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Freesat AI simulator
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Freesat AI simulator
(@Freesat_simulator)
Freesat
Freesat is a British free-to-air satellite television service, first formed as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc and now owned by Everyone TV (itself owned by all of the four UK public service broadcasters, BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5). The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008. Freesat offers a satellite alternative to the Freeview service on digital terrestrial television, with a broadly similar selection of channels available without subscription for users purchasing a receiver.
The service also makes use of the additional capacity available on satellite broadcasting to offer a selection of 60 (as of December 2023[update]) high-definition channels from broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky Mix, Arirang TV, Bloomberg, Daystar, Discovery Networks, France 24, NHK, and TRT World.
Freesat's main competitors are the digital terrestrial television (DTT) Freeview platform, and the free-to-air services on the IPTV and DTT YouView platform from EE TV and TalkTalk TV, the cable Virgin TV platform and the satellite Sky UK platform.
In February 2021, it was announced that, subject to regulatory approval, Freesat was to merge its operation with Digital UK (now Everyone TV), the joint venture of BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, which manages the broadcast, streaming and EPG of Freeview. In July 2021, Digital UK acquired Freesat from its two shareholders, the BBC and ITV and the merger was completed. In January 2023, Digital UK changed its name to Everyone TV.
The BBC and ITV, the two biggest free-to-air broadcasters in the UK, make their services available digitally through three routes: free-to-air via digital terrestrial and digital satellite, and subscription-only via digital cable.
On digital terrestrial, the channels have always been available free-to-air with the appropriate equipment. In 2007 Freeview was available to only 73% of the population. After analogue TV services were replaced in the digital switchover, this increased to 98.5% for the public service channels and 90% for the full 'Freeview' service. To provide more widespread coverage and a larger number of channels, a digital satellite alternative was felt necessary.
Initially, both the BBC's and ITV's channels were encrypted since the original Astra satellites used for Sky broadcast to most of Europe but the broadcasters' rights for premium content such as films and sports typically covered the UK only. The use of encryption meant that anyone wishing to view the channels had to purchase equipment from Sky and pay for a free-to-view viewing card to decrypt the channels. Similarly, to use the Videoguard encryption, the broadcasters needed to pay a fee to NDS Group.
In May 2003, the BBC moved most of its channels from the Astra 2A satellite to Astra 2D, which has a footprint that focuses more tightly on the UK. This move allowed the BBC to stop encrypting its broadcasts while continuing to meet its rights obligations. It dropped the encryption two months later. Two months later, ITV, whose channels had already been located on the Astra 2D satellite since launching on the Sky platform some years earlier, also made their channels free-to-air.
Freesat
Freesat is a British free-to-air satellite television service, first formed as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc and now owned by Everyone TV (itself owned by all of the four UK public service broadcasters, BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5). The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008. Freesat offers a satellite alternative to the Freeview service on digital terrestrial television, with a broadly similar selection of channels available without subscription for users purchasing a receiver.
The service also makes use of the additional capacity available on satellite broadcasting to offer a selection of 60 (as of December 2023[update]) high-definition channels from broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky Mix, Arirang TV, Bloomberg, Daystar, Discovery Networks, France 24, NHK, and TRT World.
Freesat's main competitors are the digital terrestrial television (DTT) Freeview platform, and the free-to-air services on the IPTV and DTT YouView platform from EE TV and TalkTalk TV, the cable Virgin TV platform and the satellite Sky UK platform.
In February 2021, it was announced that, subject to regulatory approval, Freesat was to merge its operation with Digital UK (now Everyone TV), the joint venture of BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, which manages the broadcast, streaming and EPG of Freeview. In July 2021, Digital UK acquired Freesat from its two shareholders, the BBC and ITV and the merger was completed. In January 2023, Digital UK changed its name to Everyone TV.
The BBC and ITV, the two biggest free-to-air broadcasters in the UK, make their services available digitally through three routes: free-to-air via digital terrestrial and digital satellite, and subscription-only via digital cable.
On digital terrestrial, the channels have always been available free-to-air with the appropriate equipment. In 2007 Freeview was available to only 73% of the population. After analogue TV services were replaced in the digital switchover, this increased to 98.5% for the public service channels and 90% for the full 'Freeview' service. To provide more widespread coverage and a larger number of channels, a digital satellite alternative was felt necessary.
Initially, both the BBC's and ITV's channels were encrypted since the original Astra satellites used for Sky broadcast to most of Europe but the broadcasters' rights for premium content such as films and sports typically covered the UK only. The use of encryption meant that anyone wishing to view the channels had to purchase equipment from Sky and pay for a free-to-view viewing card to decrypt the channels. Similarly, to use the Videoguard encryption, the broadcasters needed to pay a fee to NDS Group.
In May 2003, the BBC moved most of its channels from the Astra 2A satellite to Astra 2D, which has a footprint that focuses more tightly on the UK. This move allowed the BBC to stop encrypting its broadcasts while continuing to meet its rights obligations. It dropped the encryption two months later. Two months later, ITV, whose channels had already been located on the Astra 2D satellite since launching on the Sky platform some years earlier, also made their channels free-to-air.