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BBC and ITV launching new free satellite service early 2006

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Poppycat
Poppycat Posts: 19,899 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
in Techie Stuff
Because of the problems of coverage with Freeview the BBC and ITV have decided to launch a free satellite service to rival $ky early next year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4221722.stm

also

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds24149.html
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Comments

  • Poppycat
    Poppycat Posts: 19,899 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    "The service would be free once viewers had bought a satellite dish and a set-top box, and it would offer more channels than both traditional five-channel analogue television and Freeview, the hugely popular digital terrestrial service launched by the BBC and other broadcasters."

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/09/04/cnsatl04.xml

    Another useful link

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/09_september/07/sat.shtml
  • fgaughan
    fgaughan Posts: 252 Forumite
    i have sky and i finished my 12 month contract 4 months ago and now use it as freeview.
    Reason i got sky where i live tv recption is terrible.
    What i am worried about if this goes ahead (freesat) then will sky stop carring the free channels bcc1 etc.
    While I breathe.... I hope
  • Poppycat
    Poppycat Posts: 19,899 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I am hoping that the service may carry HDTV in the not to distant future, due to the enormous amount of bandwidth it take.

    I hope it gives Sky a good kick up the bum and perhaps lower prices, they need some competition.

    It's too soon to know what BBC and ITV will do with they deal they have with Sky, I think ultimately they may come off at some point because of the cost of paying Sky for the service.
  • raeble
    raeble Posts: 911 Forumite
    What i am worried about if this goes ahead (freesat) then will sky stop carring the free channels bcc1 etc.
    $ky is not going to stop carrying the free channels bbc 1 etc. $ky allows you to access the satellite and the channels that require the sky card, it has no control over the free channels on the satellite. If they stop showing the channels on their EPG you'll be able to tune them in manually as you can with some channels at the moment on $ky.
  • MORPH3US
    MORPH3US Posts: 4,906 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Great news!!! Since I moved house my freeview box has been an ornament!!!

    Only problem now is that i'll have to splash more £££ to get a bloody satalite dish and box to watch it on, not to mention getting permission off the landlord to put a dish up!!!

    I paid £80 for my freeview box ages ago, now they are £30. A box with a dish will probs be £120 first run.

    Anyone know if the lidl package will pick up ITV channels when they unscramble them?

    M
  • alanrowell
    alanrowell Posts: 5,386 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    A box with a dish will probs be £120 first run
    Wonder if that 60 quid one being sold last week would work?
  • gizmoleeds
    gizmoleeds Posts: 2,232 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    raeble wrote:
    If they stop showing the channels on their EPG you'll be able to tune them in manually as you can with some channels at the moment on $ky.
    I doubt they'd do this though as customers would go nuts.

    What confuses me though is - freesat already exists. http://www.freesatfromsky.co.uk/ - sky have been running this for a while now :confused::confused:
  • santana-mx3
    santana-mx3 Posts: 415 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    gizmoleeds wrote:
    What confuses me though is - freesat already exists. http://www.freesatfromsky.co.uk/ - sky have been running this for a while now :confused::confused:

    Yes it would have helped if they came out with a new name for it.
  • Poppycat
    Poppycat Posts: 19,899 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    It does seem old the name is same, and would add to confusion. Some people have stated on digi forum that Sky wont be happy about this nor let them get away with it, although someone said the BBC own the name.
  • Hunnymonster
    Hunnymonster Posts: 751 Forumite
    Indeed the BBC own the trademark name "FreeSat" - they offered to co-operate with Sky to launch it as a system - Sky declined and set up their own "Freesat from Sky" in retalliation..... so Sky shouldn't be terribly surprised if the BBC assert their right to use the name.
    There are 10 types of people in the world, those that understand binary and those that don't

    In many cases it helps if you say where you are - someone with local knowledge might be able to give local specifics rather than general advice
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