Channel 4 has issued an apology for the ongoing issues which are affecting delivery of its programming and channels.
Late last month a false fire alarm at playout company Red Bee Media severely disrupted transmission of the UK's largest broadcasters, with Channel 4 dropping off air for a brief period.
More than 10 days later, Channel 4 has still not fully recovered from the incident and is still unable to provide subtitling on programmes, while several of its music channels remain off air.
In a statement, the broadcaster said: "On Saturday 25 September 2021, Channel 4's channels and on-demand services were significantly affected when the fire suppression system was triggered at Red Bee Media, the company that broadcasts our services. The building was evacuated and no one was injured, but as a result, we were temporarily off-air.
"Even though all our channels are now broadcasting again, the problems caused by the incident means we are still experiencing issues with programmes and adverts as well as with audio and video quality. Since the incident we have also continued to have problems with our All 4 service and are not able to offer any programmes with audio description, subtitles or sign language.
"So, we would like to apologise for any problems you might still be experiencing as you watch your favourite shows. We want to reassure you that we are doing everything we can to return to a normal service as quickly as possible.
"Until then, bear with us if things don't always go to plan. We are trying our best."
The exact reason for the ongoing problems has not been disclosed, although the activation of fire suppression systems at Red Bee suggests that key broadcasting equipment may have suffered damage.
Neil Wilkes
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