Freesat viewers were affected by a programme guide glitch during February 2023 that caused missing and incorrect listings data across several Channel 4 services.

The issue affected Freesat electronic programme guide data on Wednesday 22 February 2023 and continued into Thursday 23 February 2023, leaving some viewers unable to access accurate programme information or make reliable recordings on affected channels.

For many users, the affected channels displayed blank schedule information or incorrect programme details within the Freesat EPG.

This glitch is affecting Freesat viewers and without a properly updating Electronic Programmes Guide (EPG) viewers can’t set any future recordings and have to manually set timings if they want to record anything on the affected channels

According to Freesat’s announcement, the missing EPG data starts on 25 February 2023 so users can see listings up until that date. From that date and onwards there is no EPG data.

Freesat says it is working on a fix to resolve the issue.

Which Channels Are Affected?

The glitch mainly affected Channel 4-owned services carried on the Freesat platform.

Reported affected channels included:

• Channel 4 HD
• Channel 4 SD
• E4
• More4
• Film4
• 4Seven
• Channel 4 +1
• E4 Extra
• More4 +1

What Problems Are Viewers Experiencing?

The missing EPG information caused several issues for Freesat viewers.

Reported problems included:

• Blank programme listings
• “No Information Available” messages
• Incorrect schedule data
• Failed recordings
• Recording clashes
• Missing series links

For viewers relying on scheduled recordings, the problem created particular frustration because many planned recordings either failed completely or recorded incorrect programmes.

What Caused the Problem?

The issue appeared to be linked to guide data distribution rather than any fault with the actual television channels themselves.

Modern satellite platforms such as Freesat rely heavily on centralised EPG data systems which distribute programme schedules directly to receivers.

If errors occur within the guide data feeds, receivers may lose access to programme listings even though the channels themselves continue broadcasting normally.

Because Freesat receivers depend heavily on EPG data for recording functionality, missing guide information can significantly affect scheduled recordings.

Sky Viewers Were Less Affected

The glitch mainly affected Freesat users rather than Sky customers.

Although Sky and Freesat both use the Astra satellite system at 28.2° East, each platform operates separate electronic programme guide systems.

This meant the Channel 4 listings problem was largely isolated to Freesat receivers.

Generic free-to-air satellite receivers without integrated Freesat EPG systems were also mostly unaffected because they rely less on centralised guide data.

The Problem Was Later Fixed

The programme guide issue was eventually resolved after updated EPG data began reaching Freesat receivers.

As corrected listings information downloaded onto receivers, normal guide functionality gradually returned.

Viewers were advised to:

• Leave receivers powered on
• Allow guide data to refresh
• Check future recordings carefully
• Verify series links

Because some scheduled recordings may already have failed during the outage period, many users needed to manually confirm planned recordings after the fix was implemented.