After the “blackout” of HD channels that took place in 2024, November 5, 2026 was the next date marked in red on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) roadmap. The reason? The first phase of the jump begins in UHD.
On this occasion, no channel disappears, but some new ones arrive and others change frequencies, so we have to restart the televisions. Among the additions, we have several UHD channels, which not everyone will be able to watch, and a new channel has been born: La Septima.
We are going to explain to you all the changes coming to DTT today, what you need to do to watch the new channels and which ones need to change their location.
There is no “blackout” in DTT today
The first thing to make clear is that, unlike what happened in 2024, when standard definition (SD) channels disappeared and they all started broadcasting in high definition (HD), No channel disappears today. What happens is that today begins the first phase of the jump from DTT to the DVB-T2 format, which facilitates the broadcasting of content in ultra high definition (UHD).
Photo: Image Hunter (Pexel)
In addition, newer UHD broadcasts use the HEVC/H.265 compression codec to transport higher quality video with more limited use of bandwidth.
In this first step in DTT’s technological evolution towards DVB-T2, only State Digital Multiplex RGE2 will begin using DVB-T2 to offer UHD broadcasts, but the rest will continue to use the current DVB-T system. Hence, only a few channels start broadcasting in UHD today, while the vast majority continue to do so in HD.
It will be in the second phase in the future when the DVB-T2 transmission system will be implemented in all digital multiplexes, but still There is no specific date This will happen if the two conditions established in Article 8 of Royal Decree 250/2025 are met: 95% of the receiver park is compatible with DVB-T2 and 90% of the receiver park is compatible with UHD (H.265/HEVC codec).
Which channels does this DTT change affect?
Today, at 8:00 (Spanish Peninsular Time), four new Ultra High Definition channels start broadcasting within the RGE2 multiplex: 1 UHD, 2 UHD, 3 UHD antennas And Telecinco UHD. Additionally, Atresmedia is preparing to launch La Sexta UHD, while Mediaset is finalizing Cuatro UHD.
Photo: Seventh
A new general state channel has also been born, La Septima, which will begin broadcasting in HD at 12:00 (Spanish peninsular time) focusing on social gatherings and debates with a political background. And if that’s not enough, the RGE2 multiplex has five channels that have moved positions to free up space: lineage, atresary, Bmad, boing And DKISSwhich will continue to broadcast in high definition, but on a different frequency.
Therefore, to be able to watch the new UHD channels, you must have a DVB-T2 compatible television that supports the HEVC/H.265 codec and restart it. If your television is not compatible with the DVB-T2 standard, you will be able to continue watching all channels in the current definition, but you must restart it to detect La Septima and the channels that have changed position.
How to know if your television is compatible
As we said, to watch the new UHD channels, you must have a DVB-T2 compatible television that supports the HEVC/H.265 codec. And no, having a 4K TV doesn’t guarantee that it has it, it all depends on the tuner’s specifications.
If your TV is 2016-2017 or later, it’s probably compatible, but to be sure, you can search for the exact model of the TV and check its specifications on the manufacturer’s website. Another option is to manually search the internet for models with the words “DVB-T2” and “HEVC”.
And if you don’t want to complicate things, watch the La 1 UHD channel on your television, which has been broadcasting regularly for some time in almost the entire country. If you have this channel or it appears after DTT retuning, you will also be able to watch the rest of the channels in UHD resolution.
What if your television is not compatible? It’s a good excuse to buy a new one, but it’s not mandatory to change it to continue watching DTT because the HD channels will still be available as before.
How to Retune Your Television
Whether you have a compatible television and are looking forward to watching the new UHD channels, or if you just want to find the repositioned HD channels and find the new La Septima channel, today is our television relaunch.
The procedure for this may vary slightly depending on the manufacturer, but in all cases you must make sure that the source or input is selected Antenna, enter the menu and enter the settings. The easiest is to adopt Automatic channel scanning or retuning That’s virtually all television offers.
Photo: RTV
When the search process is finished, check that all channels are stored correctly. Of course, it’s likely that some won’t appear in the same order as before, so you’ll have to rearrange them. You also have the option of not reselecting the television, but then you will stop watching the five channels that have moved to another frequency.
Do you see DTT through your operator?
There are many people who do so through their operator’s decoder instead of watching DTT through the antenna socket. If this is your case, You don’t have to do anythingAs the operator itself will be responsible for incorporating and reconfiguring the new channels.
For now, La Septima has confirmed that it will broadcast live on Movistar Plus, “and very soon, also on Orange TV, Vodafone TV and Digi TV.” To watch UHD channels, unfortunately, you have to wait.
Orange TV confirmed to us that it is working “as soon as possible” to include La 2, Antena 3, La Sexta, Cuatro and Telecinco in 4K/UHD quality on the same dials that its HD channels now occupy. Vodafone, Digi and Movistar Plus, at this point, have not told us which new channels they will add to their lineup.
Cover image Kabumpics (Pexels)
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