Montserrat retunes its DTT on Thursday: five channels may change number

Televisions in Montserrat will have to search for channels again this Thursday 5 November. The arrival of La Séptima on the DTT line-up forces the national dial to be rearranged and viewers across the Spanish state to retune, and the change will be completed before 8 am: from that time, the official recommendation is to run an automatic channel search on each set.

The cause is the new channel. La Séptima needs space in the MPE5 digital multiplex and, to make room, the Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service is redistributing the national channels: Radio Blanca (DKISS) moves to that same multiplex and RGE2 switches to DVB-T2 technology, the standard that allows ultra-high definition broadcasts. That reshuffle is what may leave the remote control looking different.

There will be no blackout, but some channels do move. Those who do not retune will keep most channels in high definition, although Clan, DKISS, Atreseries, BeMad and Boing may appear on a different number or stop being available depending on the device, according to the ministry and Fenitel, the national federation of telecommunications installers. The procedure is the usual one: open the television menu, go to the channels section, start the automatic search and save the changes when it finishes.

The new channel will appear on 7: the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) has given it the service identifier previously used by Atreseries, so it shows up in that position on sets that already had the previous channel tuned. La Séptima starts broadcasting at noon with live programming and can also be followed on YouTube.

The reshuffle has another practical consequence: after the search, no channel is bound to stay on its usual button. Hence À Punt’s campaign, which asks viewers to return the Valencian public broadcaster to 9, the number historically occupied by Canal 9. The broadcaster explains how: open Settings, go to the channels section, choose the option to edit or sort channels, select À Punt, move it to number 9 and confirm.

Two cases require nothing at all. Viewers who watch television through a pay-TV operator do not need to retune: the operator handles the change. And in buildings with a communal aerial, if some channels are still missing after the search, Fenitel advises contacting the property manager or a registered telecommunications installer.

In Montserrat the change requires nothing in the street or in municipal buildings: it is a Thursday-morning job in each home. Regional and local channels do not change multiplex in this phase; the ministry plans a second one once the stock of televisions is adapted to ultra-high definition. Nor is there any need to buy a new set: older devices will keep receiving the same channels in high definition.

Logo: DTT, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources: Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, Fenitel and À Punt.