List of HD channels in the United Kingdom

Last updated

This is a list of current high definition channels that are available in the United Kingdom, together with those coming in the future, and those that have ceased broadcasting.

Contents

All HD channels in the UK broadcast at 1080i, apart from Sky Sports Main Event UHD channel and the BT Sport Ultimate 4K.

[1] HD channels can dynamically switch between 1080i/25 and 1080p/25 when broadcast via Freeview HD. [2]

HD channels

Channel nameContentTypeOwner/parent companyLaunch date
4seven HD HD/upscaled SD mix Simulcast Channel Four Television Corporation 1 July 2014
Al Jazeera English HD Al Jazeera Media Network 26 November 2013
Alibi HD UKTV (BBC Studios)3 July 2012
AMC from BT HD AMC Networks International Zone 28 August 2015
Animal Planet HD Discovery EMEA (Warner Bros. Discovery)27 February 2012
Arirang TV HD 100% HDIndependent Korea International Broadcasting Foundation 26 September 2016
BBC One HD HD/upscaled SD mixSimulcast [n 1] BBC 3 November 2010
BBC One Northern Ireland HD [n 2] Simulcast24 October 2012
BBC One Scotland HD [n 3] 14 January 2013
BBC One Wales HD [n 4] 29 January 2013
BBC Two HD 26 March 2013
BBC Two Northern Ireland HD [n 2] 29 November 2018
BBC Two Wales HD [n 4]
BBC Four HD 10 December 2013
BBC News HD
BBC Scotland HD 24 February 2019
Bloomberg HD Bloomberg L.P. 1 March 2017
Boomerang HD Turner Broadcasting System Europe (Warner Bros. Discovery)24 June 2015
Cartoon Network HD 14 September 2011
CBBC HD BBC10 December 2013
CBeebies HD
Channel 4 HD Channel Four Television Corporation10 December 2007
Channel 5 HD Paramount Networks UK & Australia 13 July 2010
CNBC Europe HD Universal Networks International (NBCUniversal)1 March 2019
CNN International HD Turner Broadcasting System Europe (Warner Bros. Discovery)28 June 2016
Colors HD Viacom 18 14 February 2017
Comedy Central HD Paramount UK Partnership (Paramount British Pictures/Sky)9 August 2010
Create & Craft HD Ideal Shopping Direct plc23 September 2019
Crime + Investigation HD A+E Networks UK (A+E Networks/Sky)5 November 2008
Dave HD UKTV (BBC Studios)10 October 2011
Daystar HD 100% HDIndependentDaystar TV Network23 November 2015
Discovery HD HD/upscaled SD mixSimulcastDiscovery EMEA (Warner Bros. Discovery)22 May 2006
E! HD NBCUniversal 8 October 2012
E4 HD Channel Four Television Corporation14 December 2009
Eden HD UKTV (BBC Studios)4 October 2010
eir Sport 1 HD [n 2] eir 15 August 2010
Eurosport 1 HD Discovery EMEA (Warner Bros. Discovery)25 July 2012
Eurosport 2 HD 3 September 2012
Film4 HD Channel Four Television Corporation20 July 2010
France 24 English HD Independent France Médias Monde 28 June 2018
FreeSports HD SimulcastPremier Media S.à.r.l.25 September 2018
GB News HD All Perspectives Ltd13 June 2021
Gold HD UKTV (BBC Studios)2 October 2017
Ideal World HDIdeal Shopping Direct plc23 September 2019
Iran International HDIndependentGlobal Media Circulating Ltd3 April 2018
ITV1 HD [n 5] Simulcast ITV plc 7 June 2008
ITV2 HD ITV Digital Channels Ltd (ITV plc)7 October 2010
ITV3 HD 15 November 2010
ITV4 HD
ITVBe HD 19 November 2014
La Liga TV HDIndependentPremier Media S.à.r.l.13 January 2020
LFCTV HD Liverpool F.C. 28 October 2014
Loveworld TV HDLoveworld Ltd13 August 2019
More4 HD SimulcastChannel Four Television Corporation4 February 2013
MTV HD Paramount Networks UK & Australia13 February 2013
MTV Live HD 100% HDIndependent16 December 2008
MUTV HD HD/upscaled SD mixSimulcast Manchester United F.C. 14 July 2014
National Geographic Channel HD NGC-UK Partnership (National Geographic Society/Disney Channels Worldwide)22 May 2006
National Geographic Wild HD 1 April 2009
NHK World HD 100% HDIndependent NHK 9 September 2011
Nick Jr. HD HD/upscaled SD mixSimulcastNickelodeon UK (Paramount Networks UK & Australia/Sky)5 July 2016
Nickelodeon HD 5 October 2010
Paramount Network HD Paramount Networks UK & Australia21 July 2018
Viaplay Sports 1 HD Independent20 July 2015
Viaplay Sports 2 HD8 March 2019
Quest HD SimulcastDiscovery EMEA (Warner Bros. Discovery)3 August 2018
QVC HD Qurate Retail Group 21 April 2015
QVC Beauty HD Qurate Retail Group
Racing TV HD Racing UK Ltd7 March 2016
RT UK HD (ANO) TV-Novosti19 January 2013
RTÉ2 HD [n 2] Raidió Teilifís Éireann 16 May 2012
S4C HD S4C Authority 6 June 2016
Sky Atlantic HD Sky 1 February 2011
Sky Arts HD 22 May 2006
Sky Cinema Action HD 100% HD [n 6] 8 October 2008
Sky Cinema Animation HD23 July 2020
Sky Cinema Comedy HD15 October 2008
Sky Cinema Drama HD8 October 2008
Sky Cinema Family HD15 October 2008
Sky Cinema Greats HD8 October 2008
Sky Cinema Hits HD22 May 2006
Sky Cinema Premiere HD20 March 2008
Sky Cinema Sci Fi & Horror HD15 October 2008
Sky Cinema Select HD28 March 2013
Sky Cinema Thriller HD22 May 2006
Sky Comedy HD HD/upscaled SD mix27 January 2020
Sky Crime HD 1 October 2019
Sky Documentaries HD 27 May 2020
Sky History HD A+E Networks UK (A+E Networks/Sky)26 October 2006
Sky History2 HD 1 December 2015
Sky Intro Channel HD100% HDSky9 May 2016
Sky Max HD HD/upscaled SD mix1 September 2021
Sky Nature HD 27 May 2020
Sky News HD 100% HD6 May 2010
Sky Showcase HD HD/upscaled SD mix1 September 2021
Sky Sports Action HD [n 7] 17 March 2008
Sky Sports Arena HD18 July 2017
Sky Sports Box Office HD100% HD2 April 2015
Sky Sports Box Office 2 HDIndependent28 October 2020
Sky Sports Cricket HDHD/upscaled SD mixSimulcast31 July 2006
Sky Sports Extra HD18 July 2017
Sky Sports F1 HD 9 March 2012
Sky Sports Football HD18 July 2017
Sky Sports Golf HD29 April 2010
Sky Sports Main Event HD22 May 2006
Sky Sports Mix HD24 August 2016
Sky Sports News HD 100% HD23 August 2010
Sky Sports NFL HD [n 7] HD/upscaled SD mix3 September 2020
Sky Sports Premier League HD12 August 2014
Sky Sports Racing HD Sky/Arena Racing Company 13 December 2018
Sky Witness HD Sky6 October 2009
Smithsonian Channel HD SNI/SI Networks LLC12 February 2019
Sony Entertainment Television HD Sony Pictures Television 1 August 2017
Sony Max HD 1 August 2017
SportyStuff TV HDIndependentGreyhound TV Ltd1 February 2021
STV HD [n 3] Simulcast STV Group plc 6 June 2010
Syfy HD Universal Networks International (NBCUniversal)26 January 2009
TCM Movies HD Turner Broadcasting System Europe (Warner Bros. Discovery)4 September 2012
TG4 HD [n 2] Teilifís na Gaeilge 3 August 2016
TJC HD The Jewellery Channel Ltd28 November 2019
TLC HD Discovery EMEA (Warner Bros. Discovery)30 April 2013
TNT Sports 1 HD Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe 1 August 2013
TNT Sports 2 HD
TNT Sports 3 HD1 August 2015
TNT Sports Box Office HD100% HDIndependent17 April 2018
TNT Sports Box Office 2 HD4 November 2019
TNT Sports 4 HD HD/upscaled SD mixSimulcast3 August 2009
TNT Sports Extra 1 HD29 July 2015
TNT Sports Extra 2 HD
TNT Sports Extra 3 HD
TNT Sports Extra 4 HD
TNT Sports Extra 5 HD
TNT Sports Extra 6 HD
TNT Sports Ultimate100% UHDSeparate schedule1 August 2015
TRT World HD HD/upscaled SD mixSimulcast Turkish Radio and Television Corporation 2 May 2017
Utsav Gold HD Star India (The Walt Disney Company India)6 December 2017
Utsav Plus HD 5 July 2012
UTV HD [n 2] ITV plc5 October 2010
Virgin TV Ultra HD100% UHDIndependentVirgin Media (Liberty Global)17 September 2018
W HD HD/upscaled SD mixSimulcastUKTV (BBC Studios)12 October 2011
WION (World Is One News) HD Independent Zee Media Corporation Ltd 15 March 2021
Zee Cinema HD Simulcast Zee Entertainment Enterprises 3 September 2018

Notes

  1. Except regional programmes
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Northern Ireland only
  3. 1 2 Scotland only
  4. 1 2 Wales only
  5. England, Wales and Scottish Borders only
  6. Sky Cinema channels are mainly HD, however there is the occasional upscaled SD broadcast where a HD source is not available
  7. 1 2 Due to a five year partnership deal, Sky Sports Action uses this slot from February to September while Sky Sports NFL uses the slot for the remaining five months.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freeview (UK)</span> British digital terrestrial television platform

Freeview is the United Kingdom's sole digital terrestrial television platform. It is operated by Everyone TV and DTV Services Ltd, a joint venture between the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky. It was launched on 30 October 2002, taking over the licence from ITV Digital which collapsed that year. The service provides consumer access via an aerial to the seven DTT multiplexes covering the United Kingdom. As of July 2020, it has 85 TV channels, 26 digital radio channels, 10 HD channels, six text services, 11 streamed channels, and one interactive channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Top Up TV</span> Former UK pay TV service

Top Up TV was a pay TV service in the United Kingdom that was launched in March 2004, operating on the digital terrestrial television platform. The service aimed to "top up" Freeview customers by providing additional content and services through encrypted TV channels unavailable to other viewers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave (TV channel)</span> British digital television channel owned by UKTV

Dave is a British free-to-air television channel owned by UKTV, a subsidiary of BBC Studios. It broadcasts mainly comedy, with some factual programming. The channel took the name Dave on 15 October 2007, but it had been on air under various identities and formats since October 1998.

1080i is a combination of frame resolution and scan type. 1080i is used in high-definition television (HDTV) and high-definition video. The number "1080" refers to the number of horizontal lines on the screen. The "i" is an abbreviation for "interlaced"; this indicates that only the even lines, then the odd lines of each frame are drawn alternately, so that only half the number of actual image frames are used to produce video. A related display resolution is 1080p, which also has 1080 lines of resolution; the "p" refers to progressive scan, which indicates that the lines of resolution for each frame are "drawn" on the screen in sequence.

Digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom encompasses over 100 television, radio and interactive services broadcast via the United Kingdom's terrestrial television network and receivable with a standard television set. The majority of digital terrestrial television (DTT) services, including the five former analogue channels, are broadcast free-to-air, and a further selection of encrypted pay TV services are also available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1080p</span> Video mode

1080p is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen vertically; the p stands for progressive scan, i.e. non-interlaced. The term usually assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a resolution of 2.1 megapixels. It is often marketed as Full HD or FHD, to contrast 1080p with 720p resolution screens. Although 1080p is sometimes informally referred to as 2K, these terms reflect two distinct technical standards, with differences including resolution and aspect ratio.

Freesat is a British free-to-air satellite television service, first formed as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc and now owned by Everyone TV. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008. Freesat offers a satellite alternative to the Freeview service on digital terrestrial television, with a broadly similar selection of channels available without subscription for users purchasing a receiver.

Now is a subscription over-the-top internet television service operated by British satellite television provider Sky Group. Launched in the United Kingdom in 2012, the service is also available in Ireland, Italy, Germany, and the United States.

ITV1 HD is a British free-to-air high-definition public broadcast television network operated by ITV plc, the company which is contracted to provide 13 ITV1 services across the UK. ITV1 HD simulcasts them in high-definition. ITV1 HD is available to view in England, Wales and the Scottish Borders on Freesat via channel 103, Freeview channel 103, Sky channel 103, Virgin Media channel 103 and in Switzerland on SwisscomTV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BT TV</span> British television service

BT TV is a subscription IPTV service offered by BT; a division of United Kingdom telecommunications company BT Group, and was originally launched as BT Vision in December 2006. As of the end of June 2019, BT TV had 1.9 million customers.

There are four major forms of digital television (DTV) broadcast in the United Kingdom: a direct-to-home satellite service from the Astra 28.2°E satellites provided by Sky UK, a cable television service provided by Virgin Media ; a free-to-air satellite service called Freesat; and a free-to-air digital terrestrial service called Freeview. In addition, an IPTV system known as BT TV is provided by BT. Individual access methods vary throughout the country. 77% of the United Kingdom has access to HDTV via terrestrial digital television. Satellite is the only source of HDTV broadcast available for the remaining 23%.

High-definition television in the United Kingdom is available via cable, IPTV, satellite and terrestrial television. The first high-definition broadcasts began in late 2005 and since then the number of channels available to view has grown to a maximum of 87 that can be viewed on pay-TV service, Sky.

Freeview is the name for the collection of free-to-air services on the Digital Terrestrial Television platform in the United Kingdom. The service was launched at 5 am on 30 October 2002 and is jointly operated by its five equal shareholders – BBC, ITV, Channel 4, BSkyB and transmitter operator Arqiva. This article documents the history of the Freeview service, from its inception up to the present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4K resolution</span> Video or display resolutions with a width of around 4,000 pixels

4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. Digital television and digital cinematography commonly use several different 4K resolutions. In television and consumer media, 3840 × 2160 is the dominant 4K standard, whereas the movie projection industry uses 4096 × 2160.

Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group, and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It has played a major role in the increased commercialisation of British sport since 1991, and has sometimes played a large role inducing organisational changes in the sports it broadcasts, most notably when it encouraged the Premier League to break away from the Football League in 1992.

TNT Sports is a group of pay television sports channels in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe and BT Group, they first launched on 1 August 2013. The channels are based at Warner Bros. Discovery's complex in Chiswick Business Park, London, having been based at Here East, the former International Broadcast Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London until July 2023. The channels are available on the BT TV, Sky and Virgin Media television platforms in the UK and Sky and Vodafone TV in the Republic of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultra-high-definition television</span> Television formats beyond HDTV

Ultra-high-definition television today includes 4K UHD and 8K UHD, which are two digital video formats with an aspect ratio of 16:9. These were first proposed by NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories and later defined and approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

References

  1. "BT Ultra HD (4K TV)". BT. Sport Ultra HD was the UK's first Ultra HD channel and it's exclusive to BT TV.
  2. Jane McEntegart (23 May 2011). "BBC HD Begins Broadcasting in 1080p". Tom's Hardware via Engadget. Feature of the Freeview HD spec that allows the broadcaster to dynamically select between 1080p / 25fps and 1080i / 25fps transmission.