TV fans will continue to have free access to channels like ITV2, Dave and E4 as the Freeview licenses have been extended for another decade.
Public and commercial broadcasters can continue to provide free-to-air content to audiences across the UK after ministers decide that the Freeview platform will be supported until at least 2034.
This means that viewers’ free access to digital television channels will be protected into the next decade.
ITV2 is home to the ratings hit Love Island, while “Married At First Sight” airs on E4. Dave is home to Big Zuu’s Big Eats and Unforgiveable, as well as reruns of Top Gear and Taskmaster.
The government has given Ofcom the power to renew the five national multiplex licenses for the digital terrestrial television platform (DTT), better known as Freeview.
TV multiplexes are digital networks that make it possible to compress many TV channels and transmit them simultaneously over a single radio frequency.
Media Secretary John Whittingdale said:
“Today we guarantee the future of Freeview TV and a diverse range of popular news, entertainment and documentation channels well into the 2030s.
“Securing the future of Freeview means people can continue to enjoy its great content while protecting an important medium for our public broadcasters to serve their audiences for years to come.”
The government has also announced that it will enact a legislature to remove ownership of one of the multiplexes, Multiplex 2 – which is currently jointly owned by Channel 4 and ITV and broadcasts channels like ITV 2, Film 4, E4 and More4 to make it conditional that it is intended for public service broadcasting.
The move is intended to ensure that public service broadcasters (PSBs) such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 always have a place on the Freeview platform. The move comes as the government deliberates plans to privatize Channel 4. The channel, which was founded in 1982 to serve an underserved audience, is government owned and funded through advertising. Potential investors are likely to be large American companies.
Also included in the renovation are multiplexes C and D, which include Sky News, Al Jazeera and the new channel GB News.