Netflix is pulling the plug on two older BT TV boxes from early March, leaving BT and EE TV customers with a familiar dilemma: upgrade your hardware or find another way to watch.
From March 4, 2026, the Netflix app will stop working on the BT TV Box (Z4) and BT TV Recordable Box (G4). If you’re still using either of these boxes, you’ve got about a month to sort out your viewing arrangements.
The good news? The slightly newer 4K Recordable TV Box (G5) and the Pro boxes aren’t affected this time around. But if you’re clinging to one of the older models, you’ll need to make some decisions pretty sharpish.
BT says the change is down to technical requirements for Netflix’s updated app, which these older boxes simply can’t handle anymore. It’s a story we’ve heard before – and it won’t be the last time either.
EE TV: A Quick Refresher
For anyone slightly confused by the BT/EE naming situation, here’s the short version: EE TV is the current name for what used to be BT TV.
The service rebranded in 2023 as part of BT’s shift to consolidate everything under the EE banner.
Both brands are owned by the same parent company, so if you signed up for BT TV years ago and never touched your contract, you’re technically an EE TV customer now – even if your box still has the BT logo plastered across the front.
The TV platform works on a “flexible” bundle model with 24-month contracts. You pick a base package and can switch between different tiers every 30 days, mixing and matching things like NOW Entertainment, NOW Cinema, Netflix, TNT Sports, and Discovery+ depending on your needs.
There’s one important catch: you can only get EE TV if you’re also a BT or EE broadband customer. Unlike Sky Stream, which works as a standalone service, EE TV is firmly tied to their broadband offerings.
Current packages range from Entertainment (£20/month) up to the Full Works plan (£80/month), with various combinations of streaming services bundled in.
The service supports several types of hardware, including the newer EE TV Box Pro (a 4K YouView device with 1TB storage) and a specially configured Apple TV 4K EE Box – both are not affected by the upcoming Netflix app discontinuation.
Which brings us to the problem: if you’re still using one of the older BT-branded boxes, you’re about to lose Netflix access.
What’s Actually Happening on March 4
Netflix will stop supporting its app on two specific BT TV boxes from March 4, 2026:
- BT TV Box (Z4)
- BT TV Recordable Box (G4)
The newer boxes – including the 4K Recordable TV Box (G5), TV Box Pro, TV Box Mini, and the Apple TV 4K EE Box – will continue working as normal.
Your Netflix subscription itself won’t be cancelled or changed. If you’ve got Netflix bundled into your EE TV package, you’ll still be paying for it and can still watch on other devices. You just won’t be able to access it through these particular set-top boxes anymore.
A BT spokesperson told Cord Busters that “Netflix is updating its app to create the best experience for its subscribers.
“Because of this change the Netflix app will no longer be compatible with older TV devices, including some legacy BT and EE TV boxes.
“We’re contacting our impacted customers to inform them of this change from Netflix and advise on how they can continue accessing Netflix as part of their TV package.”
We’ve heard similar explanations before when apps drop support for ageing devices – it usually comes down to newer video codecs, security updates, and features that older processors struggle to handle.
Netflix will also be sending in-app messages about these changes throughout February.
What Can You Do If You’re Affected?
If you’re still actively subscribed to EE TV with one of the affected boxes, BT says they’ll be contacting customers to arrange a replacement box that works with Netflix – but only if you’re already in a contract where Netflix is included.
For those in-contract customers, the upgrade will be free – though you may be asked to renew the contract, so that’s something to consider.
If you’ve got one of the affected boxes but you’re no longer an active EE TV subscriber – perhaps your contract ended ages ago, and you’ve just been using the box for Freeview and whatever apps still work – then BT won’t be offering you an upgrade.
You’d need to either sign up for EE TV again or find alternative ways to watch Netflix (more on that below).
To upgrade your TV box, you’ll need to call BT on 0800 800 150 and they’ll guide you through the process.
If you’re asked to return your old box after upgrading, make sure you follow their return instructions – the last thing you want is a surprise charge for unreturned equipment.
One important warning if you do upgrade: any recordings stored on your current box won’t transfer to the new device. If you’ve got a collection of saved programmes, you’ll want to watch them before making the switch.
This has always been a limitation of BT’s TV boxes (and other pay-TV recording boxes) – there’s no way to migrate recordings between devices.
Alternative Ways to Keep Watching Netflix
Of course, you don’t necessarily need to upgrade your BT box just to keep watching Netflix. The streaming service works on a wide range of other devices, and you might already have something suitable lying around.
Smart TVs from the past decade nearly all support Netflix natively. Streaming sticks like the Amazon Fire TV Stick or Roku devices work brilliantly and cost as little as £30-40. Gaming consoles, tablets, laptops, and smartphones all have Netflix apps too.
If you’re happy to keep using your old BT box for Freeview channels and other catch-up apps, you could simply plug in a cheap streaming stick for Netflix and be done with it.
This might actually be the most practical solution if your EE TV contract still has months to run and you don’t fancy committing to another two years.
Why This Keeps Happening
If this story feels familiar, that’s because apps dropping support for older devices has become a depressingly regular occurrence in the streaming world.
Last year, we covered how Netflix stopped working on first-generation Amazon Fire TV devices and abandoned a whopping 42 Sony TV models from 2014.
Disney+ pulled support from older NOW TV boxes years ago. ITV removed ITVX from countless Freeview and Freesat boxes, plus older Samsung smart TVs.
And just last August, we reported that Discovery+ (which includes TNT Sports streaming content) had stopped working on several older BT TV boxes – including, in that case, the 4K Recordable Box (G5).
The brutal truth is that streaming technology moves fast, and older hardware eventually reaches a point where it simply can’t keep up with modern app requirements.
Video codecs get more efficient, security standards tighten, and user interface expectations evolve beyond what older processors can handle.
The good news – if you can call it that – is that replacing a set-top box or streaming stick is considerably cheaper than replacing an entire television. Still frustrating when you’ve got perfectly functional hardware that suddenly loses key features, but at least you’ve got affordable options.
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I still have one of these but as far as the apps that are on it goes most of them are now pretty slow running and at times will just randomly stop working and they have been like that for many years now since BT moved away from youview and onto their own system. So even if people still were using these boxes to steam anything I can imagine they have had a poor experience and more than likely only use them to watch and record freeview now.