Big Freeview Shakeup Coming, And Streaming Is The Cause

Freeview is gearing up for another major reshuffle: A significant number of channels could soon be playing musical chairs in your TV guide, as Everyone TV, the company behind Freeview, Freesat and Freely, announces a major reorganisation of its channel listing.

This isn’t just a bit of housekeeping – it’s a response to the streaming revolution that’s transforming how we watch TV.

Over the past year, Freeview has seen a big surge in new hybrid streaming channels, that use both over-the-air broadcasts and the internet. In fact, a whopping 21 new hybrid streaming channels have launched on Freeview in just twelve months.

But this streaming boom has created a space crunch in Freeview’s channel numbering system, which is why Everyone TV is planning to reorganize that group of channels, potentially moving around 30 channels to new homes in your TV guide (while also making room for more channels).

What Are Hybrid Streaming Channels?

Hybrid Freeview channels use a technology called HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV), to combine traditional over-the-air broadcast technology with internet streaming.

When you tune into a hybrid channel, your TV first uses the aerial connection to pick up a special application. This application then tells your TV where to find the channel’s content on the internet.

Your TV fetches this content using your home broadband connection, displaying it seamlessly as if it were a regular TV channel.

This technology offers several advantages. It allows for a more interactive and on-demand viewing experience, and it enables Freeview to offer more channels without needing additional broadcast spectrum.

However, there’s a catch – you need both an aerial connection and a reliable broadband connection to watch these channels. If your broadband is slow or unreliable, you might have trouble accessing hybrid channels even if they appear in your TV guide.

Despite this limitation, hybrid channels have become increasingly popular. They offer broadcasters a way to launch new channels on Freeview without the high costs associated with traditional broadcasting.

This rapid growth, however, has put pressure on Freeview’s channel numbering system.

The platform found itself running out of space in its designated ‘Streamed’ category, which previously occupied channel numbers 260-299.

With more broadcasters looking to launch streaming services, Freeview faced a potential capacity crunch.

As a side note, it’s also worth remembering that Hybrid streaming channels on Freeview are quite different from the new Freely service (also from Everyone TV).

On Freely, the broadband-based channels are streaming only and don’t require an aerial at all (but are currently limited to a small selection of channels).

The Big Freeview Shuffle

In early May 2024, Everyone TV, the company responsible for managing the UK’s free TV platforms launched a consultation process to address the growing demand for space to accommodate new hybrid streaming channels on Freeview.

The Freeview Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) is divided into several “genres” or groups, each with its own range of channel numbers, known as Logical Channel Numbers (LCNs).

Currently, hybrid streaming channels are typically found in the “Streamed Services” genre, occupying LCNs 260-299.

Adjacent to this is the “Text” genre (LCNs 250-259), originally intended for text-based information services but now largely obsolete, with only one active channel remaining – BBC Red Button.

Everyone TV proposed merging these two genres into a single “Hybrid Streamed and Text” genre, spanning LCNs 250-299. This would provide 50 channel numbers for hybrid streaming services, effectively creating more room for current and future channels.

Following this consultation, Everyone TV has now announced its decision to proceed with the merger. This means that around thirty hybrid channels will be shuffled around within this new range.

For viewers, this means that familiar channels, such as Channelbox, NYX, Filmstream, the new streaming version of TalkTV and more – may soon appear at new numbers in the Freeview guide (although the exact changes and numbers haven’t been announced yet).

By creating more space in this range, Everyone TV is ensuring there’s room for current channels and paving the way for new hybrid streaming channels to join the platform.

Everyone TV says that they will write to the providers of all Hybrid Streamed services with details of the shuffle-down exercise and give them two weeks to respond.

Then, the shuffle-down will take place on the next available Freeview / DTT change date.

Current LCN Ranges:

The New LCN Ranges:

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