22nd January 2009, from 8am to 4am.

Russia Today to join Freeview

Russia Today TV is set to join the Freeview line-up. The service is already available on Sky Digital and Freesat, and offers an English-language service from Russia's state owned news agency RIA-Novosti.

It's likely that Russia Today TV will only broadcast for a few hours a day. We're not aware of a launch date.

More: See Russia Today's Wikipedia entry.

CNN joins Freeview

CNN is to join Freeview on Thursday 15th January 2009. The service replaces Nuts TV.

CNN will be available on Freeview channel 84 every day from 9pm to 1am

Rock & Co coming to Freeview

Jewellery shopping channel Rocks & Co is set to be joining the Freeview lineup shortly.

The channel will broadcast from 4pm to 9pm daily. Date and channel number to be confirmed.

Supercasino launches on Freeview

SuperCasino launched on Freeview channel 48 on 8th January. The channel offers 24/7 access to Autowheel and Live Roulette.

Quest TV placeholder added

A placefolder for the channel Quest TV has appeared on Freeview channel 47.

As reported previously, this channel comes from the Discovery group of channels. No confirmed launch date as yet.

Update 14 May 2009: Launch postponed. Details Quest Freeview launch postponed.

NetPlay TV comes to Freeview

Netplay TV should be appearing on Freeview Channel 48 from the 8th of January 2009.

This is an interactive games channel offering casino and live bingo.

Price drop TV set to leave Freeview

Price-Drop TV is to vanish from Freeview in January 2009.

From their website on 1st January: "As a valued customer of our channels, I wanted to personally inform you that our price-drop tv Freeview contract expireson 5th January 2009. However, you can still catch price-drop on Sky 645, Virgin TV 741, Freesat 801 and online at www.price-drop.tv. As a Freeview customer, you will be able to continue receiving fantastic value on all our products at prices well below the High Street on bid tv channel 23 hosted by your favourite presenters."

Mojo radio to be removed from Freeview

Radio station Mojo is to be removed from the Freeview lineup on 30th November 2008.

Nuts TV to vanish

Nuts TV's 9pm to 1am slot on Freeview is set to be replaced by four hours of the news channel CNN, according to Turner Broadcasting. Expect Nuts TV to vanish early in 2009.

Discovery Channel coming to Freeview in 2009

A channel slot opened up on Freeview recently, and in October 2008, it's been confirmed that a channel from the Discovery stable will be coming to Freeview in early 2009. The channel won't be branded as Discovery, and will be free-to-view.

Smile TV 2 now live

Smile TV 2 has been added to Freeview's lineup. On channel 46, this is billed as an "interactive channel" allowing viewers to interact with onscreen life coaches, as well as "party girls". Hmmm.

4Music from 15th August

Digital TV station "The Hits" is set to become "4Music" on 15th August 2008, offering exclusive content from the V Festival in Chelmsford at launch.

Warning for Bush, Daewoo, Labgear box owners

In the last few weeks, UK Freeview transmitters have been upgraded, meaning that a number of set-top boxes have stopped working. Affected models include:

Bush IDVCR01

Daewoo DS608P

Daewoo SV900

Labgear DTT100

Portland DP100

Triax DVB2000T

Full details at www.frequencycast.co.uk/freeviewlandfill.html

Five Life rebrands as Fiver

Five Life is to re-branded as "Fiver" on the 28th April 2008, promising to be Younger, Ruder and Louder.

Teletext dating coming to Freeview

In May 2008, a text-based dating service known as Rabbit will be coming to Freeview. Run by ITV, this service will replace Teletext Cars.

National Lottery Xtra

National Lottery Xtra is coming to Freeview. This will be on channel 45, broadcasting for one hour a day, from 08:45 to 09:45, seven days a week.

Oneword radio to cease

Digital radio station Oneword is to cease broadcasting on Freeview and DAB from 12 January 2008.

Top Up TV channel update

Broadcasting hours for UKTV Gold on the TopUp TV service have dropped (again). This time, it's to make way for some new content. Boxes will now be able to get programming from The History Channel, Crime & Investigation and the Sci-Fi channel.

You'll have to go 'Menu'. 'Customise' to get this new content. More on our Top Up TV Anytime pages.

Gems TV comes to Freeview

Gems TV has appeared on Freeview channel 43. it looks like this is the Gems TV shopping channel.

Virgin 1 starts 1st October

Virgin One starts on Freeview in the evening of 1st October 2007, replacing FTN.

UKG2 becomes... Dave

From 15th October 2007, the UKTV G2 channel will be rebranded to "Dave". It's also coming to Freeview, replacing UKTV Bright Ideas. The idea behind the name is that everyone knows someone called Dave.

The channel's target audience is 16-34 males. Dave will share the Freeview bandwidth with UKTV History. A re-scan may be needed.

ABC1 closes in September 2007

ABC 1, on Freeview channel 15, closed in late September 2007. The channel, owned by Disney, originally launched in late 2004. No news on what will take its place on the Freeview platform.

Problems with ITV channels on Freeview

We're seeing lots of emails about the loss of either ITV2 or ITV3 on Freeview. This is due to the recent changes to make room for Channel 4+1.

See our Podcast's Blog for the story. Also, consider signing up to our newsletter.

Top Up TV Price Drop

Top Up TV has dropped the price of its Anytime set-top box from £139.99 to just under £100. This dual-tuner Freeview hard-disk recorder downloads TV content overnight, giving you up to 100 hours of content to view on demand. See our Top Up TV Anytime review for more.

UK G2 on Freeview?

There are a couple of rumours out there that UKTV G2 may be coming to Freeview in the near future - reportedly replacing UKTV Bright Ideas. No confirmation or timeframe at this time.

Channel 4 + 1 from 20th August

Channel 4 +1: From 20th August 2007, Channel 4 will be the first of the five mainstream TV channels to offer a "Plus 1" service, so you can watch again one hour later.

This will be available on Sky, will replace Film4+1 on Freeview and replaces More 4+1 on Virgin cable.

Nuts Magazine coming to Freeview

Nuts TV comes to the Freeview Lineup from 12th September 2007. Broadcasting "lads" content from 9pm to 1am, could this be the new Men and Motors? Source.

Extra content for TopUp Anytime

Content from car makers Audi, and Lottery company Camelot is set to be delivered to Top Up TV Anytime boxes from mid-July 2007. Source.

Virgin channel coming to Freeview

Virgin has announced that it will launch a new channel, Virgin 1, on Freeview later in 2007. The channel will show drama, comedy and factual programming, and will replace FTN.

TCM to leave Top Up TV

Another channel leaves the Top Up TV live lineup. Movie channel TCM is set to leave Top Up TV's live service from 16th April 07, presumably to free up space for another Freeview channel. Movies from TCM will still be available on Top Up TV Anytime service.

Channel 4 Music on Freeview?

Channel 4 and EMAP to launch a new music channel on Freeview? Reports in Variety indicate that Channel 4 may end up with a Freeview music channel soon...

3C goes, Clyde 1 appears

Country music station 3C ("Continuous Cool Country") has gone from the Freeview lineup, and has been replaced by Scottish radio station Clyde 1 on Freeview channel 724.

Top Up Anytime Reduces Price

Top Up TV has dropped the price of their Anytime set-top box. This PVR records TV content overnight for on-demand replay next day. Saving £70, the Top Up TV Anytime box now costs £139.99, including connection and one months viewing. More on our TUTV Anytime page.

ITV Play to be pulled

Games channel ITV Play is due to be pulled on 15th March 2007, to be replaced by ITV2 +1. More.

Setanta Sports to launch on Top Up TV

Setanta Sports is to launch on Top Up TV on 1st March 2007. For £10.99 a month, you can watch live and exclusive sporting action including: live Barclays Premiership football (from August 2007), US PGA TOUR Golf, as well as Scottish and European football.

More on TUTV Anytime.

Sky to drop channels from Freeview

In February 2007, we heard that BSkyB is planning to drop Sky Three, Sky News and Sky Sports News from the Freeview digital TV lineup. They plan to offer a pay-to-view service on the freed space, which will include the channels Sky One, Sky Sports, Sky News and Sky Movies. Viewers will need a special set-top box to get the Sky pay-TV service via a TV aerial.

The regulators, OfCom, are said to be taking a close look at this proposal.

Top Up TV basic service reduces again

Top Up TV are set to reduce their non-Anytime service even further. The Discovery channels and Cartoon Network disappearing from the live line-up in February 2007. It's rumoured that this is to make room for subscription sport channel Setanta Sport. They've also stopped selling the basic £7.99 service to new customers.

Latest Freeview and Top Up TV news

News on new channels joining the Freeview lineup. We also post news of any other major Freeview and Top Up TV developments here.