Set to launch alongside similar free TV service Freeview, leading UK channel providers the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and ITV have announced the arrival of Freesat, a new satellite-based service.
BBC and ITV offer free HD digital services via UK\'s new Freesat. Image: Kevinzim/Flickr.
Available to around 98 percent of UK homes, the new service will offer up 80 completely free digital television and radio channels (including HD programming). That initial channel load is expected to more than double before the close of the year.
“All the BBC’s digital channels, including BBC HD, will now be available to all licence fee payers wherever they live and however they choose to access them,” outlined BBC director general Mark Thompson at the Freesat launch.
Other digital services available through Freesat include news and children’s channels along with channels provided by both ITV and Channel 4. ITV HD will not be part of the initial Freesat programming line-up, but it is scheduled to arrive in the not-too distant future.
While speaking about the service with BBC Radio 5 Live, Freesat’s Emma Scott outlined that the service exists as the first time UK residents will be able to get free digital TV. And, in terms of potential geographical accessibility issues, Scott added that the service will only be restricted for homes without a clear line of sight to the satellite.
Industry figures believe that the rollout of Freesat is a strategic move by the BBC and ITV to help bolster consumer interest in the quality advantages associated with high-definition television. That belief is enforced somewhat by only 10 million UK homes being ready to receive digital HD services, while the majority of the population has yet to make the change from conventional analogue equipment.
The free TV service isn’t without its critics however, with satellite giant BSkyB apparently less than pleased with the decision to limit access to Freesat users only, a move that will subsequently leave around 500,000 Sky HD customers unable to view the free service.
While Freesat itself does not require any form of paid subscription, TV watchers interested in receiving its programming will still need to pay a one-time fee to cover dish installation and receipt of a necessary set-top box receiver.
Basic Freesat set-top boxes are likely to cost consumers a mere 50 GBP, although that figure pushes up to 120 GBP for a HD-compatible box. Satellite dish purchase and overall installation will cost another 80 GBP, which brings the one-time price for Freesat to 130 GBP or 200 GBP.
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