Freeview TV Costa Blanca Spain - UK TV in Spain - UK Freeview TV Reception in Costa Blanca

Spanish government to rethink RTVE funding

2012-01-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

The recently elected Government of the PP in Spain is on the verge of announcing a reduction of the budget of state broadcaster RTVE by €200 million.

The news was announced by Cristobal Montoro, Minister of Finance and Public Administration and the €200 million cut back will fall within the total €442 million that the ministry intends to cut.

Following budget cuts of €200 million, the Spanish government has said it is now reviewing the financial situation of the state broadcaster RTVE.

The situation of the broadcaster is ‘serious’ and the government is considering re-introducing selling commercial airtime as a serious option.

The current model of financing the broadcaster was introduced by the former socialist government and is based an a special tax of 0.9% slapped on the turnover of telecom companies and private broadcasters. This type of tax, which Spain introduced after France pioneered the idea, has come under heavy criticism from Brussels.

In addition to swingeing cuts to its budget, as decreed by Spain's new conservative government, it now seems inevitable that national public broadcaster Corporación RTV is to lose a number of channels.

As reported yesterday in Rapid TV News, TVE’s budget is to be reduced by €200 million and now in a futher indignity TVE may be forced toi decide between cutting channels or return to including commercial advertising on its programming.

Other avenues that the Corporation could take include having to sell some of its sporting rights such as the crown jewels of the UEFA Champions League's rights or even the ones pertaining to the London Olympics.

sources: rapidtvnews.com/index.php/2012010418475/rtve-may-reduce-channels-sell-rights-or-accept-ads.html and broadbandtvnews.com/2012/01/04/spanish-government-to-rethink-rtve-funding/

Will my Freeview box work in Spain?

2011-08-25T05:28:00.000-07:00

Many UK Freeview boxes do work in Spain and you can use a Freeview receiver / set top box in Spain.

The UK Freeview receiver will only receive the Spanish digital TV channels.

This is beacuase the Freeview box connects to a TV aerial, and in Spain only SPanish TV vchannels are available via a TV aerial.

Just like in the UK where you can only receive the UK Freeview channels via a TV aerial and not the SPansih TV channels in the UK via a TV aerial.

However, there may be some problems with using a UK Freeview set top box in Spain.

Firstly, you must ensure the box can scan frequency 69 – a frequency that is not used in the UK but it is in Spain.

Also UK boxes may not be able to change programmes into their original language as some UK boxes are programmed to look for English, Welsh and Gaelic language “tags”, where as in Spain they use different language tags like “Dos” or “VO” (Version Original), or “Multi” or “Und”, SET does use an “English” tag.

Freeview Channel list guide - as at 1st October 2010

2010-10-03T14:35:00.001-07:00

Freeview Channel list guide - as at 1st October 2010
A channel list now available via the Freeview EPG

1 BBC One
2 BBC Two
3 ITV1 (and Daybreak)
4 Channel 4 (S4C in Wales)
5 Channel 5
6 ITV2
7 BBC Three
8 Ch. 4 (Wales) / TeleG (Scotland)
9 BBC Four
10 ITV3
11 Sky Three
12 Yesterday
13 Channel 4+1
14 More 4
15 Film Four
16 QVC
17 G.O.L.D Anytime only. 6pm to 11:30pm only
18 4Music
19 Dave
20 Channel One
21 VIVA
22 Ideal
23 Bid TV / ScreenShop
24 ITV4 (and GMTV2)
25 Dave ja vu (+ 1)
26 Home Top Up Anytime only. 2pm to 4pm only A
27 ITV2 + 1
28 E4
29 E4+1
30 Fiver
31 Five USA
32 Big Deal
33 ITV2 + 1
34 ESPN Sport - Available on BT Vision and Top Up TV or on Freeview CAM (Not 24 hours) A
36 Create & Craft
37 Price-Drop TV
38 Quest
40 Rocks & Co 1
41 Sky Sports 1 Sports Subscription Sports Service
42 Sky Sports 2 Sports Subscription Sports Service
43 Gems TV "Coloured Rocks"
44 Sky 3 + 1
50 BBC HD HD Freeview HD areas only
51 ITV1 HD / STV HD HD Freeview HD areas only
52 Channel 4 HD HD Freeview HD areas only
53 S4C HD HD Wales Freeview HD areas only
70 CBBC
71 Cbeebies
72 CITV
80 BBC News
81 BBC Parliament
82 Sky News
84 CNN News
85 Russia Today
87 Community Channel
89 Al Jazeera English
93 Television X
94 ADULT Smile TV 2
95 ADULT Smile TV 3
96 ADULT Babestation
97 ADULT Partyland
98 ADULT TMTV (Tease Me TV)

Freeview Radio Channels

700 BBC Radio 1
701 BBC 1 Xtra
702 BBC Radio 2
703 BBC Radio 3
704 BBC Radio 4
705 BBC 5 Live
706 BBC 5 Live Extra
707 BBC 6 Music
708 BBC Radio 7
709 BBC Asian Network
710 BBC World Service
711 The Hits
712 Smash Hits
713 Kiss
714 Heat
715 Magic
716 Q
718 Smooth Radio
719 BBC Scotland / BBC Wales / BBC Ulster
720 BBC Radio Cymru / BBC Radio nan Gàidheal / BBC Radio Foyle
722 Kerrang!
723 TalkSPORT
725 Premier Christian Radio
726 U105 Radio
727 Absolute Radio
728 Heart

For more information please visit:

The Sat and PC Guy - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

or the forum

The Sat and PC Guy FORUM - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

Sky Sports News confirmed as leaving Freeview

2010-08-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

Sky Sports News confirmed as leaving Freeview

Only pay-TV subscribers will be able to watch Sky Sports News as of August 23rd.

Sky has confirmed that Sky Sports News will no longer be available as a Freeview channel from later this month.

The digital TV, broadband and home phone provider revealed that the move will go ahead from August 23rd 2010 to enable it to "develop the channel through increased editorial investment".

This date also marks the launch of Sky Sports News's high-definition variant.

According to Sky, its existing subscribers with either the Sports or News & Events packs will be unaffected by the move. Those who do not have either of these will be able to view Sky Sports News as a bonus channel until February 2011.

Sky has pledged to put more reporters and production trucks on the roads in order to respond quicker to breaking news and revealed it will also be adding new presenters and programmes.

Sky Sports News will become an exclusively pay-TV channel.

Under the changes on Freeview, Sky Sports News will become Sky3+1 on Freeview and offer an hour timeshift of the already available Sky3 channel.

From that point, Sky Sports News will only be available on Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk TV, along with Sky's online and mobile platforms.

Sky said that changing Sky Sports News to an exclusively pay-TV channel is about "allowing it to benefit from continued growth in subscription revenues".

Also the satellite broadcaster also plans to launch Sky Sports News HD.

Freeview is a UK only digital TV service.
Freeview is a digital television services available via a TV aerial - ie terrestrial.
Freeview is not available via satellite.
Freeview is not available in Spain - dispite what many other installers say and advertise!

Spain has its version of Freeview - it is called TDT - Television Digital Terrestrial.

For more information please visit:

The Sat and PC Guy - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

or the forum

The Sat and PC Guy FORUM - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

Sky Sports News to be removed from Freeview

2010-06-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

BSkyB is to pull Sky Sports News from Freeview in a bid to drive subscription revenues, ending eight years of free-to-air broadcasting of the channel.

BSkyB, which launched Sky Sports News on Freeview in 2002 alongside Sky News and Sky Travel, is to replace the channel with a one-hour-timeshifted Sky 3 +1 service later this year. Sky 3 replaced Sky Travel in 2005.

The move marks a significant shift in BSkyB's attitude to the benefits of using the reach of the free-to-air service as a marketing channel to attract subscribers to its pay-TV service. Despite the Sky Sports News service benefiting from ad revenues on the Freeview platform it is thought that BSkyB has decided that over the long term there is more advantage to be had from taking it completely subscription only.

As part of the move, BSkyB is to boost editorial investment in Sky Sports News as it prepares to launch a high-definition service.

It is understood that the investment, which is not likely to include large numbers of staff hirings, will include new facilities and equipment such as outside broadcast trucks and a commitment to cover a wider range of sports. When the service becomes pay-only it will be available on Sky, Virgin Media and Talk Talk TV.

"As part of a subscription service, customers can look forward to expanded coverage and the launch of Europe's first HD sports news service," said the Sky Sports managing director, Barney Francis.

BskyB will pick up a fourth slot on Freeview when it takes over the Virgin 1 channel, assuming regulatory clearance is given to its £160m takeover of Virgin Media Television's channels. BSkyB did not buy the licence to continue to operate the Virgin 1 name.

Last month BSkyB moved to streamline its Sky News sports operation to share more output with the Sky Sports News operation.

Note: You cannot receive UK Freeview in Spain.
Freeview is a UK Only Digital TV service.
It is only available via a TV aerial, as it receives tranmissions from the land based TV masts in England.

For more information please visit:

The Sat and PC Guy - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

or the forum

The Sat and PC Guy FORUM - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

Don't get confused between 'Freeview' and 'Freesat'

2010-06-06T05:12:00.000-07:00

Don't get confused between 'Freeview' and 'Freesat'

Freesat is a free digital service broadcast from the Astra 2 satellite. It needs a dish mounted on the outside of your house to receive the service, and a digital set-top box or a TV with an integrated satelliter receiver.

Freeview is the name of the free domestic digital terrestrial service in the UK, brodacast from a network of land- based masts, and is received on a normal aerial, as found on most homes. It needs a digital set-top box or an integrated TV. Most modern TVs have digital terrestrial built in. A UK digital TV or Freeview box will work in Spain but will receive Spanish digital services in place of UK ones.

For more information please visit:

The Sat and PC Guy - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

or the forum

The Sat and PC Guy FORUM - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

Confusion About Free UK Television in Spain - Freeview Or Freesat?

2010-03-26T02:48:00.000-07:00

Confusion About Free UK Television in Spain - Freeview Or Freesat?

Many people are confused about whether they can receive free UK television in Spain. The subject of what UK channels you can receive is something we are always being asked. Terms such as free UK television in Spain, Freeview and Freesat are always cropping up so we shall explain it to you.

Many people, including satellite installers in Spain, get confused about Freeview and Freesat. If satellite TV installers are unable to get their terminology correct, then no wonder British expats on the Costa's in Spain are getting more and more confused about how to receive UK TV in Spain.

As British expats move to the warm coastal areas of southern Spain in the Mediterranean, they find it frustrating that they are not able to watch the UK television programmes such as BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5, or the other 100plus other UK TV channels, including Sports, movies and news, that are available to view for free. Although they try to watch local Spanish television channels, some feel the quality of programmes on Spanish TV is not that good as UK TV, they do not show many popular UK TV programmes like Coronation Street or Eastenders, and not all programmes are available in English, (although the switch to Digital Terrestrial Television - TDT - has meant a lot more UK and USA imported programmes are available in English.)

Receiving Freeview in Spain

Freeview is a free digital TV package that is available to people living in the UK. It is not, like many people say, available outside the UK especially Spain. You cannot receive Freeview in Spain. Freeview is a UK only digital television system that is transmitted from the land based television transmitter masts, like Emley Moor and Crystal Palace. The signals from these terrestrial transmitters are not strong enough to reach Spain.

Many UK TV channels are available on "free to air" satellite systems. British expats around Europe can watch their favourite UK TV channels for free via free to air satellite in Spain. Free to air means that there is no monthly subscription to pay, unlike the pay TV channels offered on satellite packages offered by Sky TV.

Receiving Freesat in Spain

Freesat is the name of a brand of satellite receivers designed to receive these free to air UK satellite television channels. You can also use a Sky digibox or any other digital satellite receiver to receive the free to air signals. A Sky digibox without a viewing card will still be able to receive BBC and ITV channels, and all the channels a Freesat receiver can receive.

You can receive many of the UK free to air TV channels by installing a small satellite dish and a digital satellite set top box. However, due to the frequencies used, the main UK TV channels such as BBC and ITV may not be available on these small satellite dishes, and therefore much larger satellite dishes will be required, from 1.8m to 2.4m.

It is worth noting that a Sky digibox without a Sky viewing card will receive the same channels as a standard Freesat digibox.

Both Sky digiboxes and Freesat digiboxes use the same satellite frequencies. So if you cannot receive BBC1 on a Sky box withoyour exisitng satellite dish, then you will not be able to receive BBC1 on your Freesat receiver with the same dish!

Spain does have its own version of Freeview, called Television Digital Terrestrial - TDT. Using a TDT set top box, you are able to receive around 30 digital Spanish television channels via your TV aerial on your roof. The digital aspect allows a much clearer picture than the old analogue TV system, and has the option to change the Spanish dubbing soundtrack on UK and USA imported programmes into the original version. It should also be noted that some UK "Freeview" set top boxes do not work in Spain correctly, as they are programmed for the UK TV service and not the TDT service.

So if an installer says that they are able to install a UK Freeview television system for you in Spain, ask them a few questions. As Freeview is a service received by a TV aerial, then why are they installing a satellite dish? Will you able to receive all the UK Freeview channels, like "Dave" and Sky Sports News, for free on their system, as many channels available for free on Freeview are in fact subscription only on satellite. Remember You cannot receive Freeview in Spain!

For more information please visit:

The Sat and PC Guy - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

or the forum

The Sat and PC Guy FORUM - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

You cannot receive Freeview in Spain!

2010-03-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

No matter what some satellite installers say, you cannot receive UK Freeview in Spain.

You may be able to receive some of the channels available on Freeview via satellite, but you cannot receive Freeview itself.

Freeview is only transmitted on land based transmitters in the UK, and whose signals can only be receive via a TV aerial.

The map above shows the location of the Freeview transmitters, and their signal reach. As you can see, the nearest Freeview transmitter is in Penzanze, and its signal does not cover Spain!

Why some UK channels are not for free on satellite / Freesat but they are in the UK on Freeview?

2010-02-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

Why some UK channels are not for free on satellite / Freesat but they are in the UK on Freeview?

Hardly a day goes by without someone contact me asking for the frequency for Sky Sports News on Freesat.

There is no Sky Sports News frequency for Freesat receivers.

Although Sky Sports News is available for free on Freeview in the UK, on satellite Sky Sports News is a PAY TV channel only, and requires a monthly subscription to view. So even if you do input the Sky Sports News frequency of 12148 H 27.5 2/3 onto your Freesat receiver you still will not be able to watch it as you require a Sky SUBSCRIPTION.

There are many UK TV channels that are like this, that are available for free in the UK on Freeview, but not available on Freesat.

These channels include:
Sky 3
Yesterday
Dave
Dave ja vu
Virgin1
Five USA
Fiver
Quest
4Music
Viva
Sky Sports News

Some of these channels are available without a monthly Sky subscription, but do need a free to view card (also known as a freesatformsky viewing card.) These channels are Five USA, Fiver, Viva, Sky 3.

This also proves that you cannot receive Freeview in Spain. Freeview is a UK only TV service transmitted from the land based transmitters in the UK. These Freeview signals just do not reach Spain. So if you get a UK TV satellite installer who says they can get you Freeview, dont believe them as they cannot - test the installers by asking if the above channels will be available for free just like they are on Freeview.

For more information please visit:

The Sat and PC Guy - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

or the forum

The Sat and PC Guy FORUM - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

Will a UK Freeview digibox work in spain?

2010-02-26T13:56:00.001-08:00

Will a UK Freeview digibox work in spain?

Many UK Freeview boxes do work in Spain, but there are a few issues and they may not work 100%

Obviously the first thing is that a UK Freeview box will not be able to receive the UK Freeview channels whewn used in Spain, as the nearest transmitter of Freeview is based on Cornwall! It will be able to be used to receive the Spansih Digital television service - TDT.

Secondly, you must ensure the box can scan frequency 69 – a frequency that is not used in the UK but it is in Spain for a few channels, including GOLTV.

Thirdly one of the benefits of the TDT Spain system is the ability to change the audio of many UK and USA programmes from Spanish into their original English soundtrack. Some UK boxes may not be able to change programmes into their original language as some UK boxes are programmed to look for English, Welsh and Gaelic language “tags”. In Spain they use different language tags like “Dos” or “VO” (Version Original), or “Multi” or “Und”, tags that UK Freeview boxes may not be able to recognise or use.

Two TDT channels, SET and Disney do use the tags "English", which will be recognised by UK Freeview receivers.

These points refer to Freeview digiboxes, but the same will also apply to TVs with builtin Freeview receviers.

Ideally a generic digital television receiver would be preferable.

For more information visit
http://www.satandpcguy.com/
or
www.satandpcguy.com/forum

How to get UK Freeview in English on the Costa Blanca, Spain

2010-02-26T13:55:00.000-08:00

How to get UK Freeview in English on the Costa Blanca, Spain

You cannot receive Freeview on the Costa Blanca, Spain.

"Freeview" is the brand name of a UK Digital Terrestrial TV service.

It is transmitted from TV transmitters in the UK - ir terrestrial transmitters.

The nearest Freeview transmitter to Spain is in Cornwall, and its signal is not strong enough to be received in Spain. In fact it is was strong enough, then it may be that they would only need on TV transmitter mast in the UK!

However, many channels available on Freeview are also available on satellite - for free. These channels include: BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, Channel 4, Five.

There are also channels that are available for free on the Freeview system that you have to pay for, via a Sky TV subscription and viewing card, on satellite - like Dave, UK History.

You cannot use a Freeview receiver / digibox to receive Freesat TV or Sky TV. Freeview receivers are not compatiable with satellite signals and as such, Freesat TV and Sky TV receivers are not compatiable with Freeview terrestrial siganls (although there may be some combined Freesat Freeview receivers available.)

In Spain, you do have a digital terrestrial TV service, called Television Digital Terrstrial - TDT.

It delivers up to 30 digital TV channels. These are Spanish TV channels. There are no UK TV channels available on TDT. However, you can, in many cases, changed the imported American and UK programmes from their dubbed Spanish audio soundtrack into their original English lanaguage audio soundtrack.

I am sure I saw the latest ITV1 "I'm A Celebrety Get Me Out OF Here" with Ant and Dec on Siete, a Digital TV channel available in Spain. What is the Spanish translation of "Why eye man!"?

For more information please visit:

The Sat and PC Guy - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

or the forum

The Sat and PC Guy FORUM - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca