VIEWERS were left flabbergasted and frustrated after two popular Freeview channels suddenly went off air without warning.
Both broadcast a variety of classic UK programming, leaving a void in viewers’ living rooms.
Fans tuning in to watch their favourite nostalgic Brit shows this week noticed two channels had vanished from the Freeview guide – with no explanation provided.
The unexpected shutdown, which reportedly started on Monday, December 8, led to widespread speculation, with the channels still unavailable days later.
That’s TV (UK) and That’s TV 2, which usually broadcast on Freeview channels 56 and 65, were still showing as unavailable on Wednesday night.
They are known for airing a mix of vintage British comedy, drama and iconic music videos.
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Their scheduled lineup features favourites like Benidorm, Shameless, Steptoe and Son, Rising Damp and Yes, Prime Minister.
Viewers reported both services were replaced by an on-screen message reading “This service is currently not available”.
Despite the Freeview blackout, both channels are still broadcasting normally on other TV platforms such as Freesat and online streaming.
As of December 11, no official reason has been given for the disappearance and That’s TV has not issued any statement addressing the outage.
Adding to the silence, That’s TV’s own social accounts have not posted any updates or responses to the growing number of complaints.
Other channels operated by the same company remain unaffected.
Sister services such as That’s TV3 and That’s Christmas continue broadcasting as normal on Freeview.
Local That’s TV services, airing in 22 locations across the UK including Cambridge, Belfast, Edinburgh, Manchester, Reading, Sheffield, Swansea and York, are also working on Freeview channels 7 or 8.
These local services generally show That’s TV (UK) outside of local news times, meaning some Freeview users can still watch the usual schedule for channel 56.
The outage has also affected viewers using Freely’s hybrid television mode, which relies on both an aerial and a broadband connection.
On Freely-enabled TVs, the missing channels would usually be on channels 42 and 45, but are currently unavailable in hybrid mode.
Without a statement or explanation from That’s TV, one possible reason behind the mystery could be how commercial channels are distributed on Freeview.
Broadcasting on the platform requires a carriage agreement with one of several multiplex operators, who control the available capacity for TV services.
Because capacity is limited, a broadcasters regularly negotiate separate deals with multiple operators to secure slots for different channels.
That’s TV (UK) and That’s TV 2 are carried by the same multiplex operator, while unaffected services such as That’s TV3, That’s Christmas and That’s TV’s local channels use different ones.
This could possibly point to a contractual, technical or legal issue between That’s TV and its multiplex operator.
Multiplex owners do not typically comment on these matters, and Freeview is not directly involved in such contracts.
So for now, all viewers can do is wait for That’s TV to explain what caused the sudden disappearance – and when their favourite channels will be back on air.
