The Bilsdale mast is back
The new Bilsdale mast is now live, providing TV services to the region. We thank everyone for their patience.
Find out more and read our FAQs below.
Key facts
What happened
On 10 August 2021, a fire was reported. The fire service arrived within 45 minutes and managed to get the fire under control within a day, although it took five days to clear the site and make it safe.
Initial response
We restored some Freeview TV services to around 99% of households with an 80m temporary tower on the Bilsdale site and an array of smaller 'relay' sites across the region.
One team
We worked closely with charities, housing associations and local councils to reach people experiencing problems with their TV signal.
What now?
The new mast went live for TV services on Monday 22 May 2023. At over 300m tall it is the UK’s 11th tallest structure and weighs around 250 tonnes.
Anyone still experiencing signal issues AFTER conducting a retune should visit www.freeview.co.uk/help.
About Arqiva
We're a telecoms and infrastructure company. We build and operate technology that's used to provide things like TV, radio, and smart meters. We manage over 1,000 transmitters around the UK. At Bilsdale Mast, we receive signals from the likes of the BBC and ITV, and then send it back out across the country
Working together to restore your service
