If you want to watch fondly-remembered sitcoms such as the Brittas Empire or classic American cop drama ChiPs you’d better be quick as the Freeview channel hosting them is switching off at the end of this month.
Forces TV, which features a huge range of shows from the 70s, 80s and 90s along with dedicated content for the military, is calling it a day on June 30.
In a message on Twitter, the team behind the channel said: "@Forces_TV bids you farewell on 30 June. We’ve loved bringing you all your favourite classics."
The closure is all down to one of the signals used for Freeview transmission – ‘COM 7 mulitiplex’ – being switched off to make room for 5G technology.
The rights to use this service were won by British mobile network operator EE, with 5G heralded as the future of mobile devices, offering much faster download speeds and a more reliable signal.
This is, of course, great news for mobile users but less so for digital television broadcasters such as Freeview.
Want to get the latest TV news direct to your inbox? Sign up for our daily newsletter HERE
Diminished broadcast capacity means a number of channels carried on COM7 – used by several TV stations to beam content into millions of homes - will have to either close or be reallocated to other multiplexes.
Making way for 5G means Freeview users will no longer be able to watch the BBC live news channel in pin-sharp HD.
The BBC said: "As a consequence of the closure of COM7, BBC News on Freeview will be available only in SD (standard definition) from the end of June 2022. However, you can still watch it in HD on BBC iPlayer."
Other channels using COM7 include FreeSports, Now 70s, PBS, QVC Beauty HD, More4 +1 and Quest HD.
So far, nothing has been said about what will happen to these channels from June 30, though an announcement is expected soon.
A Freeview spokesperson told The Express: “The COM7 mulitplex’s Ofcom licence will expire at the end of June, following an Ofcom auction to make more space for 5G mobile services. We are currently liaising with the channels that are on this multiplex to confirm next steps. A further service update will be provided to viewers in due course.”
Due to wider changes happening to Freeview, Forces TV will also cease broadcasting on Virgin Media and Sky.
