Major UK Freeview channel change confirmed – check your TV now or lose out

If you use Freeview to get your daily entertainment fix, then it’s worth checking that you have the latest update from the popular platform. There are some big changes now available for UK homes, including some channels changing names, a few new things launching and a trio of services closing for good.

First up are the channel changes, with services like Tiny Pop, POP Player and That’s 60’s getting new numbers on the TV scheduler.

Tiny Pop – WAS Ch 207 NOW Ch 208

POP Player – WAS Ch 208 – NOW Ch 212

It’s the 60s – IT WAS 71 – NOW 75

It’s the 90s – MCR – WAS Ch 86 – NOW Ch 78

This is TV (UK) MCR – Was channel 92 – NOW channel 86

This is TV 2 MCR – WAS Ch – 76 NOW 92

Next up are some rebrands. That’s ’90s becomes That’s Dance (Channel 76) and That’s ’80s becomes That’s Dance MCR (Channel 80).

There’s also good news if you fancy some new stuff to watch, with three new channels launched as part of the change. POP Up lands on Channel 207, Extreme can be found on Channel 295 and That’s Memories has a home on Channel 71.

However, some things close for good. It has been confirmed that TV Extra (Channel 291), TCC (Channel 78) and Earthx TV (Channel 79) are no longer broadcasting content.

Freeview is advising customers to adjust their screens to keep things up to date. “On 12 June 2024, some broadcasters are making important changes to their channels,” Freeview explained. “You will need to readjust to update your TV and keep your channels and TV Guide up to date.”

Freeview has issued advice on how to set up the devices and here are the steps every user needs to follow.

Press the menu on the box or TV remote control

Select “setup”, “install”, “update” or a similar option. If you are asked for a password, the default code is “1234” or “0000”.

Select “first time installation” (sometimes called “factory reset”, “hard reset” or “default settings”).

Press “OK” if your equipment asks if it’s OK to delete existing channels and then retuning should start automatically. If prompted, save the found channels.