Arqiva

North Yorkshire, UK, 01 November, 2021: Two new TV masts have been switched on to restore or improve TV services for thousands more households, Arqiva, the company which operates Bilsdale Mast, announced today.

Viewers in the two areas, in and around Loftus and Thirsk, will need to retune their TVs if they have not already done so, and will have had the main TV channels restored as a result of the switch on.

Several more of these smaller, “relay” sites will soon follow across the region as Arqiva seeks to restore services as quickly as possible to those affected by the fire at Bilsdale Mast in August.

Around 6,000 households had their TV services either restored or improved as a result of the switch on, which took place over the weekend, and more than 95% of households across the region have now had TV services restored. Engineering teams are out measuring signal strengths to enable further progress.

Work is starting on a second 80-metre mast at Bilsdale which will further improve the quality of service across North Yorkshire and County Durham.

Arqiva is working closely with regional charities, local authorities and housing associations to reach those people whose services have not been restored. Information, updates and advice, for example on how to retune your TV, are available at bilsdalemast.co.uk

A dedicated freephone line is available on 0800 121 4828, and the numbers of engineers available to provide support to eligible households is being increased from this week.

Residents living in one of the “not spot” areas where there is still no TV signal should have received an official letter containing instructions on how to claim a £50 voucher for Currys. Residents can check if they are eligible at bilsdalemast.co.uk/claim

The £50 voucher can be spent at Currys, online or in store, to buy a TV streaming device such as a Roku stick or an Amazon Fire TV Stick. More than 3,000 people have already taken up the offer, but please note that the devices need WiFi. If you don’t have broadband then please phone the freephone number above for further help.

Adrian Twyning, Director of Operations at Arqiva, said:

“We are working round the clock to restore TV services and to help those affected. These smaller relay sites are a key part of Project Restore, and more of them will soon follow. We’re sorry for the disruption this has caused for people, and while we are making progress there is also much to do. Our teams are now working on the task of building a second 80-metre mast at Bilsdale to provide a better quality signal to the area.”

ENDS

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.

We work in partnership with our 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.

We are 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. We distribute over 1,000 channels internationally using our fibre and satellite infrastructure. Our 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

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