? WORKAROUND
CNN dropped its carriage agreement with Freesat at the beginning of the month. But there up to two workarounds to allow viewers to keep watching the US news channel.
On 1st September, CNN made a step towards pay TV. But after initially broadcasting an inactive encryption flag, the channel’s satellite signal remains free-to-air. This means all satellite viewers can currently still manually tune in the channel.
Additionally, there is still a free-to-view online stream of CNN International which some smart TVs with Freesat can continue to access.
Manually tuning CNN International
PROS
✔ Works on all Freesat boxes
✔ Is easiest to access on Manhattan branded Freesat receivers
✔ Enables you to access CNN even though it’s no longer on Freesat channel list
CONS
❌ Fiddly to access – no three digit channel number, no full channel guide.
❌ Smart TVs with built-in Freesat make it awkward to switch to non-Freesat made. If you have a Samsung Smart TV, try the next option.
❌ The option is hidden behind several menus.
You’ll need to consult your receiver’s instruction manual to see how to switch to non-Freesat mode or check out our non-Freesat mode guide for the most common Freesat boxes. Accessing this mode means you’ll need to manually input CNN’s satellite frequency and parameters. You can find the parameters below:
CNN International HD parameters for Astra 28.2E
- Frequency: 11671
- Polarisation: H – Horizontal
- Symbol Rate: 23000
- FEC: 2/3
- Mode: DVB-S2 8PSK
- Service ID: 50290
CNN free stream on Samsung TV Plus and LG Channels
PROS
✔ Just for Samsung and LG Smart TVs
CONS
❌ Not available on standard Freesat receivers with Freesat.
❌ Not compatible with older Samsung or LG smart TVs
CNN was added by Rakuten TV to LG Channels in November. Navigate to LG Channels or the Rakuten TV app to watch.
Meanwhile, Samsung smart TVs from the last few years automatically include additional channels from TV Plus. This means that Samsung Smart TVs with in-built Freesat can also access non-Freesat channels, delivered through your internet connection.
While Freesat channels are located between channel 101 and 999, TV Plus is allocated the channel number range above 4000.
In the UK, CNN International is currently allocated TV Plus channel 4008. The channel is provided in HD, but is reliant on the quality of your internet connection.
You can alternatively also access TV Plus through the Samsung Free app on all recent Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
PLEASE NOTE: As CNN moves further to pay TV, both workarounds may terminate without any warning.
Among traditional TV platforms, CNN is only available on Sky’s channel list in the UK. Virgin Media also lost the channel. Meanwhile, CNN is preparing to launch CNN Plus, a new streaming service in 2022. This means that more CNN content will only be available to access with a subscription.
Information last reviewed: 4th April 2022.