In the spring of 2008 the BBC and ITV launched their own satellite service called freesat.
Firstly freesat is broadcasted from the same satellite, Astra 2d and on the same frequency as the existing BBC and ITV channels on Sky. These are already available free of charge on Sky.
An important difference between Sky and freesat is the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG).
In conjunction with the Sky remote control, the Sky EPG is very simple to use. However, on Sky the free channels available are not all next to each other, which means you scroll through many channels you can’t receive.
If you wish to receive different ITV regional channels on Sky, it can be complicated and at the moment the Sky+ and Sky High Definition channels also requires a subscription.
- -freesat will offer a large selection of High Definition television for free.
- -freesat will be offering an alternative to the Sky+ service for a one off payment without subscription.
- -freesat is likely to have a larger variety of free to view channels on its service.