The free-to-air sports channel will leave Freeview on 30th June when its current broadcast slot expires.
FreeSports was affected by the closure of the seventh national Freeview multiplex, COM7, at the end of June. Its frequency is being reused for 5G.
In recent weeks, multiplex operators have opened up alternative capacity to fill the gaps left behind by the closure of RT (SD) and Craft Extra. FreeSports has not secured any alternative capacity.
The shock decision leaves Freeview without a dedicated sports channel. FreeSports viewers will need to access the channel through Sky, Virgin Media or online.
Instead, channels including That’s TV (UK) and Quest Red+1 will survive the COM7 closure as they have secured some of the alternative capacity up for grabs.
FreeSports first launched in August 2017, bringing a variety of live and recorded sports to free-to-air viewers. It is part of the Premier Sports family of channels.
Taking over channel 65 after FreeSports leaves Freeview
That’s TV (UK), a channel dedicated to showing classic TV and music videos will take FreeSport’s old channel number at midday on 30th June. As a result of the changes to COM7, That’s TV UK will become available to a wider audience.
FreeSports – despite the name – has been moving away from broadcasting on free-to-air platforms. It was already removed from Freesat. In May 2022, FreeSport’s satellite signal was temporarily encrypted, briefly blocking free-to-air receivers from accessing the channel.
Samsung smart TV owners can access FreeSports through the TV Plus app, on channel 4054.
Meanwhile, pop-up messages are now live across affected Freeview channels advising viewers of the changes.
Viewers will need to retune on both the 29th and 30th June due to all the changes taking place.
Overview of changes
| DATE OF CHANGE | CHANNEL NUMBER | CHANNEL NAME | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29/06/22 | 31 | 4Music | Closing. |
| 29/06/22 | 31 | E4 Extra | Launch. |
| 30/06/22 | 41 | Horror | Closing. |
| 30/06/22 | 41 | Legend | Launch. |
| 30/06/22 | 65 | FreeSports | Leaving Freeview. |
| 30/06/22 | 68 | CBS Drama > Reality Xtra | Renaming. Moves to local multiplex. |
| 30/06/22 | 69 | CBS Justice | Closing.* |
| 29/06/22 | 71 | Quest Red+1 | Moving multiplexes. Increased coverage |
| 30/06/22 | 77 | NOW 80s | Moving multiplexes. Manchester coverage only. |
| 29/06/22 | 83 | Together TV | Moving multiplexes. Increased coverage. |
| 30/06/22 | 86 | More4+1 | Leaving Freeview |
| 30/06/22 | 87 | PBS America+1 | Closing. Watch main channel on 84. |
| 30/06/22 | 91 to 65 | That's TV | Moving multiplexes on 29/06 - Increased coverage. Then channel number change on 30/06 |
| 30/06/22 | 92 to 91 | That's Music > Classic Hits | Moving multiplexes, changing channel number, and increased coverage. |
| 29/06/22 | 95 | Craft Extra | Will be removed. (Closed back in February) |
| 30/06/22 | 96 | Forces TV | Closing.* |
| 29/06/22 | 106 | BBC FOUR HD | Moving multiplexes. Increased coverage. |
| 30/06/22 | 107 | BBC NEWS HD | Closing. Still in SD on ch. 231 |
| 30/06/22 | 111 | QVC HD | Closing. Still in SD on ch. 16. |
| 30/06/22 | 112 | QVC Beauty HD | Closing. Still in SD on ch. 37 |
| 30/06/22 | 112 | QUEST HD | Closing. Still in SD on ch. 12. |
| 29/06/22 | 205 | CBeebies HD | Moving multiplexes. Increased coverage. |
Updated 16:27