Viewers across Spain need to retune their televisions on Thursday. Credit: AI Generated / Shutterstock
Viewers across Spain who flick to Clan, BeMad or Atreseries next week may find them in a different spot, or not showing up properly, as the national channels are shuffled to make room for a brand new free station. The fix takes a few minutes and doesn’t need a new television.
Households will need to retune on Thursday November 5
Households across Spain are being told to run a fresh channel search on Thursday November 5, with the Government recommending viewers do it from 8am, once overnight technical work has finished. The changes are the first phase of Spain’s move to a new broadcasting standard called DVB-T2, the technology behind ultra-high-definition (UHD) free-to-air TV. Only one of the national multiplexes (the bundles of channels sent out together), known as RGE2, switches over this time, while all the others carry on as they are.
There’s no need to do anything before 8am on the day. Broadcasters have been running information campaigns since Monday October 5, and a second phase, which will make UHD the standard across national, regional and local channels, will only follow once enough households own compatible equipment. No date has been set for that yet.
Clan, DKISS, Atreseries and BeMad are among the channels on the move
The Government’s own retuning guide names Clan, DKISS, Atreseries and BeMad among the channels that change place, with Spanish press reports adding Boing as Mediaset reorders its channels. Clan’s move comes first, in the early hours of Tuesday November 3, when it joins one of the RTVE (Spain’s public broadcaster) multiplexes.
None of them are leaving Spanish television, and the official guidance says viewers won’t lose any channels. However, after the reshuffle a channel may sit under a different number, turn up further down the list, or not show properly until the television has searched again. Anyone with pay-TV from Movistar Plus+, Orange TV, DIGI or Vodafone TV doesn’t need to do anything, as those platforms update their own channel lists.
A new free channel, La Séptima, launches the same day
Joining the line-up is La Séptima, a new national free-to-air channel that starts broadcasting in high definition on Thursday November 5. It will share a multiplex with DKISS, so it’s one more reason to retune. The licence was awarded in May to a company called Servicios Integrados Entretenimiento Televisivo, and journalist Javier Ruiz, who has left RTVE, is lined up as its presenter and editorial director.
Like every other channel, it won’t appear on a television until the search has been run, so viewers who skip the retune simply won’t find it.
You won’t need a new television or aerial
For anyone wondering ‘do I have to buy a new telly?’, the answer from the Government is no. There are no changes needed to aerials, shared building installations, amplifiers or cabling, and no installer is required just to keep watching. Most channels stay in HD, and televisions without DVB-T2 will keep receiving every channel that’s still on the current system. Newer sets are likely to cope anyway, as every television sold in Spain since the National Technical Plan for TDT (digital terrestrial television) was approved in March 2025 has to be able to receive UHD.
The only catch is the new UHD (sometimes called 4K) versions of La 1, La 2, Antena 3 and Telecinco. To watch those, a television or set-top box must handle both DVB-T2 and a video format called HEVC, and a 4K screen on its own isn’t enough. Each of those channels is also broadcast in HD with the same programmes, so nobody misses out.
How to retune your television in Spain
The menus differ between brands, but the steps are much the same. Press Menu, Home or Settings on the remote, then look for a section called Channels, Broadcast, Installation, Setup or Tuning.
Choose automatic channel search (Búsqueda automática or Sintonización automática), picking Antenna if the television asks for the signal type. Then leave the television switched on until the search finishes, as turning it off halfway can leave the list incomplete.
When it’s done, save the changes and check that every channel is there. The list may come back in a different order, often alphabetical, but most televisions let you move channels around using an Edit channels or Sort channels option.
If something is still missing, ask your community of owners or building administrator, or call Televisión Digital, the Government’s helpline, on 901 20 10 04.
