Arqiva

Blackhall Colliery May 2022: A new TV relay mast has been switched on to improve TV services for more than 6,000 households, Arqiva, the company that operates Bilsdale Mast, announced today.

Viewers in Blackhall Colliery, and areas to the north including eastern Peterlee, Horden and Easington Colliery may need to retune their TVs to benefit from the improvements, with Arqiva stressing there is advice available if anyone needs technical support.

Since the Bilsdale mast fire, Arqiva has restored TV services to around 99% of homes across the region, including an interim tower on Bilsdale Moor and the building of new relay stations to improve TV signals and overcome ‘not spots’.

Adrian Twyning, Chief of Operations at Arqiva, said:

“This latest relay site at Blackhall Colliery will improve services for more than 6,000 households in the area and is part of our concerted efforts to restore TV services to those affected by the Bilsdale Mast fire.

“During recent months, we have built a number of relay sites across County Durham, Tees Valley and North Yorkshire to improve TV signals and transmission and work is progressing well on the rebuilding of the full-size replacement mast.

“While some equipment may automatically retune, viewers in the area are advised to retune to benefit from the improvements. They can visit bilsdalemast.co.uk for more details of the change, information on how to retune their TV and how to get further help should they need it.”

ENDS

NEWS RELEASE: ISSUED ON BEHALF OF ARQIVA LTD

CONTACT: Caroline Walker on 01325 363436

Notes to editors:

Coverage map

Green area shows area served by new relay mast at Blackhall Colliery. Red areas are those served by existing sites.

About Arqiva

Arqiva is at the heart of the broadcast and utilities sectors in the UK and abroad, providing critical data, network and communications services.

It works in partnership with its customers – major broadcasters and utilities like the BBC, ITV, Sky, Global, Bauer, Thames Water and Anglian Water – to meet everyone’s demand for information, content and entertainment and enabling a switched-on world to flow.

It is the only supplier of national terrestrial television and radio broadcasting services in the UK, consistently delivering digital TV, analogue and digital radio to people in all four corners of the country. It distributes more than 1,000 channels internationally using its fibre and satellite infrastructure. Its advanced, secure and dedicated networks are also supporting the management of critical data for a range of smart metering networks in the energy and water sectors.

For more information, news and insights from Arqiva, please visit the website at: www.arqiva.com