Confusion About Free UK Television in Spain – Freeview – Freesat – Free to air – Free to view
Confusion About Free UK Television in Spain – Freeview – Freesat – Free to air – Free to view – Satellite TV in Spain for expats
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, even 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 received by a TV aerial. The UK Freeview signals are not strong enough to reach Spain.
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 40 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.
Free to air
However, many UK TV channels are available on “free to air” satellite systems. 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, and no viewing card is required.
You can receive free to air channels on just about any satellite receiver – including Freesat set top boxes and Sky Digiboxes.
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 satellite dish and a digital satellite set top box. However, due to the satellite beams and frequencies used, the main UK TV channels such as BBC ITV Channel may not be available on smaller satellite dishes, and therefore much larger satellite dishes will be required. In some areas of Spain, like Valencia and the Costa Blanca a small 100x110cm satellite is the minimum required. For other areas of Spain, like Barcelona and Andalucía, a larger 1.8m or 2.4m dish is required. For some areas a satellite dish of at least 4m may be required to receive these channels.
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 with your existing satellite dish, then you will not be able to receive BBC1 on your Freesat receiver with the same dish!
Free to view.
Free to view are channels that are available subscription free, but are encrypted and so require a satellite card to access. As at May 2015, there are only a handful of free to view channels – Motors TV, LFCTV, Sony Movies.
Free to view is not, as one satellite installation installer on the Costa del Sol says “is a satellite decoder which will give you all of the free programmes”.
So if a satellite installer in Spain says that they are able to install a UK Freeview television system for you, 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” for free on their system, as many channels available for free on Freeview are in fact subscription only on satellite. Remember You cannot receive UK Freeview in Spain!
I live in Mojacar Playa and have been happily using a Humax Fresat box and approx. 1 metre dish to get BBC etc. Now all gone. Would a stronger LNB do the trick?
Many thanks
Changing LNB will usually only work if the dish is large enough to receive the signals in the first place.
And for you, a 1m dish is simply way too small to receive BBC and ITVs where you are.
You will be looking at a 1.8m or 2,4m dish at least, to receive the uk Freesat channels back again, as since they all moved to the new satellites in Feb 2014, your area has less signal than it did prior to their move.
hi
i live in bilbao, and i used to get freeview channels through astra 28.2e, but now i cant receive any of them anymore
Which satellite should i focus my dish to?, and what size dich?
Same satellites, – 28 east, but you simply need a larger dish.
Looking at the reception reports map on https://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/astra_2e_satellite_reception_footprint_uk_tv_spain.php, Bilbao needs around a 1.5m dish to receive BBC ITV C4s and Fives.
But as reception where I am based is a lot different to Bilbao, seek local advice.
With a 1.5 meter dish will I receive all the 200 channels or only bbc and itv?
You will receive many other channels, like C4s and Fives,CBS, etc
On Freesat there are only about 170 TV channels, not 200.
You will receive whatever channels your dish can for its size for your location.
On Saturday 9th January our TVs signal in Spain has dropped.
There is a rumer that they have changed the satellite and it does not have the same coverage.
I have a 1.8 meter dish
Can you confirm the situation please
There have been no “changes of satellite” since mid 2015.
UK TV is still coming from the same three UK TV satellites (2E,2F and 2G) as they have been since mid last year, when the last change happened, when channels moved to 2G.
There are no plans for any other satellites for UKK TV for the next 15 years or so…when these three satellites need to be replaced.
But what can, and has always happened, is channels can change frequencies, beams, and satellites.
hi
I live in north Tenerife what size dish will we need
to receive itv bbc chn 4 etc
thanks henry
From the main Astra 2 UK TV satellites, a very large dish – 3m plus.
From a back up satellite, that you will need to hack into the encrypted feeds, perhaps a 80 to 100cm dish – https://www.satandpcguy.com/intelsat-bbc-satback/
Hi there, I have returned to my holiday home in the Costa del Sol recently, to find that I also have lost the usual BBC and ITV etc freeviiew channels. I have been using a digitbox decoder with a freeview card in it. I am still able to pick up channels on it, such as Sky News and around 30 odd channels which I went through page by page. My dish size is l think a bout 1.5 m diameter. Could you please advise me what I may need to do to get the regular channels back. Many Thanks Dave
The Costa del Sol started to lost the free UK TV channels back in late 2013 and early 2014…
You need a much larger dish if you want BBC ITV C4 and Fives via Sky or Freesat.
In the CdS a dish of at least 3m, maybe larger.
Am motorhoming Spain/Portugal/France can you please advise what setup I would need – thanking you, Roy
All depends what channels you want to watch.
Most of the Sky pay channels can be received on a fairly small satellite dish – 80cm ish.
But reception of the non Sky Pay channels, like BBC ITV C4 and Five’s varies a lot across those countries, some areas getting them on an 80cm dish, some areas needing 1.8m dishes, other areas needing 4m plus dishes for them.
I’m doing the same later this year, I have an 85cms dish fitted, if I take my sky box from home can I receive bbc1 and itv on it?
You may just about be able to get BBC and ITV channels on that size dish… in one or two areas of Spain.
But for most of Spain, that sized dish will simply be too small to receive those channels.
Hi, We have a house in Jimena de la Frontera, Cadiz. There is a fairly large satelite dish and receiver. Not sure of the size but it is quite large. We bought the house in December 2014. The receiver now only receives a few channels e.g. pick, sky news, etc. Do we need a new receiver, larger dish or realignment please.
All depends on what you mean by “fairly large satellite dish”
For the BBC ITV C4s channels from the main Astra 2 UK TV satellites, you will need a very large dish – say 3 or 4 or 5 meters in that area.
But for other channels, there are about 50ish free channels that you should still be able to receive (like Pick, Challenge, Sky News and many more that you probably will never watch) on a smaller 1m ish dish. As well as quite a lot of the Sky pay channels, should you subscribe.
I may be the exception to the rule, but I have just bought a property in Spain which already has a SkyBox and dish installed. I actually want to receive Spanish TV to help me learn the language, can I use the same dish for Sky and local channels?
A Sky digibox will only work with UK TV, and the UK TV satellites (located at 28 east).
Spanish satellite TV comes from different satellites (Astra 1 at 19 east or Hispasat at 30 West) and requires a Movistar+ subscription.
Although it is possible to get both 19 and 28 on the same dish, it would be best to get another dish 60-80cm and the required Movistar+ receiver and card and subscription.
Or with a TV aerial, and terrestrial digital tuner, you can receive over 30 TV channels, subscription free. With the bonus of if the programme is from the UK or USA, 99% of the time you can change the dubbed Spanish audio into the original English.
we live in san pedro Marbella and no broadband how can we get bbc ecetra will a gi hd sat box help
You will either need a very very large satellite dish (like 4 or 5m!) to get the channels from the main UK TV Astra 2 satellites…
Or you can get the limited UK TV channels using a much smaller 80cm dish and hacking (so yes illegal!) into some encrypted feeds – see https://www.satandpcguy.com/intelsat-bbc-satback/
Can I bring a TV bought in the UK to my place in Costa Blanca? It will obviously been a converter plug but is there any difference between UK & Spanish TV’s?
Apart from the power plug, the TV should work fine.
But you can find some Freeview branded UK TVs may not work 100$ with the Spanish equivalent.
But it will work fine via external devices like a Sky or Freesat set top box
Just returned home (costa Blanca) to discover my sky doesn’t work anymore. It’s showing a no satillite signal received message? Any ideas…. I’m thinking the frequency has changed again? Many thanks.
What frequency has changed?
UK TV channels on a Sky digibox use approx 100 frequencies. Which frequency the digibox uses depends on which channel you have selected to watch.
And the default transponder (the frequency used by the digibox to download the channel list when the box is first powered ion) on a Sky digibox has always been 11778.
If you are getting “no signal” messages then it can be down to a number of things : dish too small for your location, dish has moved out of alignment, dish has warped, LNB failure, insect inside LNB (on larger 1.8 and 2.4m dishes), cable connection issue, cable issue (split in cables letting in water and shorting the system) and receiver issues.
Hi, i was wondering if you could help me on a slightly related topic. I live in New York & want to get UK free to air channels. Is it as simple as putting a dish on the roof, pointing it in the right direction (towards the Astra satellite) & getting a set top box? There is not a great deal of demand for it over here wheras on the continent everyone seems to want to do it. Am I too far away geographically? Any help or advice would be appreciated! Thanks
Hi
You will not be able to receive the UK FTA channels via satellite in the US.
Bearing in mind that a man in Brazil needed a 9m dish for the analogue Astra 1 channels, the size of dish you would need for the Astra 2 digital channels would have to be HUGE… The signals simply do not reach that far away. The only way would be via internet or IPTV ( https://www.satandpcguy.com/iptv-internet-tv/ )
Hi I have an apartment in Spain guardamar del segura and have to with freesat box we use to get some English channels and some Spanish but this last year we can’t pick up anything, what do we need to do to make it work?
Hi, Firstly there are no Spanish channel on Freesat, since Freesat is UK satellite system carrying mainly Uk channels. So if you had UK channel and no longer have them, then perhaps it is your dish that needs a small realignment, assuming it is large enough for your area for UK Freesat channels.
I am surprised that non of you deem to be using Arabsat at 26 east. Try 11911 H for the MBC channels in English, Fox movies, BBC News etc.
Hi, In the past week or so we have started and now with more regularity getting the message’ The receiver is not receiving a signal or the signal is to weak’ only channel 5 sometimes but nothing else! We are in La Drova.
So either your dish is misaligned, your dish is too small for your location, your LNB is failing, or your cable and or connections are poor, or your receiver is on the way out…. as there are no issues with any of the signals from any of the UK TV satellites.
Hi, have connected my Humax Freesat box from UK to our house in Javea. We have a large dish and the picture quality Is great (although no ITV HD?). We still get BBC South but you can only record 1 channel at a time which suggests only one tuner is being used. Can I perform retune with my UK postcode? Or will it need a Spanish code but then I would lose BBC South? Many thanks.
“a large dish” – you need to say how large a dish… ITV1HD need a min of 110x120cm dish in Javea…and that is classed as a small dish. If you have a dish of at least this size and still cannot get ITV! HD, then it will be a dish alignment issue
“but you can only record 1 channel at a time which suggests only one tuner is being used.” – A Freesat box can record two channels at a time, using a single cable feed from the dish, as long as those channels are on the same frequency group. Trying to record two channels on different frequency groups using one cable will not work. Ideally you will need two cable feeds from your dish to your freesat box (assuming it is a twin tuner model). If you already have two cable feeds from the dish to your receiver, then either one cable is not working, or your box is in single cable mode, and only a reset and go thru the freesat install wizard again will activate input 2.
“Can I perform retune with my UK postcode?” – yes.
“Or will it need a Spanish code but then I would lose BBC South?” – Freesat is designed for UK TV, and so it will not work with a Spanish postcode, as your Spanish postcode will not help the box determine which BBC ITV1 and C4 regions to allocate on 101, 102, 103 and 104.
I am trying to get some English TV channels to a property in Denia.
Can I just connect an old English SKY box or do I have to have a satellite dish as well?
Sky TV comes from satellites, so you will need to connect your box to a satellite dish, that is large enough to receive the channels you want for where you are (a 110x120cm dish will be good enough for the free BBC ITV C4 and Five channels), and aligned to the correct satellites.
Hi, here in the Catalan Pyrenees, about 30 km south east of Andorra, with a 1,20 m dish, we receive the usual FTA BBC 1 etc, but ONLY around Christmas, and I think some of August.
Would you say a 1,80 m dish would get these channels all year round?
The only FTA channels we do get all year are Sky news, CNN, etc, ( basically all except UK channels). Thanks.
Sounds like your current dish is just beyond the minimum requirement for stable reception. So yes a larger dish should help. But first it may be an idea to see if another LNB or even a realignment can help (your dish may not be aligned as well as it could)
OK, I did try realigning the dish – no success. But the signal strength and quality test shows a stable reading of around 90%.
We’re using a Pace box and I don’t remember the LNB make, but I think it’s one if the good ones for fringe reception – though it must be about 10 years old now. I suppose it’s trial and error whether a bigger dish , or better LNB, would give a stable year round signal. Thanks.
“the signal strength and quality test shows a stable reading of around 90%.” – if this is the signal screen on a Sky box, then this may not necessarily be showing the signal for the frequency you want. Most times it shows the signal for the Sky Default Transponder frequency of 11778.
I would think the larger dish would give better all round signals, as a new LNB will only work if the dish is large enough to receive a good signal in the first place.
The main issue I see with a dish of 1,80 or 2m is the huge price. Up to 1,20m seems affordable, but anything bigger and the price sky rockets.
I even thought of trying to make my own. Thanks
Hi,
I’ve recently purchased an apartment in Campoamor – Orihuela. There’s a communal satellite dish approx 3mtrs in diameter that is cabled to each apartment. I intend to use either my UK Skybox or a Freesat received to give me UK TV channels. I take it that if the satellite is aligned correctly then this should work?
In addition the connectivity within my apartment from the Satellite is what I would describe as a standard coaxial outlet marked Sat. How and what do I need to use to connect to my skybox/ Freesat received?
Thanks
If the dish is aligned for UK TV, and your apartment and the SAT RF coax output is connected to the communal system, then all you need is a cable connecting that SAT RF connection to your Sky / Freesat receiver satellite input.
Hi Many thanks for that. If I was to use a separate sky satellite dish, what size would I require in order to receive Freesat uk tv channels.I live in Dehessa de Campoamor.
Thanks, Ian
For the free UK TV channels you will be needing at least a 125x135cm satellite dish. Maybe depending on exact location slightly larger
Hi, we have recently bought a house in torrox we have no internet and no english tv. We definitely want English basic tv asap but will need internet next year when we will be renting the property. Im just getting confused about all the different options any advice would be very much appreciated thanks norma
Internet –
ADSL via landline..from operators like Movisatar, Orange, Vodephone
Internet via 4g : VArious operators – depending if you arein a 4g area
Internet via wifi – various operators, all depend if you have line of sight to the companies masts. Companies will come out for a survey to see if you can get their signal.
BBC ITV C4 and Five via Freesat or Sky – in that area you will be needing about a 4 or 5 meter dish
Most Sky pay channels available on a smallish 125 dish
Add a Smart DNS service to your sky box, and you can get catch up for those channels that need a very large dish.
Or for very limited BBC ITV C4 and Five, get an “intelsat Sat Back” service, and hack (ie illegally acccess), the signals on this service for how ever long they last.
Or if you have decent internet speds look for an internet streaming / IPTV service…
But the best advice, is speak to your neighbours in the area and get info on what they use…
I’ve just come back from Tenerife and rented an apartment in las Christianos. Which had a system installed that received all freesat channels all sport sky, but etc virgin channels in fact more channels than I’ve ever seen. What system could this be. I think it could have been connected to the internet in some way
Probably an IPTV service ie TV via the internet
Hi, slightly off topic…..I live in Mijas Costa on the Costa Del sol and have Avatel broadband (fibre optic) and the router has a coax output connected to my uk Samsung tele. The epg guide works on the tele the same way it did in the uk, with a selection of uk channels. My question is, could I buy a uk humax or similar free view style set top box with a pvr built in and then record progs like I could in the uk, with the routers coax connected to the set top box?
A Freesat box needs a signal from the satellite to work. In your area you need a very large satellite dish.
A Freeview box needs a signal from the UK Freeview system to work. These Freeview signals are not available in Spain…they barely cover the UK!
So both those options will be out.
However, most smart TVs are able to record, using a USB stick or drive. This depends on make or model, but should be OK if it is using “coax” cable and input.
I live 10 oh west of Mazarron, what size dish would I need?
Hi, we have an apartment in Marbella, and are not allowed to use our own satellite dish. All apartments connect to the giant dish on the roof of the block. I am wondering if I connect a Freesat or sky box to it, will it pick up UK tv, or does the aerial need to be facing a certain way? I am assuming the one on the roof would be set to receive Spanish tv and not UK? Any advice would be appreciated. Many thanks
Hi,
UK TV comes from a specific group of satellites, so the dish needs to be aligned for them.
Also, it needs to be the right size – “giant” does not help much!
In your area the dish needs to be at least 4m for reception of channels like BBC and ITV and for a Freesat box to work.
A smaller dish aligned to the UK TV satellites will work with a Sky box, but again, not for channels from BBC and ITV.
Hi,
Why is it that the morning I can get all the free channels on my Sky box here in Mallorca but during the afternoon and evening I lose first channel 4, then bbc news, and then by mid evening almost all of them except Sky News and Bloomberg.
Because either your dish is not large enough for where you are, or your dish is not aligned correctly.
I have a holiday apartment at Vera Playa Spain. At the moment we cannot get any english speaking programs. I think I have a 1.2m sattelite dish. I have also a freeview box which I understand is not suitable for purpose anymore. Would it help toI use a sky box and have someone realign the dish.
For UK TV your dish needs to be aligned to Astra 2 at 28 east.
This is the same whether you use a Freesat, Sky or any other satellite receiver.
A 1.2m dish will pick up some UK TV channels, but if you want the likes of BBC ITV C4 and Five, then you will need a much larger dish.
A Freeview box is for UK TV via a TV aerial. A Freeview box will not work with a satellite dish. They are two completely different systems! So it will never have worked with your satellite dish, ever. Connect a Freeview box to a TV aerial in Spain and it may pick up the Spanish TV channels only. Perhaps you mean a Freesat box? Or a “generic” free to air satellite box? These will still work, as long as you have the right sized dish for the channels you want for your location.