Simple Freeview settings change brings a free Sky channel to your TV this week

If you fancy getting access to some premium content for free then it’s worth giving your Freeview box or TV a quick retune later this week. The free-to-watch telly platform has now confirmed that Sky Mix is arriving on October 18 but will only be available once a quick update has taken place.

“On 18 October 2023 some broadcasters are making important changes to their channels.,” Freeview explained in a post on its blog. “You will need to retune to update your TV and keep your channels and TV Guide up to date.  “

Sky Mix will replace Sky Arts on Channel 11 with Arts now moving to channel 31 instead. Sky says that Mix is being made available to give Freeview users a taste of what it offers via its premium offerings such as Sky Q, Sky Glass and Sky Stream.

There’s some nice content coming as part of the upgrade with much of it never before shown on free platforms. When it launches later in the week, homes will access to shows including Cobra, Rob & Romesh Vs, A Discovery of Witches and A League of Their Own: Road Trip along with original factual specials such as Liverpool Narcos and Shark with Steve Backshall.

Sky Mix now joins Sky Arts, Sky Kids and Sky News which are also all available to view without needing a subscription.

Speaking about the changes, Zai Bennett, Managing Director of Content, Sky UK and Ireland, said: “Sky Mix is the perfect free-to-air home for us to showcase some of our favourite Sky shows that have already been a hit with our customers on Sky and NOW platforms.

“We’re proud to share earlier series of shows like Rob & Romesh Vs, True Detective and A Discovery of Witches as well as showcasing a selection of our Sky Original films from previous years on this brand-new free TV brand.”

How to retune your device

Freeview says retuning is straightforward, and while it may vary slightly depending on which device you have, it usually includes the following steps:

• Press menu on your box or TV remote control

• Select ‘set-up’, ‘installation’, ‘update’ or a similar option. If you’re asked for a password, the default code is ‘1234’ or ‘0000’.

• Select ‘first-time installation’ (sometimes called ‘factory reset’, ‘full retune’ or ‘default settings’).

• Press ‘OK’ if your equipment asks if it’s OK to delete existing channels and then your retune should start automatically. If you’re prompted to, save the channels that are found.