What is Freeview?
Freeview is the UK’s digital terrestrial TV service. Since the digital switchover in 2012, it’s been the main way to watch television and is now used by 18 million households. Freeview lets you watch and listen to the nation’s most popular TV and radio channels, including BBC One, ITV, Channel 4 and Radio 2.
As the name suggests, Freeview is free, but you’ll need an aerial and a TV licence to get it – not to mention a screen to watch it on of course.
As there’s no monthly fee or contract to sign, you won’t be tied to a subscription package to watch Freeview TV. But it doesn’t have as much choice as pay TV services from the likes of Sky, Virgin Media and BT.
How does Freeview work?
TVs made and bought after 2010 already have Freeview built into them, so there’s no need to buy a set-top box. To watch live TV, all you need to do is connect to an aerial that’s in good working order.
If you want a few more features, like the option to pause, rewind and record live TV, you can pay to upgrade to a Freeview HD or Freeview Play recorder. With Freeview Play, you can also connect to the internet to access catch-up and on-demand content from various services, including BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub and All 4. For this, you’ll need an internet connection of at least 2Mpbs (megabits per second).
If you want to watch your favourite shows on the go, you can download the Freeview app to your smartphone or tablet device. This way, you’ll never have to miss an episode of Pointless or Hollyoaks if you’re travelling home from work on the train.
What channels does Freeview have?
You can get 70 TV channels, and 30 radio stations with Freeview television, plus interactive features via the Red Button. And if you have a Freeview HD television or recorder, you can get 15 HD channels too.
The exact number of channels you get though will depend on your signal and where in the country you live.
The list of Freeview channels available includes: Entertainment and lifestyle
BBC One
BBC Two
ITV
Channel 4
Channel 5
ITV2
BBC Four
ITV3
Sky Arts
Quest
E4
Film4
Channel 4+1
Really
More 4
Dave
Drama
5USA
Dave Ja Vu
ITV4
Yesterday
ITVBe
ITV2+1
E4+1
4Music
5Star
Paramount Network
Sony Movies
ITV+1
Pick
DMAX
Quest Red
CBS Justice
Sony Movies Action
Food Network
HGTV
Channel 5+1
Film4+1
Challenge
4seven
Sony Channel
Sony Movies Classic
5Select
Smithsonian Channel
ITVBe+1
ITV3+1
ITV4+1
Sony Movies+1
Blaze
TBN UK
CBS Reality
CBS Drama
Horror Channel
Quest+1
Quest Red+1
Drama+1
Yesterday+1
Now 80s
TCC
Blaze+1
TalkingPictures TV
Together TV
Together TV+1
PBS America
More4+1
PBS America +1
Court TV
Forces TV
Freeview
News and sport
BBC News
BBC Parliament
Sky News
RT
Al Jazeera
FreeSports
Children
CBBC
CBeebies
CITV
Pop
Tiny Pop
Ketchup TV
Yaaas!
Shopping
QVC
Ideal World
QVC Beauty
QVC Style
TJC
Gems TV
Jewellery Maker
Shopping Quarter
Hochanda
Ideal Extra
Create and Craft
Regional
S4C
BBC Alba
Local TV
That’s TV
TG4
RTE One
RTE Two
Radio
Radio 1
Radio 1Xtra
Radio 2
Radio 3
Radio 4
Radio 5 Live
Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
Radio 6 Music
Radio 4 Extra
BBC Asian Network
BBC World Service
Hits Radio
Kiss
Magic
Greatest Hits Radio
Kerrang!
Smooth Radio
BBC Local Radio
TalkSport
Capital FM
Premier Christian Radio
Absolute Radio
Heart
Classic FM
LBC
Broadband and TV packages with Freeview
Several broadband providers offer Freeview as part of their combined broadband and TV packages. You can either get a basic package, made up of the Freeview channels alone, or choose an even more comprehensive plan with premium sport, movie and entertainment channels added to your bundle.
For example, you can’t get the likes of Sky One, Sky Atlantic, Comedy Central, Gold, Fox or BT Sport on Freeview, so if you’re a big satellite and cable TV watcher, it might save you money to combine a more advanced TV package with your broadband, rather than paying for them separately.
If your viewing habits are based largely around streaming services like Netflix, NOW TV, Disney+ and Amazon Prime, you could opt for a combination of streaming subscriptions and Freeview TV channels. That will still give you access to some live TV and terrestrial channels, but won’t swamp you with hundreds of satellite channels you might never watch.
We can compare TV and broadband packages to help you find a great-value deal. Simply enter your postcode, and we’ll show you options from providers both big and small, allowing you to choose a bundle that works for your TV viewing habits.
With more than 10 years’ experience working with a wide range of digital brands, Matthew knows how to deliver great outcomes for customers. With the UK racing towards gigabit broadband speeds and our phones more powerful and integral to our modern lives, Matthew wants to make sure you have a great package that can keep up.
Our content is written by a Compare the Market expert, backed by data and enhanced by AI. Find out how we ensure accuracy and quality in our Editorial Guidelines.
