Yesterday, Channel 7’s new free-to-air TV channel, 7flix, went on air in Australian metro areas. The channel focuses on general entertainment, kids shows and movies — with a film screening at 8:30pm every night of the week. Here’s how to get the new channel on your TV.
Formerly known as Channel 76, 7flix is an all-new digital free-to-air channel broadcast by the 7 Network. As its name implies, the channel airs movies exclusively in its prime time slots with television series and other entertainment at other times. It is available in standard-def only. (Boo!)
Currently, 7flix is only available in metro areas and regional Queensland. Foxtel subscribers and some regional markets do not yet have the channel, although it is possible to stream the channel online via Plus7. There’s no word on when 7’s regional partners will carry the new channel.
So how do eligible users get 7flix? If your TV has an auto-tuner, you should have already received a prompt to add the new channel yesterday. If that hasn’t happened, you might need to re-scan your TV yourself: Simply dive into your TV’s menu using your remote and search around until you find the setup or installation page where the auto-tune option is. Once you’ve re-tuned your set, the new channel should be available to watch.
You’ll need a MPEG-4 compatible TV or set-top box to receive the new channel; any device that touted support for Freeview supports the encoding, but older TVs and hard-drive video recorders will be left out in the cold. If your TV is too old to receive the channel, your best bet is to buy a cheap MPEG4-capable set top box.
It’s worth noting that several TV shows returning to the 7 Network, including The Mindy Project, The Amazing Race and The Muppets will now air on 7flix. So don’t immediately freak out if your favourite show has suddenly disappeared from the main channel.
Somewhat disappointingly, 7flix’s current lineup is dominated by old US sitcoms (Seinfeld, Married…with Children) and really old US sitcoms (I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched.) It’s basically no different to what daytime TV was offering a decade ago.
On the plus side, viewers who enjoy watching movies on free-to-air television are pretty well catered to: films that will be airing over the next few days include You, Me and Dupree, Click, Captain Phillips, Cloverfield, Meet the Parents, Basic Instinct and 10 Things I Hate About You.
Comments
18 responses to “How To Get Channel 76/7flix On Your TV”
Bewitched, I dream of genie, whose the boss. Really? Aus tv is pathetic.
I rescanned my old LG tv and now i’ve got “no signal” on traditional channel like Ch 7 and 9.
I’ve noticed it can depend on how good your antenna is. On my tv I was able to put in the channel mhz manually so that I could tune to it. It just gets fuzzy sometimes
Mess with your aerial. Every time I rescan, I lose some channels. You just have to mess with aerial until you get them all.
Ah didn’t think of that. Thanks mate.
Wow! The quality of this channel, it’s so 2002 DivX bootleg. :/
Eh I’m pretty sure similar to how “GO” was like, old shows are used because its already established they’re well enough liked and are cheap to buy. Hopefully if they see a profit on the channel they will start expanding to newer content.
Would love to see what constitutes as “metro” though, need to figure out if its worth bothering to retune my tv.
I believe someone I know down the Peninsula had had some trouble getting a signal.
When they called up the helpline, their suggestion was to wait for a sunny, non-cloudy day and try and re-tune. (It worked!)
I’m in the peninsula too
It’s been raining all this week and I can’t get any 7 affiliated channels plus SBS isn’t working right although at least it’s been recognised. Will wait for a sunny day and see if it works.
I re-scanned and now get the sound of the new channel, but ‘Invalid Format’ on the screen.
The TV is a Dick Smith own-brand from 2014. Would it be that it’s not a MPEG-4 compatible TV?
Haven’t had this issue with any of the other new channels. We got the new 94 just fine. We live in Western Sydney.
Hi Lib80,
I am getting the same problem exactly. I am in Melbourne. My TV is only 2 years old.
I also get sound and no picture with the message “invalid format” on the screen. I’ve re-tuned the tv numerous times, still only get sound, no picture. My neighbour next door gets hers without a problem. Why can’t I? Sticker on tv says I can get all free to air channels, the channel is listed in the channel listings but still no picture. What is the point of continually trying to retune it when it loses other channels and still doesn’t give you the new channel. And yes I’ve been retuning it on fine sunny days. Does anyone have any other suggestions? It’s a free to air channel, a tv that is not old, why should I have to buy a set top box for something that should’ve worked the first time it was turned on. Very disappointed about all of this.
Your tv can’t view mpeg4. With PCs you can update the sofeware (codec H264) to fix this but at the moment I’m unable to find a DS update
I didn’t have to retune my TV. It just worked. But a few days ago my sister moved out so I moved into her room.. The next room across and now I don’t get some channels and it says invalid format and only plays sound. Annoying. Don’t know how to fix it now. Same TV just next room in our house!!! Works in one room but not the other!!!????
Anyone know whether there are any plans to introduce 7flix in rural areas across Australia? If so, does anyone know when?
I live in Gunnedah NSW 2380, about an hour west of TAMWORTH, we got it the day it was launched, we have 3 TV’s in the house, one just went to it the day it was there all by itself (strange I know, turned on the TV & it was on 7Flix even thought it should still have been on the parent channel 7…) which is a 42″ Soniq in the lounge room, 55″ 3D Soniq Smart TV in our Bedroom needed to be tuned in, but this TV was never going to have a problem as I can directly download & install new codecs at any time, yes it is connected directly to the net, this TV supports ALL video formats. The other TV is in the Man-Cave opposite my cost me a carton of beer 8 person SPA, another 55″ 3D Soniq Smart TV, exactly the same model…
But my one small prolem is a Panasonic Dual High Def Set top box with built in HDD & DVD burner, it can tune all 35 Digital TV stations out here, but type in 66 & it just stays on the channel I was on before, bit pissed about that, as I record all my shows/movies on that, then edit out ad’s & burn to DVD….
I just checked the manual for the Panasonic & it says mpeg4 but it’s not the new mpeg4 codec, will query Panasonic about a firmware update, not really surprising as it was bought before Digital TV was released in OZ, odd that an older model with ony single SDef tuner HDD & burner does get the channel no worries, extremely confused about that… VERY STRANGE !!!
We have been watching 7flix since the launch until last Friday and now no sound, we are northern Sunshine Coast
I have An LG Rv but I live in south west outside of Sydney near Campbelltown the channel I have but its black n says HD service does that mean I cannot get it?
Our TV is not that old either it’s always got all the other channels, for some reason we can’t get the 76 channel to come up on the list even, but the one in our bedroom tuned it not a problem…. how do you check if the TV is standard def & mpeg4 compatible?
I’m in south australia & have all other channels but this new one.
when do we get 7flix in Seymour
Could you please screen the later tc series of The Saint, with Sir Roger Moore & maybe Ian Ogilvy! The episodes you have on NOW are VERY OLD & picture quality & sound is not so good!