One of the most common misunderstandings among British expats moving to Spain is the belief that they can receive UK Freeview television simply by bringing their Freeview box with them from the UK.

Unfortunately, that is not how Freeview works.

Despite what some people still claim online, or what occasionally appears in Facebook groups and classified adverts, such as

1 – People bringing Freeview boxes from the UK and thinking they will work with a satellite dish based on what they have heard or seen. They will not.

2 – People using the incorrect terminology on forums, websites and social media, meaning people buy a Freeview box instead of a Freesat box!

3 – And worse, some TV installers in Spain saying (either on their websites or social media) that you can get UK Freeview in Spain!.

UK Freeview cannot be received in Spain.

However, that does not mean you cannot still watch many UK television channels in Spain. In fact, thousands of British expats across Spain continue watching BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 every day using satellite television systems such as Freesat.

The confusion largely comes from people mixing up the terms:

• Freeview
• Freesat
• free-to-air
• satellite TV

even though they are actually very different systems.

Why Freeview Does Not Work in Spain

Freeview is the UK’s terrestrial television network.

That means the signals are transmitted from land-based TV transmitter masts located around the UK. The signals are designed to cover Britain using ordinary TV aerials mounted on houses and rooftops.

Those terrestrial signals simply do not reach Spain.

Even along the northern coast of France, UK Freeview reception becomes unreliable. By the time you are over 1,000 kilometres away in Spain, the signals are completely impossible to receive under normal conditions.

This is why bringing a UK Freeview box to Spain does not magically allow you to watch UK television.

The box itself may still power on, but without UK terrestrial transmitter signals, it has nothing to receive.

Spain has its own terrestrial television network instead, known as:

TDT (Televisión Digital Terrestre)

This provides Spanish television channels through a normal TV aerial system, rather than UK channels.

Why So Many People Get Confused

Part of the confusion comes from the fact many people use the word “Freeview” incorrectly to describe all free UK television.

Even some satellite installers occasionally advertise:

• “Freeview in Spain”
  when they are actually installing:
• satellite television systems

What most people really mean is:

free UK television channels

rather than the actual UK Freeview platform itself.

In reality, most British TV viewed in Spain comes via satellite, not terrestrial television.

Freesat Is Completely Different

Unlike Freeview, Freesat is a satellite television platform.

It uses the Astra satellites positioned at 28.2° East to broadcast UK television channels across Europe. These are the same satellites used by Sky TV in the UK.

This means British television can be received in Spain using:

• a satellite dish
• suitable LNB
• Freesat receiver or satellite receiver

rather than a rooftop TV aerial.

That is a completely different technology from Freeview.

A Freesat box is essentially designed specifically to receive the free-to-air UK satellite channels available from the Astra satellites.

These include channels such as:

• BBC
• ITV
• Channel 4
• Channel 5

along with hundreds of other television and radio services.

Reception Depends on Where You Live in Spain

One important point many people do not realise is that UK satellite reception in Spain varies significantly depending on location.

The UK spot beam satellites are designed primarily to focus coverage over Britain and Ireland. Spain sits near the outer edge of some of these beams, meaning larger satellite dishes are required.

In areas such as:

• Valencia
• Costa Blanca
• Murcia

many UK channels can still be received with dishes around:

• 1.1m to 1.4m

However, further south or west in Spain, significantly larger dishes may be needed.

Some parts of Andalucía or Galicia may require very large dishes for reliable reception, especially during bad weather.

This is why reception reports from one area of Spain may be completely different from another.

Freesat and Sky Use the Same Satellites

Another common misunderstanding is the belief that Sky and Freesat use different satellites.

They do not.

Sky boxes and Freesat boxes both receive channels from exactly the same Astra satellite group.

The difference is mainly:

• software
• channel organisation
• subscription access

A standard Sky box without a viewing card will still receive many of the same free-to-air channels available on Freesat.

So if somebody already has a working Sky dish system in Spain, it may already be suitable for Freesat reception depending on dish size and signal quality.

As the video below shows, a huge difference between Freeview and Freesat:

Freeview – a selection (approx 80) of free to air UK TV channels via a TV aerial
Freesat – a selection (approx 150) of free to air UK TV channels via a satellite dish

Free to air – channels that are subscription free but are not encrypted.
Free to view – channels that are subscription free but are encrypted.

Why the Confusion Continues

The confusion between Freeview and Freesat has existed for years and probably will continue for many more.

Partly this is because both services offer free UK television channels, but they deliver them in completely different ways.

Freeview uses:

• terrestrial TV transmitters
• TV aerials

while Freesat uses:

• satellites
• satellite dishes

The two systems are not interchangeable.

So if someone claims they can install:

“UK Freeview in Spain”

it is worth asking exactly what system they are actually offering.

In almost every case, it will really be a satellite-based Freesat or free-to-air satellite installation instead.

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