Millions of Britons will lose access to BBC channels - find out if you'll be ... trends now
A huge upgrade means millions of British satellite viewers will lose access to their BBC channels – unless they buy a new set-top box.
From this week, BBC is replacing its standard definition (SD) feeds on satellite with high definition (HD) versions, starting with BBC One.
Satellite customers in the south of England are getting the update first, followed by the rest of the country throughout January and February.
Here's how to make sure you won't lose your BBC channels when it takes effect.
A massive upgrade to BBC programming means some satellite viewers may lose access to channels (file
Those affected will start to lose BBC One in January or February, but in early 2024 they could lose all BBC channels when the change is completed.
It was last November that the BBC announced the change, but the public broadcaster is rolling it out from this week.
'We'll be upgrading all BBC channels to HD on satellite,' the BBC said in a statement.
'Unfortunately, to roll regional versions of BBC One HD in England on satellite plans, we need to close the standard definition (or SD) versions of our channels on the digital satellite platform.
'This is not a decision that's been taken lightly – indeed, it's been one of the key reasons why we've held back so long in our HD rollout plans.'
Satellite channels are broadcast from a TV station on Earth to satellites orbiting above us in space.
The signals are then returned to Earth and received by your satellite dish.
Until now, satellite viewers in London, as an example, have had to switch to channel 101 to get BBC One in SD, and go to channel 106 for BBC One in HD. (These satellite channel numbers vary depending on region.)
Unfortunately, local variations of BBC One (e.g. BBC One London, BBC One South) haven't been in HD.
Therefore, if satellite viewers have been watching BBC One in HD on channel 106 at 6:30pm, they've had to switch to SD on channel 101 to get their local news bulletin.
With the change, channel 101 will now be in HD, so they won't have to do this
