Channel 5 Moves to DVB-S2 on UK Satellite Platform
Channel 5 has updated one of its UK satellite transmissions, meaning older SD satellite receivers will no longer be able to receive the channel.
The transponder on 11307MHz Horizontal (SR 27500, FEC 2/3) has changed from DVB-S to DVB-S2 8PSK. While the frequency itself remains the same, the move to the newer DVB-S2 transmission standard requires an HD-compatible satellite receiver.
Sky HD, Sky Q, and Freesat HD receivers should update automatically. If Channel 5 or related services such as 5 USA disappear, simply rebooting the receiver should force it to reload the latest channel information.
Owners of older satellite receivers, televisions with built-in satellite tuners, or non-Sky/Freesat equipment may need to perform a manual or automatic channel scan to restore the affected services, provided their equipment supports DVB-S2.
The change has been confirmed, with older Sky SD receivers now unable to receive the Channel 5 services carried on this transponder, including 5 USA.
This change has been expected since March 2026, when the SD version of Channel 5 was removed from the UK TV Satellites, leaving only the HD version of Channel 5. No point keeping an SD version running when you only need the HD version
Channel 5 Satellite Frequencies
Moving from DVB-S to DVB-S2 allows satellite operators to use their available bandwidth much more efficiently. DVB-S2 can carry significantly more data within the same amount of satellite capacity, enabling broadcasters to transmit more TV channels, improve picture quality, or reduce transmission costs. The downside is that older SD-only satellite receivers cannot decode DVB-S2 signals, so viewers need an HD-compatible receiver to continue watching services that have made the switch.
Hi. I have a Humax Freesat box HDR/GB/500GB7105263. Channel 5 and associated channels have disappeared over the last couple of months. I was wondering reading your article would this be the reason?
I tried my Sky HD box and that is receiving channel 5 perfectly ok. Is it because the humax box is an older model that this is the reason for the loss?
Can you help?
This change to DVBS2 happened in the last few days, and would not have affected the loss of these channels “over the last couple of months”. It may be that your Humax did not automatically update when C5 channels changed frequencies and a Freesat channel scan will bring them back? Your Sky HD box will have automatically updated to any new channel frequencies when you rebooted it.