Freeview shock as more fans face block from popular content this month

Freeview fans who tune into ITV via HUMAX set-top boxes are in for a shock later this month with two hugely popular devices being blocked from catching up on content via ITV Hub. The Humax FVP-5000T and FVP-4000T receivers have both been added to an ever-growing list of TVs and accessories that are losing access to this service from September 29. Other gadgets being blocked include televisions from Samsung, Sharp and Panasonic.

It’s a massive blow for anyone who owns one of these TV recorders and will mean an expensive upgrade to keep streaming content from the online ITV platform.

As spotted by the team at Cordbusters, the FVP-5000T even remains on sale which makes the loss of ITV Hub even worse as those buying this set-top box will find a swathe of content instantly vanishing from their TVs.

In a statement, Humax said: “Customers are currently being advised through email and their set-top boxes. If customers have any questions regarding their specific Humax device, our customer support team will be happy to help on 0344 318 8800.”

HERE IS THE FULL LIST OF DEVICES LOSING ACCESS TO ITV HUB

• Avtex

• CVTE

• Hisense 2016

• Hisense 2018

• Humax 4000t

• Humax 5000t

• Panasonic TV 2015 C range models

• Panasonic TV 2016 D range models

• Panasonic TV 2018 F HD range models

• Sharp UMC 2017

• Sharp UMC 2018

• TCL 6586 (2018) 6 Series

• Freesat G2

• Samsung All TVs prior to 2015

In an update on its status page, Freeview said: “From the end of September ITV is making changes to the ITV Hub app. As a result, the ITV Hub app will no longer be available on some devices, including some Freeview Play devices. This is due to ITV working to deliver improvements and upgrade their app. The technology required to carry out these improvements is not supported by some devices.”

If that wasn’t bad enough for owners of these devices things will get even worse when ITV rolls out a massive update to ITV Hub later this year.

This online platform is about to be replaced by a new service called ITV X which is promising even more shows and boxsets with some being made available before they are shown on terrestrial TV. In fact, whilst ITV Hub has 4,000 hours of content the new ITVX platform is boasting that it will have around 11,000 hours more.

ITVX will be entirely free to watch via an ad-supported plan, but a paid-for package which bundles in BritBox will also be available that removes ads as well.

There’s no word on an official launch for ITVX but it’s expected to arrive on TVs within the next few months.

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Speaking about the launch of ITVX, Rufus Radcliffe, ITV’s Managing Director of Streaming, said: “2021 was a record year for ITV Hub and BritBox, giving us strong foundations from which to supercharge our streaming strategy. We are investing significantly in new and exclusive programmes which will be free to stream, and also in technology and product design to make the viewer experience and interface a premium one on ITVX.”