Channel closures on the 22nd June

SarahSarah Member Posts: 1,812 admin
edited 11 June 2020, 9:25AM in Announcements

Hi all,

From 22 June 2020 changes are being made to the way some channels are currently broadcast.

Following a decision by Ofcom to make more bandwidth available for mobile data, and after discussions with channels impacted, the transmitter operator Arqiva has chosen to stop transmitting services on some specific airwaves.

Unfortunately, this means some +1 and HD TV services will be closing. Given the nature of these channels, Freeview viewers won’t lose access to any specific content, and can continue watching main channels and access content via on demand services such as All4 and My5. 

Users will start seeing pop-ups on affected channels from today onwards to inform them of these changes.

Further information on these changes can be found on the Freeview website here. 

Thanks,

Sarah
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Comments

  • DarrenDarren Member, Super User Posts: 702 ✭✭
    Thanks for the info @Sarah the only channels I really sometimes watch on Coms 8 is Now 80s, Forces TV, BBC 4, Quest HD. The only small lose for me will be 5USA +1 and Channel 4 +1HD.
  • Stevef_fr8ysStevef_fr8ys Member, Super User Posts: 771 ✭✭
    Will recordings made of programmes on the channels being deleted still be playable after the date they disappear?
  • JoeJoe Member, Super User Posts: 2,067 ✭✭✭
    I’ve not been able to get bbc four HD where I live. I wonder whether this change will mean it’s finally available? 
  • zulu17zulu17 Member, Super User Posts: 1,175 ✭✭✭
    Am am I being too optimistic when I read in the announcement
    ” access HD content via on demand services such as All4 and My5”

    Does this mean that the Youview All4 and My5 players will finally have HD content ? 
  • SarahSarah Member Posts: 1,812 admin
    Hi @zulu17
    Apologies for that, I copied this over from the Freeview website and didn't notice the HD part so this has now been removed from the post. 
    Thanks,
    Sarah
  • VisionmanVisionman Member, Super User Posts: 10,303 ✭✭✭
    edited 11 June 2020, 8:54PM
    @zulu17, The short answer is no unfortunately.
    I'm now happy with the disagree icon, because its gone.
  • VisionmanVisionman Member, Super User Posts: 10,303 ✭✭✭
    edited 12 June 2020, 3:52PM
    What I'm about to post isn't YouViews fault and nor do they have anything to to with it.

    Basically, Arquiva made the commercial decision, on government approval, to close down certain DTT reception frequencies to sell off to mobile phone providers who want the space and are willing to pay a premium for it.

    Now, is that clear as MUD? Good!  :o


    I'm now happy with the disagree icon, because its gone.
  • sgbussgbus Member Posts: 1 ✭
    Another nail in the coffin for flexible terestrial viewing. Been waiting, nay, expecting ITV to get their act together with itv3/4+1 for years but instead of getting better its getting worse with other channels regressing. If all these channels had half decent catchup services that actually contained a full days schedule which could be accessed almost immediately after broadcast akin to iplayer then +1 wouldn't really matter (this is 2020 right!) - but they don't, and seemingly never will.
  • kodikidkodikid Member Posts: 1,112 ✭✭
    To be fair the commercial stations have been hit hard by the pandemic, advertising revenue has plummeted. 


    Deacon Blue hit from October 88
  • RoyRoy Member, Super User Posts: 17,805 ✭✭✭
    edited 14 June 2020, 4:38PM
    kodikid said:
    To be fair the commercial stations have been hit hard by the pandemic, advertising revenue has plummeted. 
    And so, no doubt, has the sale of the mobile phones for which all this bandwidth was stolen.
    ‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
  • kodikidkodikid Member Posts: 1,112 ✭✭
    Hardly stolen, 
    As mentioned it was a commercial decision in which the highest bidder won.
    Besides the point but itv 3&4 are not really bastions of quality tv and will be hardly missed even by the majority of those that even knew they existed. 
    Deacon Blue hit from October 88
  • VisionmanVisionman Member, Super User Posts: 10,303 ✭✭✭
    edited 14 June 2020, 9:00PM
    Roy said
    And so, no doubt, has the sale of the mobile phones for which all this bandwidth was stolen.

     Stolen? oh oh no, the truth is far more insidious than that...
    I'm now happy with the disagree icon, because its gone.
  • DarrenDarren Member, Super User Posts: 702 ✭✭
    edited 14 June 2020, 9:49PM
    Even when 5g comes to my area. Im not about to just go out and get a new phone with 5g. My iPhone xr 64gb version is only just under 7 months old. Got it of Amazon on 5 monthly interest free payments.
    The now I happy with my sim only deal from o2 and only changed my sim only deal last September to give me more data and I find during lockdown I been using a little less mobile date that I used to.
    I agree with @Roy sales of mobiles will have also gone down in the last few months due to lockdown.
    Hopefully Freeview will start to move more towards DVB T2 in the next few years.


  • kodikidkodikid Member Posts: 1,112 ✭✭
    Sales have declined because people no longer regularly change phones or fall for "free" handset contracts.  Sim free is becoming the norm.
    What hasn't changed and will only grow is the fact that more and more media content is accessed through a mobile device. 
    Deacon Blue hit from October 88
  • Ken Hill1Ken Hill1 Member Posts: 261 ✭✭
    look like itv3+1 this going 24/7 from the 22 got this info from the bt epg if to the bt epg on bt go on too itv3+1 you go to the 22 you will see on the epg that itv3+1 start at 6am on that day ?











    =






    =
  • Ken Hill1Ken Hill1 Member Posts: 261 ✭✭
    Ken Hill1 said:
    look like itv3+1 this going 24/7 from the 22 got this info from the bt epg if to the bt epg on bt go on too itv3+1 you go to the 22 you will see on the epg that itv3+1 start at 6am on that day ?











    =






    Look like itv 3+1 this not going 24/7 as I got  news from Freeview person on Twitter that they haven't had any details at ITV3 plus 1about this 
  • Ken Hill1Ken Hill1 Member Posts: 261 ✭✭
    Has anyone got freesport  on their BT YouView box there's talk about freesport moving from com8 too com5 from Monday
  • VisionmanVisionman Member, Super User Posts: 10,303 ✭✭✭
    The situation with channels is at the moment 'liquid'.
    I'm now happy with the disagree icon, because its gone.
  • DarrenDarren Member, Super User Posts: 702 ✭✭
    edited 21 June 2020, 11:01AM
    I have always had freesport. Not that I watch the channel much.
    Its the local Edinburgh mux and Coms7 that I find has a weak signal in my area and sometimes singal breaks up in bad weather. Yet a few miles south from me my sister picks up all muxs fine.
  • DarrenDarren Member, Super User Posts: 702 ✭✭
    edited 22 June 2020, 2:19PM
    Since a retune of channels on my BT Youview retail box a short time ago. 
    I now seem to be getting a weak signal from Coms 7. All was working fine this morning before Coms 8 started witching off channels and I have lost the Edinburgh local mux altogether but I always had a weak signal from the local mux anyway. No matter if the weather was bad or not.
    I have not done a retune of both my Samsung TVs or the BT Youview box that BT sent me yet but on checking the TV in my bedroom. Im getting picture break up on the BBC News HD 107 while some others on Coms 7 now have a blank screen. I use the Craigkelly transmitter and thats just over 15 miles east from me. I know in very bad weather I was sometimes getting a weak signal from Coms 7 but the weather not great but not really that bad.
    Anyone got any ideas.
  • RoyRoy Member, Super User Posts: 17,805 ✭✭✭
    @Darren

    107 is not a channel slated to be affected, according to the link Sarah gave:-

    https://www.freeview.co.uk/help/22-jun-2020-channel-broadcast-changes

    I think we need today to be over, and see if and how things settle down on a retune after this,
    ‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
  • DarrenDarren Member, Super User Posts: 702 ✭✭
    I got Coms 7 fully working on both TVs and Youview boxes this morning.
    Looks like Coms 7 may have been in more reduced power for a short while yesterday in parts of the UK.
    They are talking about it over on the Digital Spy forums.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0 ✭
    edited 24 June 2020, 1:49PM
    So I did my rescan on the 22nd June. The only channel I watch that was affected was Forces TV. After the scan I noticed Forces TV had moved to channel 789, but I can’t record from it as it’s stating I have to rescan. I asked Forces if they had moved but they told me no, still in 96. I contacted Freeview who told me to rescan again, do a manual retune, etc, but still no forces Tv on 96. I don’t know what else to do.
  • marcusd666marcusd666 Member Posts: 14 ✭
    Same here no channel 96 after rescan and no freesport channel
  • Stevef_fr8ysStevef_fr8ys Member, Super User Posts: 771 ✭✭
    edited 24 June 2020, 6:00PM
    My boxes updated without needing a rescan and I have Forces on 96, and Freesport. I'm on CP. Both are breaking up though.
  • joneshjonesh Member, Super User Posts: 1,713 ✭✭✭
    As explained here, some services, including Forces TV and Freesports, have been temporarily moved to channels 780+.
    They should have moved back to their usual channel numbers by the end of tomorrow, 25th June.
  • Stevef_fr8ysStevef_fr8ys Member, Super User Posts: 771 ✭✭
    I have the channels with the rescan message in the 780s.

    Maybe the weather is playing its part too.


  • RoyRoy Member, Super User Posts: 17,805 ✭✭✭
    edited 25 June 2020, 7:38AM
    Despite the title of this thread saying on the 22nd June, @Sarah’s ‘From’, taken from the Freeview announcement, is more correct. 

    But ‘from’ could still mean ‘on’, and the Freeview announcement certainly talks about retuning on the 22 June, and mentions no other date.
    However, our Ridge Hill transmitter, and the Mendip transmitter, are shown on the Freeview site as ‘Reception Change 30 June‘, the change being the removal of COM8, and with COM8 still available today the 25th.
    And there may be others, on that or even later dates, for all I know. So definitely ‘from’ and not ‘on’.
    Given the YouView box’s predilection for using transmitters other than the one you might expect, and for casting around for any others it can find, this might explain why the orphaned channels are variously still around, not around, or around but on a high number, on various peoples’ YouView boxes at the moment.

    I await next Tuesday with some trepidation, having 8 devices to retune.
    ‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
  • zulu17zulu17 Member, Super User Posts: 1,175 ✭✭✭
    It is surprising that Freeview have not yet issued guidance about a further retune post 30 June after the COM8 closes.Perhaps they do not wish to confuse the viewers but only providing a partial insight into the activities on the Freeview/Arqiva actions in the period 22nd to 30 June is disappointing.
  • VisionmanVisionman Member, Super User Posts: 10,303 ✭✭✭
    I did that on here but... well.... The situation is at the moment 'liquid', which means in flux and not yet fully resolved or finished and there are A LOT of unhappy people out there because of that. Its been a bit of a mess, to say the least.
    I'm now happy with the disagree icon, because its gone.
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