How long do we have left before Freeview is switched off forever?

The late Sir David Frost once quipped that “television is an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn’t have in your home.”  

It is little wonder, then, that more than 100 years on from the first mechanical television, the TV set has become a permanent feature in almost 97% of UK households, taking viewers from the Highlands of suspicion in The Traitors to moments of shared national significance such as the Coronation of King Charles III. 

Yet at the very moment television remains one of the UK’s most universal and trusted media, the future of the terrestrial platform that underpins it, commonly known as Freeview, is under threat. 

In November 2024, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport launched a review into the future of TV distribution, with a decision expected later this year. Ministers are considering whether to extend Freeview until the mid-2040s or switch it off entirely in 2034, forcing millions of viewers to rely solely on the internet to watch television. 

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Most people are unaware this decision is even being considered. Nearly seven in 10 citizens do not know the government is about to decide the fate of Freeview. Some influential voices, including the BBC, have argued for switching off Freeview from 2034. The consequences of doing so would be profound. That is why the Broadcast 2040+ Campaign has been working with more than 100 parliamentarians to urge the government to protect Freeview until at least the mid-2040s. 

Why 2034 is way too soon to switch off Freeview 

The question is not whether online viewing will continue to grow. It will. The real issue is whether an entirely online future can deliver universality, affordability and reliability within the next decade. 

For many households, broadband that is fast and reliable enough to support fully online television remains either unaffordable or unavailable. Crucially, the challenge is not just coverage but take up. For some, the connection simply is not good enough. For others, the cost is prohibitive. 

Affordability pressures are intensifying. Uswitch recently reported that broadband bills are set to rise at more than three times the rate of inflation this spring, with almost a quarter of customers saying further increases would be unmanageable. This near-annual occurrence of above inflation price rises has unsurprisingly seen broadband and streaming subscriptions plateau in recent years, and Citizens Advice have found that one million people had disconnected their broadband in 2023 alone because they could not afford it, with those on universal credit six times more likely to disconnect. 

There is also a question of resilience. Terrestrial broadcasting provides a reliable source of news and information during emergencies, power outages and periods of network congestion, when online services can fail or become inaccessible. For many vulnerable viewers, Freeview remains the most dependable way to stay informed when it matters most.

Read more:

• Children’s television has moved online. Parents, be wary
• BBC cuts to local radio are a cost we cannot afford: ‘Vulnerable people rely on radio’
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Choice, fairness and social impact 

At its heart, this debate is about choice. Removing the ability to watch TV in a way that works for people’s own circumstances, whether due to income, geography, disability or reliability would deepen existing inequalities. 

Freeview, on the other hand, is currently relied upon exclusively by around 4.3 million households, many of whom are older or living with disabilities. Forcing these viewers online would add an estimated £218 a year to household costs. For people already struggling, this is simply not realistic. Indeed, 16% of pensioners already live in relative poverty, and one in five older people on a low income would struggle to cover an unexpected £50 bill. 

Polling by the Broadcast 2040+ Campaign shows that Freeview is seen as one of the most important services for ensuring fairness in society, ranking just behind the NHS and the state pension. Some 90% of people believe it is vital in ensuring access to information and entertainment for those who cannot afford subscription services, while 75% also say Freeview plays an important role in reducing loneliness and isolation, particularly among older viewers. 

The cost of getting this wrong 

Concerns about prominence, advertising revenue and competition from global streaming platforms continue to drive calls for a premature switch off, despite analysts expecting millions of households to still prefer Freeview well into the 2040s. 

Extending Freeview would also come at no additional cost to taxpayers. By contrast, no one has meaningfully attempted to cost an all-online switchover – certainly not those actively campaigning for it – despite growing evidence that such a transition would require billions of pounds in network upgrades, ongoing subsidies, and targeted support for those households unable to access or afford
reliable broadband. 

What is equally unclear is who would ultimately pay. It is inevitable that a significant proportion would land on the public purse, yet when asked how much the government should prioritise spending taxpayer money on suggested transition to all-online TV, 32% said it was not a priority at all, with a further 26% saying it was a low priority. 

A platform worth protecting 

In an increasingly uncertain world, Freeview remains uniquely positioned to provide trusted, regulated and universally available content to almost the entire UK population. As David Mundell MP said in a parliamentary debate on this issue, “the guarantee of universalism in British broadcasting is a priceless asset”. 

With trust in online media lagging far behind broadcast TV, Freeview continues to bring the country together and underpin public service broadcasting in a way no online-only model can yet replicate. An entirely online future cannot deliver a universal guarantee by 2034. 

Extending Freeview into the mid-2040s is the only credible way to protect choice, reduce inequality and ensure everyone can stay connected in a changing world.

Graham Fisher is a member of Broadcast 2040+ Campaign, a coalition dedicated to protecting the future of the UK’s broadcast services, including free-to-air and DAB/AM/FM radio.

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