Your Freeview TV just lost hours of content – what’s gone for good
If you love Freeview but feel like something is now missing you would not be wrong. A major shutdown has taken place this week with a total of seven services removed from the popular platform. Luckily, if you like watching content rather than listening in you won’t be affected by the change as the closure is only hitting radio stations.
The update, which came into effect on April 2, now means you won’t be able to tune into things such as Greatest Hits Radio, Hits Radio, Kerrang! Radio, KISS Fresh, KISSTORY and Magic Radio on your TV.
You’ll have to use a smart speaker, phone or tablet instead. Absolute Radio will also be closing its doors on Freeview but not until May 10th.
It’s unclear why the stations have been removed although it’s thought that listening to the radio via Freeview isn’t as popular as on other devices. The closure follows a similar move on Sky and Virgin with all the channels listed above being taken off of those premium platforms last year.
There’s no word on what will replace the missing channels but watch this space.
The news comes as we get ever closer to the launch of a new way to view TV.
Freely is expected to go live within the next few months and will offer homes the option to tune into live and on-demand shows via their broadband connection rather than an aerial. The service is being launched by the same Everyone TV team behind Freeview and Freesat.
Streaming content has become much more popular in recent years and Freely is following Sky Stream and Virgin Stream by switching to an internet connection.
Some TV manufacturers have already committed to including Freely in their latest screens which means there will be no need for a separate set-top box.
Speaking about the news, Sarah Milton and Carl Pfeiffer, Joint Chief Product Officers, Everyone TV said: “It’s clear the way people are watching TV is changing, with more audiences switching over to a broadband-only connection.
“We’ve built Freely around the needs of British audiences, bringing them the freedom to choose how they want to watch, with all their favourite shows from the UK’s leading broadcasters all in one place for free. We’re really proud of what we’re launching with Freely and are excited about bringing major enhancements like the MiniGuide to viewers as Freely launches in Q2 this year.”