UKTV direct from satellite on a 40cm satellite dish from Hotbird….is this another con to prey on unsuspecting expats who may lose their UK TV?

These leaflets, being distributed through bars and shops in the south of Spain, preying on people due to the potential loss of UK TV channels.

This UK TV satellite systems is “a brand new Angelo Hispanic digital TV service beamed from the Eutelsat Hot Bird13A satellite. This innovative service will bring UK TV programs to Spanish audiences, with both Spanish and Original language options. The service will also offer Spanish ex-pats British programming in Spanish.”

Sounds too good to be true.

And it probably is…

For £250, (that is for a receiver and 1 years subscription – you have to pay extra of you want a dish!) you are promised UKTV channels direct from satellite available on an small 40cm satellite dish.

“plus £150 for 40cm or 60cm dish and installation fee.” – Personally, for ideal reception of the Hotbird satellites in Spain a minimum of 60cm satellite dish should really be used. And I supply and install an 80cm dish for 100 euros!

The satellite they are using is, according to the website, the Hotbird 13A satellite . Which is interesting as, according to all the satellite tracking websites, Hotbird 13A is not operational, is not carrying any channels, and is not even located at 13 East (it is in fact in a “graveyard” slot at 3 east!).

Of course this could be a simple error. Or it could be a “rebroadcasting” system that uses terrestrial signals and masts, rather than a satellite, but tries to make people think that their system provides UK TV from a satellite.

According to their website you will receive BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, CBBC, CBEEBIES, BBC NEWS, ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, CHANNEL4, 4SEVEN, FILM4, MORE4, E4, 4 MUSIC, CHANNEL 5, 5USA, 5STAR, Abu Dhabi Sports (ADMC) EUROSPORT, ALJAZEERA, CNN, FOXNEWS, DMAX, MTV, SYFY, DISCOVERY CHANNEL.

Also, according to their website, “Programs such as “East Enders” will be dubbed into Spanish, at the same time available in the original English language version, this will apply to all of the channels offered”. I think this would take an enormous amount of resources to be able to live dub all channels into Spanish!!!?!?!?!?!?!?

It would take someone a few million Euros to be able to set up a system such as this, so you would have thought they would have produced a more professional looking website and leaflet.

The website has no contact numbers. Simple. No detail. No “company information” or registrations. And is registered to an address in Kent.

Sounds familiar. Well a few years ago, there was a short lived system similar to this one, proclaiming to be a long term UK TV system. Their agents, including someone calling themselves a “Charles Turner” (KH?TW? “DM”?), spamming websites and forums for sales, saying nothing can stop them and this system will last forever. It lasted about 4 months before it was closed down and removed from the satellite, leaving their clients out of pocket a few hundred euros. Although their agents claimed there was a “technical issue” with the satellite they were using, and they would return, they never did. Interesting that the website used for this closed “rebroadcast by satellite”, is now selling internet TV systems here in Spain. Hmmmm.

So, until someone can prove different, best avoid this “innovative service”.