HOUSEHOLDS with Freeview will notice a few changes on their box today following a number of channel closures in the last year.
Some stations have shifted number completely, others have been rebranded and there’s even a new channel this month.
FreeviewMay need to re-scan your box[/caption]
BBC’s local radio station numbers are shifting
So, viewers will need to familiarise themselves to ensure they’re not missing their favourite programmes.
And it may mean you need to rescan your box too.
The biggest set of changes this time around is to the radio stations on Freeview.
All the local BBC stations have shifted number following the removal of some rival radio networks.
The likes of Magic, Greatest Hits Radio, Kiss and Absolute Radio disappeared from Freeview in April.
They haven’t shutdown completely, just on terrestrial TV, as owners Bauer said the amount of people listening to radio via their telly is now relatively small making up only 4 per cent of digital consumption.
It followed a similar move on Sky and Virgin Media last year, urging people to use their radio app instead.
As a result of the shake-up, Freeview has decided to reshuffle its radio stations a bit, affecting local BBC networks.
The network you receive for each number will depend on where you live but here are all the radio changes to be aware of:
BBC Berkshire – 711
BBC Bristol – 711
BBC CWR – 711
BBC Jersey – 711
BBC Kent – 711
BBC Leeds – 711
BBC Manchester – 711
BBC Newcastle – 711
BBC Norfolk – 711
BBC R Scotland – 711
BBC Radio Ulster – 711
BBC Radio Wales – 711
BBC Radio Cymru – 712
BBC Devon – 712
BBC Radio Foyle – 712
BBC H&W – 712
BBC Lancashire – 712
BBC R n Gaidheal – 712
BBC Nottingham – 712
BBC Suffolk – 712
BBC Sussex – 712
BBC Three Counties – 712
BBC York – 712
BBC Cornwall – 713
BBC Cumbria – 713
BBC Radio Cymru 2 – 713
BBC Guernsey – 713
BBC Humberside – 713
BBC Leicester – 713
BBC Radio London – 713
BBC Shropshire – 713
BBC Wiltshire – 713
BBC Cambridge – 714
BBC Lincolnshire – 714
BBC Merseyside – 714
BBC Oxford – 714
BBC Solent – 714
BBC Somerset – 714
BBC Surrey – 714
BBC Tees – 714
BBC WM – 714
BBC Solent Dorset – 715
BBC Stoke – 715
BBC Essex – 716
BBC Northampton – 716
BBC Sheffield – 716
BBC Gloucestershire – 716
BBC Derby – 717
New Freeview channel
There’s also a new channel landing on Freeview for July too.
It’s a streamed hybrid offering, so you’ll need your TV hooked up to the internet to watch.
The channel is called GINX TV and you’ll find it on number 296.
GINX TV caters to everything video gaming, which claims to be the “world’s first and largest gaming TV network”.
Channel rebrands
Finally, nine channels available on Freeview have undergone a revamp this month.
One you may have heard about, involving UKTV’s free channels Drama, Dave, W and Yesterday.
They’re all shifting to a unified brand U, meaning they are now called U&Drama, U&Dave, U&W and U&Yesterday.
The same applies to their hour shift +1 channels.
But coverage on the channels remains the same as before, and so do their station numbers too.
The only other rebrand is to That’s 60s and That’s 60’s MCR which have jumped 20 years to become That’s 80s and That’s 80s MCR.
How to cut streaming bills with top FREE TV
Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime don’t come cheap – and year on year subscription costs seem to go up.
Fortunately there are loads of free streaming TV alternatives not everyone knows about.
And we’re not just talking about BBC iPlayer and ITVX.
Here are some free alternatives worth trying:
Hidden streamed channels on your TV from Samsung and LG
Pluto TV with more than 100 extra channels
Amazon’s free alternative Freevee
The free streaming service with more than 30,000 movies and no ads – and all you need is a library card