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Freeview channel numbers

Facts checked 13 Oct 2026Telly Hub TV editors

Daewoo DS608P Freeview DVB-T set top box with Setpal firmware (underside and rear). Bought in UK in early 2004. Stopped working in mid-2008
Image: CC BY-SA 4.0, Multicherry via Wikimedia Commons

⚡Quick verdict

On Freeview, BBC One is 1, BBC Two 2, ITV1 3, Channel 4 4 and Channel 5 5, with HD versions at 101 to 105. Children's channels sit in the 200s, with CBBC on 202 and CBeebies on 203, and news follows from 231 with BBC News. In Wales S4C takes channel 4, and numbers change several times a year.

  • HD versions are 100 higher than the standard ones for the main five.
  • Your local transmitter decides which channels you can receive.
  • IPTV apps sort channels by groups, not by these numbers.

The main channels

Channel Standard HD
BBC One 1 101
BBC Two 2 102
ITV1 (STV in most of Scotland, UTV in NI) 3 103
Channel 4 (S4C in Wales) 4 104
Channel 5 5 105

Children’s and news

Channel Number
CBBC 202
CBeebies 203
BBC News 231
BBC Parliament 232
Sky News 233

The full list runs to well over a hundred channels, with radio stations from 700 upwards. Because the line-up changes several times a year, the official Freeview TV guide is the one to trust for anything past the main five.

Why your numbers may differ

  • Nations: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own versions of some channels, and some regional extras.
  • Transmitter: smaller relay transmitters carry fewer channels than the main ones, so some homes never see the higher numbers.
  • Region: BBC One and ITV1 on channel 1 and 3 carry your regional news. Our region finder shows which you get.

Numbers in an IPTV app

IPTV apps list channels in groups such as “UK Entertainment” or “UK Sport”, often in alphabetical order. TiviMate and a few others let you renumber them so BBC One is 1 again, which makes the remote feel familiar.

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More questions

Why is Channel 4 not on 4 in Wales?
S4C, the Welsh-language channel, takes channel 4 in Wales. Channel 4 moves to a higher number there.
How do I get new channels after a change?
Run a retune from your TV's menu, usually under Settings, Channels, Auto tune. Freeview announces retune days on its website.
Can I use Freeview numbers in an IPTV app?
Some apps, including TiviMate, let you set channel numbers yourself so the remote works the way you are used to.

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