If your TV signal isn’t up to scratch at the moment there could be a simple reason why. Freeview has just issued an alert to customers which explains that high pressure hovering above the country is wreaking havoc with TV signals. This means some users may find their fix of entertainment is disrupted by the sunshine we are all enjoying right now.
“Freeview viewers across parts of the country could see some disruption to their TV reception between Monday 4th to Friday 8th September. This is due to high pressure which could disrupt the TV signals which Freeview uses,” the broadcaster said in a post on its update pages.
Although trying to watch telly through a fuzzy screen will be highly annoying, Freeview is urging users not to start trying to retune their screens as this will simply waste time and not make the picture more viewable.
“You are advised not to retune your TV during this time – reception will be restored once the high pressure passes,” Freeview added.
So what are you meant to do if you’re suffering from this disruption?
Instead of trying to watch telly via your aerial, you can switch to your broadband instead.
The Freeview Play streaming platform offers live and on-demand content which is beamed to the screen via the web – that means it is unaffected by the weather.
Most modern smart TVs have access to this service along with smartphones, tablets and consoles. It’s totally free to use and could help bring back a pin-sharp image to your telly.
Explaining more, Freeview said: “If you have an internet-connected Freeview Play TV, or one that has the players available to view, you will still be able to watch live and on-demand content from the likes of BBC iPlayer, ITVX, All4 or My5. Alternatively, you can watch Freeview via our mobile app which is available to download for free from your app store or on a web browser via our online TV Guide.”
News of this disruption comes as Freeview users have also just lost access to a popular ITV channel.
It’s been confirmed that the CITV children’s service is no longer being broadcast over the airwaves. CITV first launched all the way back in 1983 but after 40 years on screens, it seems its time as part of terrestrial telly has come to an end.
“From 2nd September 2023 the CITV channel will no longer be broadcasting on Freeview,” the service confirmed in a blog post. Along with Freeview, CITV will also now be absent from platforms including Sky Q and Virgin Media.
