A POPULAR news station is set to vanish from regular broadcasting for millions of TV viewers tomorrow.
Al Jazeera, a 24-hour English new channel, is transitioning into a streaming-only service 14 years after is first appeared on Freeview.
Al Jazeera is an international news outlet based in Qatar[/caption]
Freely is the country’s fresh way to watch TV without an aerial, from the makers of Freeview and Freesat[/caption]
But it’s not just Freeview customers affected.
Freely and EE TV viewers will also be waving goodbye to the channel’s regular slot tomorrow.
Al Jazeera will give up its Freeview channel 235, Freely hybrid TV viewers on channel 306, and EE TV customers on channel 235.
Despite a transition to Wi-Fi streaming, Al Jazeera is not available on EE TV boxes switched to Internet mode.
The shake-up is a result of an expiring Digital Terrestrial carriage deal between Al Jazeera’s English channel and Freeview multiplex operator Arqiva.
That’s why the channel removal is scheduled to take place outside of Freeview’s monthly channel update, which usually occurs on the third day of each month.
Even though the channel is ending regular broadcasts, there are still two ways you can tune in.
Al Jazeera will live on as a streaming channel on smart TVs that support Freeview Play (Freeview’s on-demand service), or the newly launched platform Freely.
Which channels?
On Freeview Play, Al Jazeera’s English channel will remain on channel 251, where it has been since August.
Al Jazeera Arabic is available on channel 252.
On Freely, Al Jazeera English is free to stream on channel 557, and its Arabic version on 558.
Freely users must note that, while Al Jazeera will be streamed over Wi-Fi, they will still need to be hooked up to a TV aerial.
The TV aerial is used to supplement your connection if you experience a broadband outage.
While Freely users with a satellite capable smart TV can continue watching via satellite.
What is Freely?
Freely is the country’s newest way to watch TV without an aerial, from the makers of Freeview and Freesat.
It is a platform that comes built into select smart TVs after launching in April this year.
Freely is operated by the main broadcasters, BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 via an umbrella company known as Everyone TV.
This means it has full access to the content that comes out of the UK’s Big Four broadcasters – that’s around 70,000 hours worth of content, according to Freely.
The platform hosts big-hits like The Traitors, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, Happy Valley, Doctor Who, Married at First Sight and Strictly Come Dancing.
Through Freely, viewers can watch live TV channels, as well as access streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV and now U (formerly UKTV).
