The company that’s behind the UK’s network of TV and radio transmitters is waiting for a decision on the future of traditional TV, but confirms it has signed up broadcasters to remain on Freeview until the 2030s.
- Despite rise of streaming, Arqiva is carrying more Freeview channels than ever
- Decision on future of Freeview expected in ‘early 2026’.
Broadcast infrastructure company Arqiva has posted an upbeat assessment of its TV business, which includes the operation of two national multiplexes delivering over 30 live Freeview TV channels to UK homes.
In what could be Freeview’s last decade before the UK moves to an all-streaming environment, Arqiva’s latest financial report confirmed it has renewed distribution contracts with a number of broadcasters, keeping services on Freeview into the 2030s.
Earlier this year, technical upgrades to one of Arqiva’s multiplexes increased its channel-carrying capacity. This has enabled the return of children’s channel Pop – previously available only via streaming on Freeview – and the launch of Hobbycraft TV. By summer 2025, Arqiva reported 97% utilisation of its Freeview capacity.
The company is now awaiting further guidance on the long-term future of terrestrial broadcasting in the UK.
In parallel, Arqiva’s satellite direct-to-home (DTH) service, which supports channel delivery via Freesat and Sky, is also operating near full capacity. The service continues to expand its high-definition offerings.
This week, satellite operator SES announced a new multi-year agreement with Arqiva. The deal secures multi-transponder capacity on the Astra satellites at 28.2° East, enabling Arqiva to maintain its delivery of standard and high-definition TV channels, along with radio services, to audiences in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Early 2026 decision on Freeview
In 2024, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) launched a forum to advise on the future of UK television. This is a Ministerial-led process with aim of driving forward policy.
The DCMS forum builds on the prior work by Ofcom in its Future of TV Distribution Report published in May 2024. In that report Ofcom called on Government to provide certainty
and set out options for the long-term future of digital terrestrial television (DTT) – the technical platform behind Freeview.
Options in the Ofcom report included investing in more efficient DTT services, reducing DTT down to core services or moving towards complete switch-off over the 2030s.
Arqiva says the DCMS Future of TV Distribution forum continues to make progress, with a final decision on the long-term future of the DTT platform expected in early 2026.
According to Arqiva, while consumer preference indicates rising use of OTT (streaming) services, “free-to-air television retains the majority share of live video viewing in the UK as per published TV viewing data”.
Recent internet outages following Storm Amy have highlighted how the UK’s free-to-air TV network remains a resilient back-up.
By: Marc Thornham