It’s been a bad week for many Freeview users as the popular service was taken off the air after the Bilsdale broadcaster – which broadcasts television over the northeast – caught fire. This had left around 500,000 households without a signal and meant no access to many popular channels such as the BBC and ITV.
Freeview has confirmed that services are slowly being restored, but due to the significant damage from the fire, the issues are taking some time to be resolved and some users may be left without a signal until the end of August.
“The station operating company is now planning to set up a temporary station in Bilsdale. This plan was intended to restore television coverage to the vast majority of viewers receiving signals directly from Bilsdale. Due to the work required to deploy this solution, we expect the work to be completed “by August 28,” Freeview confirmed in the latest update.
With thousands of households struggling to watch their favorite shows, scammers are now trying to earn unsuspecting Freeview users.
According to a council, consumers are being targeted by people who claim to be from a company that was sent out to fix the TV bug. The scammers suspect the only way to restore the signal is to put a new antenna on the roof for £ 245.
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Unfortunately, the current issues have nothing to do with equipment installed in or on homes, and adding an upgraded antenna doesn’t bring the channels back to the TVs.
In a statement, Darlington Borough Council said, “Please note that Darlington Borough Council has not directed anyone to visit our properties and offer to install new Ariels. Always ask for ID, be wary of scams and call us directly for advice. You can contact us on 01325 405333 or email Housing@darlington.gov.uk. “
How do you get your signal back?
According to Freeview, engineers are working to restore services as quickly and safely as possible.
Some viewers in Hartlepool, Redcar, and on the eastern edge of Middlesbrough may see some channels returning, with the company advising that some customers may need to readjust their set-top box or TV to get things working again bring.
Freeview now also says that some viewers served by Whitby, Limber Hill and Guisborough Relays may find some channels returning.
Unfortunately, Freeview advises affected viewers outside of these areas not to retune devices at the moment, as further updates are expected in the coming days.
Fortunately, there is still a way to receive Freeview on your television without a signal on your antenna.
Anyone who wants to catch up on some television needs their broadband instead of the antenna on the roof. Freeview advises its customers to watch online services until things work again.
“You can watch Freeview on some internet-connected Freeview Play TVs or one where the players are available. You can still watch live and on-demand content like BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub or All 4.” DVB-T recommended.
“Alternatively, you can watch Freeview via our mobile app, which can be downloaded free of charge from your app store or in a web browser via our online TV guide.”
