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BBC One West Midlands SD to close 07/02/23

BBC One West Midlands SD to close 07/02/23
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BBC One HD regional rollout dates for Sky and Freesat confirmed

The BBC is rapidly moving towards HD and has revealed the complete schedule for the transition of all regions to HD on Sky and Freesat. The process will be finished in late February, ahead of the original end of March deadline. The changes will result in the launch of HD regional BBC One on Sky and Freesat channel 101, while the SD version will be replaced by single UK wide channels until 2024. In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the SD versions of local BBC channels will be closed on Sky satellite and Freesat, as the BBC already offers local HD versions on all platforms.

How does this affect me?

The BBC is switching off its SD channels on satellite and is replacing them with HD versions of those channels.

If you have a Sky SD-only device (usually a standalone set-top box) then you will be impacted. Firstly, if you pay a monthly amount to Sky for your TV, then you can contact Sky directly by going to www.sky.com/help/articles/bbcupgrade and they’ll assist you in the upgrade.

If you’re not sure if your Sky box is an SD-only box then the easiest way to check is to go to channel number 105. If you see “Channel 5 HD”, then you’re good to go and there’s nothing else you need to do. However, if you see “Channel 5” without HD at the end then you’ll be impacted and need to upgrade.

  • As above, if you pay a monthly amount to Sky for your TV, then you can contact Sky directly by going to www.sky.com/help/articles/bbcupgrade or calling them on 0333 759 5121 and they’ll assist you in the upgrade.
  • However, if you only use your Sky box to watch free-to-air channels (and you don’t pay anything to Sky for your television services), then one of our Freesat replacement boxes will get you back on track.
     

If you have a Freesat SD-only device (usually a standalone set-top box) then you will be impacted.

The quickest way to check on your Freesat device as to whether you’re going to be impacted or not is to go to channel 799 on your satellite set-top box. It will show you one of two screens either stating your device is or isn’t compatible.