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Struggling to watch television via Freeview? You're not alone.
Freeview could face disruption across the UK until Wednesday, October 15, because of the weather.
Yes, if you're on tenterhooks to find out what happens in the next episode of the first-ever season of Celebrity Traitors, you might have to spend an extra 24-hours avoiding spoilers before you're able to watch. A stubborn high-pressure system has parked itself over the UK.
As luck would have it, it's exactly the type of weather that doesn't play well with television signals. As such, millions of people across the country could find their reception on the blink over the next few days. The team behind Freeview are so concerned about widespread disruption, they've issued an alert on their website.
Freeview offers a mobile app for iPhone and Android, where it's possible to watch some live terrestrial broadcasts via Wi-Fi
|EVERYONE TV PRESS OFFICE
"High pressure could affect reception across the UK this week," the blog post, filed under the Alerts section, warns. "Freeview viewers across the UK could see some disruption to their TV reception from Friday the 10th to Wed the 15th of October 2025.
"This is due to high pressure which could disrupt the TV signals which Freeview uses."
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Why does this happen? It's actually quite simple – high pressure interrupts the way that television signals travel in the air. The pressure pushes the signal beamed out by your local transmitter higher into the atmosphere, making it weaker by the time it reaches your aerial.
Even worse, you might start picking up interference from other transmitters that are miles away. These distant signals can clash with your usual ones, leaving you with a fuzzy picture or no signal at all. It's incredibly annoying, but there's nothing wrong with your equipment.
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Here's the crucial bit — whatever you do, don't start fiddling with your TV settings. You might be tempted to retune your channels, but Freeview's advice is crystal clear: leave it alone.
"You are advised not to retune your TV during this time — reception will be restored once the high pressure passes," the free-to-air television specialists caution in the same blog post.
This is critical advice because retuning your telly or set-top box won't change anything because the problem isn't actually with your equipment.
Once this latest high-pressure system moves on by the time Thursday rolls around, your normal reception will come back all by itself. Save yourself the hassle and just wait it out.
If there's something on television that you want to watch during this disrupted period, don't panic. You've got plenty of other ways to watch your shows.
If you own a Smart TV that's certified with Freeview Play and an active internet connection, you can stream live and on-demand content instead. Just press channel 100 to access catch-up services like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and 5 to watch live channels and explore a catalogue of previously-aired shows.
You can also download the free Freeview mobile app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, or watch directly through your web browser on the Freeview website. You'll need at least 2Mbps broadband speed, and remember it'll use your data allowance.
Freely is the successor to Freeview, offering access to an unrivalled selection of free-to-air channels and on-demand catalogues over a Wi-Fi connection — with no aerial needed | EVERYONE TV PRESS OFFICE If you missed the memo, Everyone TV — the organisation behind Freeview and Freesat — launched an all-new platform to enjoy free-to-air television in the UK. Known as Freely, this isn't a software update for your existing Freeview TV, but an entirely new way to watch live television without an aerial.
Using only a Wi-Fi connection, Freely TVs can be positioned anywhere in your home. Not only that, but weather like this high-pressure system can't touch it. As long as you've got a decent broadband connection, you'll get crystal-clear pictures no matter what's happening in the sky above.
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Despite the need to buy a new television, current forecasts suggest Freely will overtake Freeview in the UK by the end of this decade. The platform is attracting more broadcasters all the time, including the arrival of GB News following a free update at the beginning of the year.
Since it's an entirely new system, Freely arrives with many of the modern features that you'd expect from the likes of Sky Glass, letting you restart a show that's already airing with the touch of a button.
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