Millions of Freeview watchers issued four day warning with TV signal problems ruining favourite shows

The Irish Sun

16-05-2025

FREEVIEW watchers have been warned their favourite shows could be disrupted today and the next three days.
The caution is separate from
2
Viewers shouldn't be tempted to re-scan their TVs
Credit: Alamy
2
BBC also issued a warning to watchers
Credit: Getty
BBC has also issued a warning that the same issue could hit its channels.
TV signals can bend during high pressure weather conditions, causing signal interference.
That means
Read more about Freeview
"Some viewers and listeners across parts of the UK might experience short term interference to television and radio services," the BBC said.
"If your television picture starts to break up without warning this could be the cause of the problem."
If you are hit by TV signal problems you shouldn't be tempted to re-tune your box.
While you might think this will resolve things it can actually make matters worse.
Most read in Tech
Re-scanning resets the existing signal you have and can make it hard to pick it up again during high pressure, meaning you'll have to wait for it to clear before you can get signal again.
"You are advised not to retune your TV during this time - reception will be restored once the high pressure passes," Freeview says.
Freeview offers an impressive 60,000+ hours of TV and over 1,500 boxsets
Instead, if you have an internet-connected box it's recommended to watch tv on-demand instead.
Remember, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5 have live streams of their channels on their apps too so that is a handy workaround until service resumes.
Those missing out on the radio can also try the BBC Sounds app, which can be downloaded on
iPhones
,
Android
phones and TVs.
SWAP YOUR STREAMS TO SAVE!
Here's some bill-slashing advice from The Sun's tech editor
If you're like me, you'll be paying out more than you'd like on subscriptions each month.
It's easy to lose track of where all the money goes, and the fear of missing out makes it hard to bin Netflix.
But if you're paying for several streaming services, you're making a big mistake.
Instead, try something called stream swapping.
Cancel all of your TV subscriptions except for Netflix, then burn through all of the telly you want to watch on the app.
Then cancel that and sign up for another service, like Disney+.
Watch all of the good stuff there and then move on, perhaps to Amazon Video.
Do this with three or four apps and then cycle back to Netflix at the start.
This way, you get to watch all of the top content on each app but you're not paying for them all at the same time.
And you might even get to take advantage of some attractive sign-up offers too.
It could save you hundreds each year if you stick to it.