Freeview users have been put on red alert this weekend (Image: FREEVIEW • GETTY)
There’s more bad news for TV users with the UK weather, once again, causing issues for this hugely popular service. Just last month, the atmospheric conditions meant and not the usual pin-sharp HD image.
Now there’s a new band of high pressure stuck over the skies of Britain and that means the gremlins are back. This issue has been affecting screens since Wednesday and will continue until Monday January 20.
“Freeview viewers across the UK could see some disruption to their TV reception from Wednesday the 15th to Sunday 19th January 2025,” Freeview explained.
“This is due to high pressure which could disrupt the TV signals which Freeview uses.”
WHY DOES HIGH PRESSURE HURT YOUR TV?
TV and radio signals really hate high pressure.
As the BBC explains: “High pressure can cause two potential problems. The first is that you receive a weaker signal, as the signal from your local transmitter is lifted higher into the sky. The second is that the signal from a distant transmitter interferes with your reception.”
The has also issued a warning due to the current conditions affecting its radio services as well as TV.
“We are aware of some high pressure currently affecting parts of the UK, this is likely to continue until the weekend,” the said in an update.
“Viewers and listeners across England and Scotland may experience periods of interference affecting reception of television and radio services which will continue into the weekend. This will affect most parts of the UK”
If you think you are affected, the television corporation is urging you to check your postcode via the . This will show if there are issues in your area.
Although it’s highly annoying, Freeview now says one thing you must not do is retune your TV, as this will simply waste your time and have no effect.
“You are advised not to retune your TV during this time – reception will be restored once the high pressure passes,” the TV supplier said.
If you are having issues, you can try watching via Freeview Play, which isn’t affected by the weather as it uses broadband to beam content to the screen instead.
Freeview Play is built into some TVs and can also be viewed via the web.