UK / English British Satellite Television in Spain

In order to receive UK TV in Spain by satellite, you will require a satellite dish, a Low Noise Block (LNB) and a digital decoder. The satellite dish collects the signals and reflects them to the LNB which collects the signals and sends then down the cable to the digital satellite decoder which then turns those signals into pictures and sounds. Many channels are available for free and there are also Pay TV channels that require a viewing card and a monthly subscription.

Satellite Signals (North Beams, South Beams Narrow Beams)

The BBC, ITV and Sky TV channels are broadcast from a series of four satellites located at 28.2 to 28.5 degrees east. These satellites are called Astra 2Aa, 2B, 2D and Eurobird 1.

Both Freesat TV and Sky TV satellite systems use the same group of satellites and (generally) the same frequencies. You do not need two different dishes to get both systems.

These satellites transmit signals aimed at Europe but the coverage on the ground varies considerably. The 2 older satellites, 2A and 2B, can be thought of as flood lights, lighting up a huge area of Europe, whereas the newer Astra 2D is more like a spot light focused on the British Isles. 2A and 2B have a north beam and a south beam, with the north beam sometimes being "tricky" to receive in Spain. 2D has a narrow or spot beam, and this is the reason why we require big dishes to receive the signals from this satellite.

Receiving BBC TV and ITV in Spain

For example, the satellite that BBC and ITV broadcast from is known as Astra 2D, who’s signal is tightly focused on the UK. This tight signal for Astra 2D is used by the BBC and ITV to limit the signal to the UK only due to contractual rights by film, sports and other TV program makers and is why you need a big dish to receive these signals. On the other hand signals from Eurobird, which Sky News is broadcast from, is a very strong signal and is focused over the whole of Europe, and can be received on a small dish.

It is also worth noting that the BBC TV, ITV Sky and other channels on the satellite do not own any satellites; they just rent the frequencies on them from the satellite owners – Astra and Eurobird. It is, therefore, a misconception that "Sky change the signal footprints of the satellites" as in fact the signal footprints are determined many months before the satellite is even built!

Getting UK TV Abroad. How can I watch British TV outside the UK?

A question we are asked many times - how can I watch UK TV overseas?

The main reason why UK TV is restricted to the UK, and not freely available abroad, is mainly down to broadcast rights, copyright and territories.

All TV programme producers sell their programmes to be broadcast in certain regions and countries. Broadcasters pay to show content in those territories, normally under some exclusivity deal. If these programmes were able to be viewed freely in other countries, then the programme makers may not be able to get sales from other countries channels...and therefore not make any money! Some channels are not so strict, as they rarely have such "copyrighted" material, and hence why such channels as BBC News and Sky News can be freely available around Europe.

You are only allowed to watch Sky TV subscription channels if you're living in the UK Republic of Ireland. Sky will not accept subscriptions from outside of these areas, as they will only issue Sky TV subscription viewing cards to UK and ROI addresses.

As the satellite signals used by Sky TV are available outside the UK, due to the nature of how satellite broadcasting scan send a signal over a large area such as Europe, many of these programmes are encrypted and only available with a sky TV viewing card issued to a UK address.

"To Free or not to Free"

There are over 200 channels including BBC TV and ITV channels available to watch for FREE without any form of subscription. These are referred to as Free To Air (FTA) channels.

It is NOT illegal to watch the BBC, ITV and the many other free satellite TV channels outside of the UK. It is generally accepted that signals designed to be limited to a specific country, like the UK, may "overspill" to other countries, and be able to be received with the relevant size dish.

The main UK broadcasters have to use this "weak signal" satellite for their channels to try and ensure that their channels are not easily available outside the UK. This ensures compliance, to the best of their ability, without affecting the reception in the UK, of their contract and copyright agreements with the programme makers.

However, it is still possible to receive and watch these free to air channels, even though the broadcasters have tried to limit their "reach" across Europe by having their channels on this weak signal, by he use of the big satellite dishes. As far as I am aware, you are not in breach of copyright laws by viewing them, as the signals are unencrypted, free, and the broadcaster has taken steps to limit the reach of these channels, then there is little that can be done.

In fact the Freesat official site says: “Freesat is run as a UK service for television viewers in the UK. The broadcast signal is focused onto the UK, and Freesat equipment is only sold in the UK and requires a UK postcode to install. However, it may be possible outside the UK to use a satellite receiver to pick up channels available on Freesat. We recommend you take advice from a specialist satellite retailer or installer.”

It may also be worth noting the precedent for watching and receiving free to air (unencrypted) TV channels from other countries. Any person with a satellite  dish and satellite receiver is able to receive and watch ANY free to air TV channel from a variety of countries. Even official receivers, such as Spain's Digital+ service, offer the ability to watch other countries FTA channels on their receiver - which are transmitted form the same satellite as their service - ie you can view a free version of Eurosport - in German - on a D+ receiver. And you can also use an official Freesat receiver to view other FTA channels from other countries using the "non-freesat" mode. If it were indeed illegal to watch FTA TV from another country then all  companies selling FTA receivers would be acting illegally.

However availability of BBC and ITV channels does depend on the size of the dish. Due to them restricting the "reach" of their free and unencrypted signals, the minimum size dish in the Costa Blanca to receive these channels is 1.8 meters.

Click HERE for a map that gives an indication of the size of dish required to receive BBC and ITV channels.

Smaller dishes (80 to 120cm) are also available which will be able to receive the majority of the Sky subscription service but not those BBC and ITV channels.

More information on dishes can be found on the dishes page.

UK Sky Systems

The UKs main pay / subscription satellite TV service, Sky, also operates from the satellites at 28.2 to 28.5 degrees east. These channels are broadcast with encryption, and can only be viewed by the use of a Sky subscription card. The amount of channels that are “unblocked” will depend on the subscription charge you pay.

As far as I am aware, it is NOT illegal to use a Sky viewing cards or watch Sky subscription TV channels outside of the UK. However, you are breaking the terms and conditions of you Sky contract, which states that the Sky viewing card is only for use within the UK only. This is Sky’s method of ensuring that their contracts with the film, sports and other TV program makers is satisfied, as a Sky card can only be issued to a UK address.

Is it illegal to watch Sky premium channels and not pay a subscription?

Simply Yes. The viewing of pay TV channels without the proper subscription to the channels operators is illegal. So if you are watching Sky Sports or Sky movies on a system without an official Sky viewing card, or by not paying Sky a monthly subscription, then you are watching those channels illegally.

Sky Plus

Sky Plus decoders are available and do work in Spain. These are Personal Video Recorders (PVR) and, with the use of its internal Hard Disk Drive, will allow you to record and pause (sometimes known as Timeshift) TV channels. They also allow you to watch one TV channel whilst recording the other by the use of its twin tuners, which does require two cable connects from the dish to the Sky Plus decoder. Currently the Sky Plus functions are available for free with any Sky TV subscription. If you do not have a Sky subscription you can for a £10 per month subscription activate these functions on the Sky Plus decoder.

High Definition (HD)

To receive and view HD channels you will require a HD decoder and a HD TV. There are a number of free HD channels available, such as BBC HD and Channel4HD, and an increasing number of HD subscription channels. The number of HD channels is slowly increasing and eventually all channels will be in HD. There are two forms of HD, 720 and 1080. These refer to the number of lines of data the TV’s can replicate, so a 1080 HD TV provides a picture with more lines of data than a 720 HD TV, and thus a clearer and more defined picture. Both Freesat and Sky provide options for receiving HD programmes.

Mesh / Microwave Rebroadcasting systems

Sometimes people ask "How to view Sky TV in Spain without a dish". The simple answer is illegally!

Some companies offer a service that can provide TV without the use of a satellite dish. These systems use a relay system to rebroadcast the satellite signals from a base station. This base station can be many hundreds of kilometres away so you can in effect be receiving a tenth generation signal. These systems are not authorized by any broadcaster (BBC, ITV or Sky) and are in breach of international copyright laws. In fact some suppliers have removed the Sky subscription channels (Sports, Movies etc) due to pressure from the legal broadcasters and copyright holders leaving many customers unhappy, especially as they have been replaced by channels that can be received on a small 80cm dish for FREE!! Many customers made the assumption that as the company providing the service was legal (eg paying taxes and properly registered), the channels it was providing were also legal, which they were not. They ask for a monthly subscription for FREE TV channels, and are very limited as to the number of channels and interactive, teletext and other “Red Button” services that they provide.

The Sat and PC Guy has never endorsed, installed, or recommended this system to any clients, and has always advised people of the dangers of the loss of signal and the legalities of this system.

Freeview / TDT

You cannot get Freeview in Spain. Freeview is not the same as Freesat – a common misconception. Freeview is transmitted in the UK only by the local TV transmitters, and is only receivable via a TV aerial, and Freesat is transmitted from satellites and only receivable via a satellite dish.

The Spanish version of Freeview is TDT. Although it only broadcasts Spanish television channels, many programmes are available to watch in English.

See our TDT page for more information.

There are many other English satellite television channels available on other satellites, such as Arabsat, Nilesat, Astra, but the main UK channels are only available from one "satellite constellation".