Why are the only English language tv stations in foreign hotels are news ones.

Legacy_user

I don't stay at hotels for the tv. Just for background noise for when I am getting dressed or got 20 mins to kill.

Every single hotel I have stayed in a country where English isn't their first language, the only English language tv stations are news. Boring and depressing. Other languages have at least 2-3 channels of comedy, drama, documentary etc.

I have downloaded a VPN app so I can watch UK catch up tv websites abroad.

knightstyle

Because they are not allowed to show UK programs without a licence.
So they aim their dish at a different satellite to the UK one, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free-to-air_channels_at_28%C2%B0E
for a list of channels available on various satellites.

Doshwaster

Presumably because the news channels don't cost them anything.

About 10 years ago, I once spent a week in a hotel where the only English language channel was Fox News. That was tough. Now I usually don't even turn the TV on. As long as you have wi-fi there is always something you can stream.

zagfles

There's not usually English language tv stations but there's quite often English programmes/sitcoms/films on local stations which are subtitled.

Moto2

The news channels are often on a satellite feed with a much wider broadcast footprint or re-broadcast on local feeds under licence.

pattycake

We returned from Tenerife yesterday. The tv in our room had BBC1 and 2. ITV1 and plus 1, and a full range of Channel 4 output.

We don't go on holiday to watch tv in the room but the One Show was nice background when I was getting ready in the evening and we liked having BBC breakfast on first thing.

We especially enjoyed BBC banging on about the record breaking weather in London when it was cloudy and blowing a gale in Tenerife:)

Cisco001

Why do you expect non english speaking country makes program in English?

BTW, are hotels in UK showing TV programme in French/Spanish/Chinese, etc?

Moto2

Cisco001 wrote: »

Why do you expect non english speaking country makes program in English?

BTW, are hotels in UK showing TV programme in French/Spanish/Chinese, etc?

Yes, I used to design and install the systems for them

bigadaj

Cisco001 wrote: »

Why do you expect non english speaking country makes program in English?

BTW, are hotels in UK showing TV programme in French/Spanish/Chinese, etc?

Non English speaking countries won't make programmes in English but they will utilise a lot of English language programming die to the volume of output from the us, U.K., Canada, Australia etc etc

Hotels in the uk may well carry foreign language programmes, depending on their business model.

Fundamentally English is the lingua Franca of the world, and is most people's second language so it makes sense to provide it in many situations.

Widelats

Never noticed, they don't have TV's in the flop houses i have stayed at, just street noise.

novelty-socks

Excellent generalisation in your subject line.

I've encountered an enormous variety, from German hotels which have a great spread of BBC channels right through to Chinese hotels that have a single English-language station — and that was the local propaganda news channel (worth a look for a laugh).

My suggestions would be:

- If you want something interesting as 'background noise', use your smart phone, tablet or laptop to listen to the radio via the iPlayer app. This works fine abroad.
- If English language TV is that important to you, check what channels are available before you book a hotel.
- Get the iPlayer app for your phone/tablet/laptop and download a bunch of shows before you leave the country. You can then watch them without restrictions.