BBC One HD regions launch on Freeview

BBC One HD upgrades on Freeview start this Wednesday, with the BBC launching the service in areas where engineering work to facilitate the changes have recently completed. 

By lunchtime on Wednesday, the first six areas will begin receiving their local news on BBC One HD instead of having to switch over to SD.

22nd March

• East Midlands 
• West Midlands 
• East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire 
• London 
• Channel Islands 
• Yorkshire

26th April (to be confirmed)

• North East and Cumbria 
• North West 
• West 
• South West 
• South (including Oxford) 
• East (including Cambridge) 
• South East 

North West is already running a separate service ID for BBC One North West HD, but won’t be upgraded until all transmitters in the North East and Cumbria region have been uncoupled from Winter Hill. 

Until recently, the Freeview HD multiplex (PSB3) as broadcast from Winter Hill had been relayed to all transmitters across Northern England. Earlier this month, some transmitter groups began carrying bespoke versions of the multiplex in order to carry regional programmes. 

The same limitations meant ITV 1 couldn’t offer fully regionalised news on Freeview HD, but it is yet to confirm if it will make use of the new regional structure to allow viewers to access their local ITV news on the service.

As it stands, ITV 1 currently carries Meridian South East across all of Southern and Eastern England, while Central broadcasts to the Midlands, West and South West.

Granada is meanwhile on air in all of northern England, replacing Yorkshire, Tyne Tees and Border programmes.

Channel 4 could also benefit, as it would technically now be able to broadcast regional advertising in HD, as it already does on Sky and Virgin Media.

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