Between all the different TV providers and streaming services out there, it’s no surprise that many of us are deciding to stick with Freeview, which is very similar to Freesat, to try and save some cash. But even with Freeview, you can encounter problems sometimes.
One issue that has seemed to occur for quite a few people across the UK this year is that the Freeview channels just disappear from their televisions overnight. It’s a bit of a strange one, but a surprisingly high amount of people have reported the problem.
But what can you do if this occurs on your Freeview box, and what’s the cause of the problem in the first place? We’re going to check out more about this weird scenario.
Freeview channels disappeared overnight
Losing your Freeview channels was a problem that happened to quite a few people around the country during 2020. This problem should now be resolved, so it’s unlikely that you’ll be suffering from this issue in the present.
If you do end up having this occur, then the first thing you’ll want to do is retune your Freeview box. Then, look to the end of this guide to find out what else might be causing problems with your Freeview box.
How to Retune Freeview
Now, if all or some of your channels have disappeared from your Freeview box overnight, then there’s usually an easy way for you to fix this. All you need to do is go ahead and retune your Freeview box, which should resolve the problem. It only takes a few minutes for you to get all of your Freeview channels back.
The good thing is that many boxes out there will actually automatically retune when necessary, or if you need to, then you’ll get a prompt on the home screen. If that happens, then all you need to do is go ahead and follow the instructions that are up on your television.
However if this doesn’t happen, then you can manually retune your Freeview box yourself. You can do this by;
- Look for an option on your Freeview menu that says Installation or Update – it will differ depending on the box you’re using.
- You’ll likely be asked for a password at this point. It’s usually 0000 or 1234.
- Then, you’ll need to find the Retune option, which may also be called Installation depending on your box.
- Finally, you’ll need to proceed with the retune and Save your new channels.
If you’ve lost the majority of your channels on your Freeview box, then a simple retune like this should be able to restore all of them for you.
Why have all my channels gone?
Although this explains what you can do in the circumstance your channels be deleted, it doesn’t exactly explain why this has happened. This leaves many people wondering how they can watch their box one night, go to sleep and the next night find everything to be deleted.
The answer is that this has been a pretty common issue throughout 2020 as Freeview are running updates to their services throughout this time. This problem is not going to continue further than this at the present, so hopefully this problem doesn’t continue.
Essentially, this is all part of the development of our broadband services, which means that Freeview is changing some of the frequencies that their channels are using. This can result in the channels disappearing.
My Free Channels Still Aren’t Back
Now, this was a pretty common problem and like you can see, there’s a pretty common resolution. However, if your Freeview channels still aren’t back after retuning your box, then it could be that you’re actually dealing with a different problem altogether.
Here’s a few common causes of channels disappearing from your Freeview channel setup;
Conclusion
Although it’s a pretty common issue for people to face with your Freeview box, for the most part it should all be resolved and updated now. This means that if your Freeview channels disappear overnight through 2021 and beyond, then it’s more likely to be an issue with your signal, or maybe even a change to the channel listings.
