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FreesatFromSky Viewing Cards
You do not need a Sky viewing card to watch the free to air UK TV channels like BBC or ITV, in the UK or in Spain. You do need an active Sky card for the encrypted versions of Five, and ITV.
In previous years, when channels such as Channel 4 and Channel 5 were only available via encrypted satellite signals, Sky had an obligation to provide a viewing card that allowed people to view these channels without he requirement to pay for a monthly subscription.
The Freesatfromsky card allowed the viewing of certain encrypted channels that should really be made available for free on satellite.
The FreesatFromSky card was made available from Sky for a one off payment.
The channels currently available with a FreesatfromSky card are
Some ITV regions (on 12408 V frequency)
Some Channel 4 and its various channels (on 12480 V frequency)
Five
Fiver
Fiver+1
Five US
Five US+1
Sky Three
Notes:
Other ITV regions are available for free and without a Sky Card
The main Channel 4 and its various channels on the Sky EPG are also available free and without a Sky Card
Five is also available for free and without a Sky Card - but limited to the same availability as BBC2.
Click
HERE for a full list of channel
numbers for FTA and FTV channels on Sky receivers
So if and when the next Sky card change occurs (rumoured to be April 2009), it is uncertain whether or not the FreesatfromSky cards will also be replaced, as Sky are essentially now under no obligation to provide them.
It is due to this uncertainty, and the uncertainty of actual supply of replacement cards, that I am no longer supplying these FreesatfromSky cards. You can however, still order them directly from Sky.
Update: August 2009: Freesat from Sky Cards - Important
It looks like these typs of Sky viewing cards will be changing also soon......
Messages have been appearing on screens this weekend with a message along the
lines of "Your viewing card is about to expire - you may lose channels after
September 2009"
Unlike the new cards for Sky subscribers, Freesat replacement cards will not be
sent out automatically, but via an onscreen message saying the card is due to
expire and to contact Sky.
If you do nothing then you will loose access to any FTV channels:
ITV1 (in these regions only: Anglia W, Central SW, Mer N, Mer SE, TT S, Yorks E)
Channel 4 HD
FIVE
FIVE USA, FIVE USA +1, FIVER, FIVER +1
Sky 3
If you purchased a Sky FTV card after 1st May 2006 you are entitled to a free
replacement card. Either call Sky or apply for a new card online before the end
of September 2009. You can apply online at: http://www.sky.com/replacecard. Just
enter your viewing card number and it will tell you if you are eligible for a
replacement.
Please note that this may be different if you bought your card from an agent or
installer in Spain who may charge for a replacement! Similarly there is no
mention if the new cards you will get are preactivated or not....so you may also
have to contact sky to get the cards activated.
Be aware of the following point when buying viewing cards from eBay etc.
I don't endorse this route and you proceed at your own risk. Remember that you'll be buying from an unofficial source and therefore you should tread carefully. And all SKy cards remain property of Sky no matter what.
Many sellers are currently offering, and are likely to continue to offer, the soon-to-be-outdated Sky cards. These are dark blue with a yellow house logo. It is anticipated that sometime in 2009, that all such cards will be switched off and rendered useless.
Ideally if you do buy a Sky viewing card from Ebay, then you need to make sure it has been pre-activated. If it hasn't, there's no way you can get it activated and it won't work - you need the details of the sky cards account from the seller also.
Don't be influenced by claims that the card being offered for sale will pick up the free-to-air (FTA) channels. An active Freesatfromsky card will only get you few extra channels - Five, Fiver, Five USA, Sky Three and Setanta News. None of the other free channels, such as BBC or ITV needs a viewing card at all.
No card from eBay will allow you to watch Sky's subscription channels.
Cards bought from Ebay can be rendered inactive by the seller at any time, even after you have bought the card and left positive feedback...all he has to do is call sky and say that his card has been damaged,, sky will deactivate the card you now have and send the seller a new card.
