Two Freeview channels (Court TV and 365 Travel) are now gone for good, one (5Select) is gone for some, and there’s also some good news – a new channel, That’s TV Gold, is launching soon with mysterious content.
Here’s our update on all the Freeview changes that happened in the past couple of weeks.
Remember that as usual, some viewers will need to retune their Freeview devices (see more details below), in order to keep the Electronic Programmes Guide (EPG) updated, though some devices do this retune automatically (See our recommended Freeview recorders here).
Established in 2002, Freeview is the UK’s terrestrial television platform, which you can get via a Freeview aerial (see the ones we recommend).
Freeview features 80+ free-to-air TV channels and radio stations, and is totally free – so you don’t have any monthly payments (See our full Freeview guide here). Most people do need a TV Licence, however, to watch live Freeview channels.
Court TV and Travel 365 Gone From Freeview
As we reported last month, Court TV (Freeview Channel 89), the American channel dedicated to live courtroom drama has been removed from Freeview (somewhat unexpectedly) on June 1.
However, a placeholder was left on Channel 89 until recently, with a message about the closure. But since June 22, that message is also gone – and Court TV is no more (though it’s still available on Freesat).
Another Freeview closure that happened yesterday (July 1), is of the 365 Travel channel (Freeview Channel 251). It was a peculiar channel that showed travel offers from UK companies, 24 hours a day. That channel is now gone from Freeview.
5Select Now HD Only (May Require Retune)
5Select (Freeview Channel 55) is a Channel 5 spinoff channel (of sorts), that showcases content from the “Channel 5 family” – so documentaries and dramas that originally aired on other channels owned by Channel 5 (Channel 5, 5STAR, 5USA and 5Spike), as well as programmes that begin their run on 5Select.
Highlights include GPs: Behind Closed Doors, Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild, The Yorkshire Vet Casebook and more.
On July 1, some technical changes were made by Freeview, and 5Select is now only available on HD Freeview devices (so most Smart TVs, and Freeview HD / Play boxes such as the Manhattan T3-R or Humax FVP-5000t).
If you have an older Freeview device that DOESN’T support HD, you will no longer be able to watch 5Select (though it’s also still available on My5, Channel 5’s streaming app).
Furthermore, even if you do have a compatible device, it may require a retune for 5Select to continue working (though it is staying on Channel 55).
The same is now true for the Shopping Quarter channel (Freeview Channel 72) which, from June 22, only works on HD devices.
Somewhat confusingly, this doesn’t mean the channels broadcast Full HD content – just that you need an HD Freeview device to be able to access them.
New Freeview Channel: That’s TV Gold
From the makers of That’s TV channel (which mostly airs retro music these days), comes That’s TV Gold, on Freeview Channel 91.
For now, the channel only shows a “Coming Soon” message, but will eventually become “the home of nostalgia”, with 24 hours/day of “retro” programming.
Get ready for That's TV Gold coming soon on your tellybox.
Freeview viewers may need to retune. See the website https://t.co/qiMmQzxDGe or call the Freeview Advice Line on 03456 505050 pic.twitter.com/dk5Ob65k9X
— That's TV (@ThatsTVOfficial) June 22, 2021
That’s TV Gold declined to comment so far, so we’ll have to stay tuned until the exact launch date and programming tables come up.
- Update: we now have more information on That’s TV Gold’s content lineup
Retune Your Freeview Device
When Freeview channels change, a retune (a rescan of the channels) is often required – otherwise, the changes may not show up on your Freeview device.
Some devices do a retune automatically, but others require manual retuning.
You can find more information on how to retune your device, on Freeview’s retuning help section.
