The Labour government is planning to phase out Freeview television, potentially forcing millions of households to purchase broadband subscriptions to continue watching BBC channels and other free-to-air content. The move could cost some homes an additional £200 per year in broadband charges.
End of Digital Terrestrial Television
The government is expected to publish a consultation paper within weeks outlining a path toward the end of digital terrestrial television (DTT) after 2034. This would remove more than 70 standard channels and up to 15 HD channels from free-to-air access, including BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5.
Impact on Households
Freeview, which operates through aerials, reaches 13.6 million homes across the UK and is the main television platform for 40 percent of households with a set. Scrapping the TV aerial would mean relying on online streaming, which could increase costs for many families.
Dennis Reed from Silver Voices warned: "The companies funding The Connection Project all have a commercial interest in moving services online. We should not let the future of free-to-air television be shaped by those who stand to gain from its disappearance. Older viewers deserve better."
The Connection Project stated: "The TV switchover is an opportunity to ensure that everyone can get more free programming through internet-streamed TV, with subsidised broadband costs where needed."
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, led by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, said it is "committed to ensuring that no-one is left behind as TV viewing increasingly moves to online platforms." A DCMS spokesman added: "The Government is currently working across the TV sector on a long-term sustainable approach to TV distribution in the UK."
