Freeview TV could be AXED leaving millions unable to access channels including BBC, ITV and Channel 4

Ministers have been accused of pandering to commercial interests by drawing up plans to shut down multi-channel television for the millions who rely on Freeview.

The government is expected to publish a consultation paper within weeks to ‘set out a path’ towards the end of digital terrestrial television (DTT) after 2034.

This will remove access to more than 70 standard channels and up to 15 HD channels, including BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.

Campaigners last night said a switch to internet-only services would disproportionately affect the elderly, those on low incomes or in rural areas.

They added that arguments for canceling Freeview were put forward by The Connection Project, an organization funded by the likes of the BBC, ITV, Vodafone and BT that would benefit from the end of DTT.

Working via aerials, Freeview reaches 13.6 million homes across the UK and is the main television platform for 40 per cent of households with a set.

If a subscription is required, the cost of watching television in some homes can increase by as much as £200 in broadband charges.

The government says the switch-off will depend on the universal availability of affordable superfast broadband: its own research admits around a million households struggle to afford broadband.

Silver Voices, which represents older people, has launched a petition to protect Freeview.

Campaigners claim the Connectivity Project’s supporters are dominated by telecoms companies selling broadband, banks pushing customers to switch to online banking and broadcasters trying to reduce the cost of maintaining the two ‘distribution platforms’.

ITV is increasingly focusing on its streaming platform ITVX, and in May 2025 former BBC director general Tim Davie said the BBC needed to “take action towards the internet future”.

Dennis Reed of Silver Voices said: ‘The companies funding the Connectivity Project all have commercial interests in moving services online.

‘We must not allow the future of free television to be shaped by those who will profit from its disappearance. Older audiences deserve better.’

But the Connectivity Project insisted last night that the equivalent of Freeview could still be provided, saying: ‘It is absolutely essential that we protect everyone’s right to free public service TV delivered via broadband.

‘The TV pass is an opportunity to ensure everyone can get more free programs through streamed TV, with subsidized broadband costs where necessary.’

The ‘Future TV Taskforce’ of the UK’s public service broadcasters said: ‘A shift to TV distribution over the internet by the mid-2030s, as part of a UK-wide plan to bring everyone in the country online, has the potential to close the digital divide once and for all.

‘The shift to online viewing is already happening and is being driven by consumers.

‘This isn’t about forcing anything; instead, to migrate in a planned, organized manner, so that a smooth and uninterrupted transition will be possible when the time comes, provided the conditions regarding connectivity and affordability are met.

The BBC said that as audiences continue to embrace streaming television and audio, the Corporation stands ready to support the Government as it considers how to manage these transitions ‘in the best interests of all viewers’.

He added that as the government, along with other public sector broadcasters, considers the future of TV, it is ready to ‘play our part in ensuring the right conditions are in place to ensure no-one is left behind and the benefits of digital inclusion are realized’.

The Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport said it was ‘determined to ensure no one is left behind as TV viewing increasingly moves to online platforms’.

A spokesman added: ‘The government is currently working across the TV sector on a long-term sustainable approach to TV distribution in the UK.’