Television in Spain begins a new stage this Thursday, November 5. Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) will change the distribution of several channels and will give way to new broadcasts in Ultra High Definition (UHD), so viewers will have to retune their televisions to update the list of channels.
This modification is part of the National DTT Technical Plan, approved in March 2025, and seeks to modernize the television system by incorporating DVB-T2 technology, which allows broadcasting content with higher image and sound quality. The changes will be completed during the early hours of Thursday and will be available from 08:00 hours. For this reason, it is recommended to perform an automatic channel search once that time has passed, as an earlier tuning might not pick up all the new features.
The main novelty will be the arrival of La Séptima, a new national channel that will begin its broadcasts on the same Thursday. New 4K broadcasts of La 2, Antena 3, and Telecinco will also be incorporated, joining La 1 UHD.
Which DTT channels will change and how can you retune your television?
The frequency reorganization will directly affect five channels that will change location: Clan, DKISS, Atreseries, BeMad, and Boing. This does not mean that they will disappear, but rather that some televisions might stop showing them or place them in another position if the channel list is not updated.
To avoid this problem, users will have to perform an automatic search from the remote control. The procedure is simple and does not require technical knowledge:
- Enter the TV's settings menu.
- Access the "Channels", "Installation" or "Tuning" section.
- Select the "Automatic channel search" option.
- Wait for the process to finish without turning off the TV.
- Save the changes and check that all channels appear.
Once the search is complete, some users may have to reorder their favorite channels, as the update may modify their position in the list.
The new DTT incorporates 4K broadcasts and premieres La Séptima
One of the main changes in this new stage will be the arrival of Ultra High Definition (UHD), a technology that offers a sharper image and higher sound quality. As of November 5, La 2, Antena 3, and Telecinco will have new UHD broadcasts, which will join La 1, which already had this quality since 2024. However, not all televisions will be able to access these signals: it will be necessary to have a device compatible with DVB-T2 and the HEVC or H.265 video system.
Another novelty will be the premiere of La Séptima, a new national channel that will begin its broadcasts at 12:00 PM on Thursday. In addition, RNE Accesible will be incorporated, a service designed to facilitate access to Radio Nacional de España content for people with hearing disabilities through subtitles and sign language. However, viewers will not have to buy a new television to continue watching their usual programs. Devices that are not compatible with UHD technology will be able to continue receiving most channels in high definition (HD), as before.
There will also be no blackout of current broadcasts. Therefore, the recommendation is to retune from 08:00 AM on Thursday to recover channels that change frequency and update the television offering.
