Freesat from Sky

Freesat from Sky is a British satellite television service from BSkyB which gives viewers access to over 200 free-to-air channels [http://www.lyngsat.com/freetv/United-Kingdom.html List of Free To Air channels broadcast from the UK] ] , some free-to-view encrypted channels, an electronic programme guide (EPG) and Sky Active interactive data services. It is competitor to Freesat as well as Sky's own pay-TV satellite service Sky Digital, which are also available on Astra 2D.

This service requires use of the proprietary Sky Digibox and the Sky+ system of digital video recorder decoders which use Sky's proprietary OpenTV EPG for interactive television services. The boxes are limited in some regards, such as digital audio, video outputs, the lack of ability to use a dish motor and scanning for channels not carried on the EPG.

Included in the over 200 Free-to-air channels (which do not require either a viewing card or a Sky receiver to watch) that are not available on Freeview digital terrestrial television are CNN International, EuroNews, Al Jazeera English, Travel Channel (UK), Men & Motors, all the regional services of the BBC and ITV and S4C Digidol outside of Wales.

As of December 2007, the number of households with free-to-view satellite television is estimated by Ofcom to be 1,055,000, or 4.1% of households with television. [cite web
url = http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/tv/reports/dtv/dtv_2007_q4/dtvq407.pdf
title = Digital TV, Q4 2007
accessdate = 2008-06-06
author=
last=
first=
authorlink=
coauthors=
date= 2008-03-27
format = PDF
work = The Communications Market: Digital Progress Report
publisher= Ofcom
pages= p14] (This figure includes households with Freesat from Sky and 'churned' Sky Digital subscribers who kept their Sky Digiboxes to access free-to-view channels.)

List of free-to-view channels for which a Sky box is required

* Channel 4 HD (Sky HD box is required)
* Five
* Fiver
* Fiver +1
* Five US
* Five US +1
* Sky3
* Setanta Sports News

As of June 2008 some ITV1 regions have been encrypted again due to one of their narrow bean transponder agreements ending.Fact|date=June 2008

Five's group of channels will become free-to-air once their contract ends in July 2008 so they can launch on Freesat.

The Five channels and Sky3 are also available on Freeview television, so a Sky box is NOT required.

References

External links

* [http://www.freesatfromsky.co.uk/ Freesat from Sky home page]