Another round of Freeview changes is upon us – this time, two new channels are launching, one is changing places – and one is shutting down.
The changes are set to take place on November 23, and as always, some viewers will need to retune their Freeview devices in order to keep the Electronic Programmes Guide up to date (though some devices do this retune automatically – see our recommended Freeview recorders here).
Freeview changes, closures and new channels that are being added are common occurrences, and we’ve seen quite a few changes in recent months, including the major shakeup back in June, when nine Freeview channels were shut down.
More recently, three channels were added including one dedicated to pets, and three were shut down – in Freeview’s October update.
Another update took place last week – when the primary ITV channel changed its name to ITV1 (along with a revamp of the entire ITV brand).
Next week, the updates will be somewhat minor, with the only content addition only working on internet-connected devices – see the full list of changes below.
Freeview, which started its life back in 2002, is the United Kingdom’s terrestrial television platform. It provides free-to-air TV channels and radio stations (via a Freeview aerial – see the ones we recommend), including more than 80 standard and HD channels. You can watch it on any supported TV, or by using a set-top Freeview box.
To watch Freeview via broadband, you’ll need one of the new subscription-based devices like Sky Stream or Virgin Media Stream (though not all Freeview channels are available on these devices).
See our full Freeview guide here.
New Connected Freeview Channel: Alaraby Network
Alaraby is a political news channel that “follows developments, presents news and analyses the various dimensions and implications of the events.”
The channel, which is headquartered in Qatar, broadcasts a variety of programs and news shows in Arabic, covering society, politics, entertainment and culture.
On Freeview, Alaraby will be a streaming-only channel.
Some Freeview channels, like Channel Box, Ketchup TV and more, are Freeview IP channels – meaning they can only be delivered via broadband, and do not reach your house via the aerial.
To watch these streaming Freeview channels, you need a modern Freeview device that supports the HbbTV standard – most modern Smart TVs with Freeview Play, and Freeview Play set-top boxes (like the Manhattan T3-R, Humax Aura and others) already support this standard.
Once your device is connected to the internet, you will be able to reach these IP-only Freeview channels like a normal channel through the TV Guide.
From November 23, Alaraby will be available on Freeview Channel 279.
New Freeview Channel: BBC Information
Not much to get excited about with this one, apparently – while Freeview hasn’t provided more information about the channel’s content at this point, we assume it will provide updates about the BBC’s channels and services.
From November 23, BBC Information Channel will be available on Freeview Channel 799.
Freeview Channel Number Changes
On November 23, ROK Channel will be moving from Freeview Channel 276 to Freeview Channel 280.
Rok, which is also available on Sky (Channel 329) is “The Home Of Nollywood”, bringing you “the best of Africa’s entertainment” – contemporary stories, epic movies, drama series and more.
It launched on Freeview back in September, and is also a streaming-only channel.
Freeview Channel Closures
From November 23, the Quest Red+1 channel, which is currently available on Freeview Channel 71, will be permanently shut down.
Quest Red (which is available on Freeview Channel 40) is a Discovery channel and “the home of irresistible, real TV that champions life’s everyday heroes – the UK’s fastest-growing female-skewed entertainment channel”.
The +1 version of Quest Read airs the same schedule – one hour behind the main channel. But with catch-up content for the channel now available via Discovery+, the +1 Freeview version will be shutting down.
Retune Your Freeview Device
Whenever Freeview changes take place, some people need to retune their Freeview devices – otherwise, channel numbers and names won’t be correct, and new channels won’t show up.
Some devices do a retune automatically, but others might require a manual retune on the 23rd.
You can find more information on how to retune your device, on Freeview’s retuning help section.
Why do you have to switch things off for 4 hours in the night whilst you do the changes? My daughter died earlier this year and I can’t sleep.
I have an engineer coming on 28/12 to check the dish.
I enjoyed many programs on Quest and very annoyed that it has been removed. The replacements are a load of crap. Each year that passes Freeview make program changes which are not to my liking at all. Looks like I will be dumping Freeview in the near future and will have to pay for Sky TV to get a much better TV service.
Freeview from sky is much the same until you start paying for extra channels