Freeview Channel Updates October 2024
| Reuben Howe
The spooky season Freeview update is here!
This month's update brings channel launches, moves, closures and rebrands just in time for Christmas. Yes, Christmas, not Halloween. Apparently we skip over that now and Christmas starts in September.
What a time to be alive!
Freeview New Channels October 2024
First off, some exciting additions to the EPG! As these are brand-new channels you will have to retune to spot them in your channel guide.
U&Eden
U&Eden has launched on Freeview Channel 57. The "U&" channels are themselves part of a rebrand of the old "UKTV" network including services like Dave (Now U&Dave).
So, if you see a "U&" in front of a channel name it just means it's part of the UKTV network.
U&Eden provides exactly the sort of content you'd expect with such a name: Nature documentaries, geography deep-dives and explorations of remote or abandoned locations.
Plus, David Attenborough!
CNA
CNA has launched on Freeview Channel 276. An abbreviation for Channel NewsAsia, CNA provides an international news platform shown in Europe, the UK, US and Asia.
Despite it's international nature, the channel is dedicated to English language broadcasting in the UK so you won't need to rely on subtitles and there's minimal dubbing.
It's easy to become polarised when you only get your news from one place, so having more international news channels is usually a good thing.
New Media TV
New Media TV has launched on Freeview Channel 269. I kid you not, New Media TV is a religious channel focussed on "the redemptive work of Christ".
It's not that I disagree with all religious broadcasting, that community and passion has a place on the EPG as well as any secular show does.
But, it does strike me as odd that for the past 3 updates we have had multiple religious channels being added to the EPG. Maybe Christmas time and the end of the year are popular as they can broadcast winter services and hymns?
GIGS
GIGS has launched on Freeview Channel 284. GIGS is a truly brilliant idea, a channel showcasing footage from stage shows and, you guessed it, gigs from across the world.
These are live performance recordings, broadcast for free thanks to GIGS having a licence with Mercury. This allows you to live vicariously through your TV and watch Live gigs and documentaries!
Freeview Channels Moving October 2024
As is to be expected with 4 brand new channels, we have some shifts to the EPG lineup as well.
U&DaveJaVu
Perhaps one of the more convoluted names on the EPG, U&DaveJaVu has moved from its old spot at 57 and is now on Freeview Channel 74.
As we discussed earlier, the "U&" rebrand has been added to the Dave channel as it's part of the old UKTV network. The "Ja Vu" is a pun on the phrase for feeling as if you're repeating yourself or have been somewhere before: "Deja Vu".
The portmanteau of Dave and Deja Vu has long made DaveJaVu a beloved timeshifted channel, albeit now a little clunkier to look at with the "U&" on the front.
Freeview Channel Closures October 2024
It's time to toll the bells for these 3 channels, which will no longer be available on your EPG:
Al Jazeera ENG
Alas, with my talk of international news and religious channels being heavily featured the past few months, we are losing one. In this case, international news.
Al Jazeera ENG sat at Freeview Channel 235 and is now unavailable over aerial. The internet version is still available for those of you with one of those fancy new Freely TVs.
Amazing Discoveries
Continuing the trend of me eating my words, Amazing Discoveries is a religious channel which has now ceased broadcast to allow New Media TV to take over the spot. So, maybe we don't have as much of an oversaturation of religious channels as I previously thought.
Amazing Discoveries has been removed from Freeview Channel 269.
U&Yesterday+1
The catchup channel for Yesterday (now U&Yesterday) has apparently been judged surplus to requirements. In among the rebrand from UKTV to "U&", they must have decided it was worth axing the time-shifted version of U&Yesterday altogether.
U&Yesterday+1 is now only available yesterday, on Freeview Channel 74.
Freeview Channel Rebrands October 2024
It wouldn't be Q4 without rebrands to Christmas channels!
That's TV 3
Our old friend "That's TV" is gearing up for the Christmas season with That's TV 3 now being rebranded to That's Christmas.
No points for guessing what they show.
That's TV 3 MCR
In a similar fashion, the MCR variant of the channel, That's TV MCR, is becoming That's Christmas MCR.
Still no points for guessing what they show.
Remember to Retune!
Do remember to rescan for channels following an update as large as this. With new channels and channels moving, the whole EPG can sometimes glitch if you aren't up-to-date on it.
Until the next time, have a fantastic Autumn!
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