BSkyB launch "Freesat from Sky"

DMC

More details as we get them...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3762910.stm

Sky launches Freesat digital TV

BSkyB has launched a free digital satellite TV service which offers 140 channels for a one-off fee of £150.

The service, Freesat from Sky, is being seen by many as an attempt to rival the success of Freeview, the equivalent service for digital terrestrial TV.

Freesat has been launched with little fanfare by Sky, as the company continues to focus on pay-TV.

Viewers will get a digital set-top box, satellite dish, with free installation and a remote control in the deal.

Freesat will initially be only available directly from BSkyB.

The company hopes that the absence of a subscription fee will lure new customers who may eventually switch to a pay-TV package when analogue TV is phased out.

A spokesman for BSkyB said: "We think it is a really good offer for customers.

"It is not our core business. We will continue to focus our marketing efforts on the promotion of our pay-TV services."

SKY'S FREE-TO-AIR PACKAGE
140 TV channels
80 radio channels
13 interactive services
All BBC digital services
All other terrestrial channels
Others include BBC regional channels on BBC One and Two

All other terrestrial channels

/me wonders is this part, the author of the news piece getting carried away with poetic licence or is there going to be a new ftv card scheme including ITV 4 and five but this time with a box and dish for stg£150.

I'd imagine it's not going to be officially available in the ROI at least not with ITV etc enabled....

But when did that ever stop anyone...

smoke.me.a.kipper

what tv channels are available.

snappieT

Will this be available in Ireland (where the analogue TV will {lets face it} never be phased out?)

smoke-me-a-kipper

smoke-me-a-kipper wrote:

what tv channels are available.

From what I can gather,anything that is currently free to air on a sky digibox as of now but maybe something from the freeview DTT list like a music channel or summat.
So apart from the cheap digibox and dish and the availability of ITV etc this is nothing too new-just something old dressed up.

doh.ie

Earthman wrote:

From what I can gather,anything that is currently free to air on a sky digibox as of now but maybe something from the freeview DTT list like a music channel or summat.
So apart from the cheap digibox and dish and the availability of ITV etc this is nothing too new-just something old dressed up.

It's new-ish in the sense that this scheme also allows for the purchase of an FTV card for £20, like in the scheme that ran back in January 2004 (remember free2view.net?)

Sky ceased to issue FTV P2 cards after that, so this is good for anyone who still wants to pick one of those up with UK address details, but who missed their opportunity before.

I am a little concerned about the fact that Sky will only commit to these cards for two years, and that the £150 system includes refurbished digiboxes (which can be new for a lot less), but since I need neither, I'm not too bothered.

With Freeview boxes as little as £50 (and less) now, it's hard to see if this will really take off, given the additional cost.

There is also the outstanding issue of whether ITV will even need a card before long... Would be nice to think we were on the verge of ending the whole stupid 'Availability of ITV/C4/C5 in ROI' issue, but with C4 signed up for conditional access and encryption for years longer, it looks like no matter how many trickle into availability, there'll always be a few channels kept from the ROI Sky system.

sceptre

snapscan1212p wrote:

Will this be available in Ireland (where the analogue TV will {lets face it} never be phased out?)

Very doubtful. Actually, I'll be daring and go as far as "no"

wolfe25

It'd be nice to know what additional channels they're actually offering.
All the Beeb are FTA, at present, to anyone who's got a dish and a receiver.
Plenty of travel, God channels and rubbish, I bet.

Lennoxschips

With Freeview boxes as little as £50 (and less) now, it's hard to see if this will really take off, given the additional cost.

I suppose it's handy for people in place like the far north of Scotland where there will never be DTT.

Any information on where you can sign up? And if the cards will be 'married' to the boxes?

wolfe25

The following was posted by GavinP on the Digitalspy forum.
It covers some of the questions.

---

New "FreeSat from Sky" card has arrived...

---

When you order a card, you are not asked for any box details.

I received my card this morning and it says and I quote:

"Activating your viewing card

Once your box has been installed, you can insert your viewing card - with the arrow facing up - in the slot marked Sky Viewing Card and leave it there with the box turned on.

After around 20 minutes your card should be activated. Please check that it's working and that you can access all your chosen channels.

If this still hasn't happened after two hours, please contact Customer Services. You can find the number printed on the reverse of your Viewing Card."


The telephone number on the card is 0870 850 0033

The card itself looks like a standard "yellow house" card.

More info in the Terms and Conditions:

"For security reasons your Viewing card may be replaced from time to time after it has first been enabled to receive Free to View Channels (normally when it is first used in the Box). If we replace Viewing Cards within 5 years(if you have paid £150) or 3 years (if you have paid £20) of your card's first enablement, then a replacement Viewing Card will be provided to you free of charge, provided you have complied with these Conditions. If we replace Viewing Cards after that period, you will need to purchase a new one by paying our then applicable charge (which shall not be more than £20)."

"Do I have to connect my Box to a phone line?

No. However, as part of a standard installation we will try to connect your Box to a working telephone line to enable you to make full use of the interactive services available on the digital satellite platform....etc"

dmeehan

sounds like it will work here so...

daveg

dmeehan wrote:

sounds like it will work here so...

It will. Tis good they dont ask for box details. Therefore the cards are not married to a digibox.

tommee

I wonder if ITV2 is available with the pack of channels included in the SKY Freeview pack?

lawhec

Lennoxschips wrote:

I suppose it's handy for people in place like the far north of Scotland where there will never be DTT.

There already are DTT Transmitters in northern Scotland - namely Durris, Knockmore, Rosemarkie, Rumster Forest, Eitshal on the Western Isles, Kellyang Hill in the Orkneys and even Bressay in the Shetlands!

DigiDec

At the moment ITV2 is not in the freesat line up, however after Nov 1st who knows what will happen if ITV go FTA

Lennoxschips

There already are DTT Transmitters in northern Scotland - namely Durris, Knockmore, Rosemarkie, Rumster Forest, Eitshal on the Western Isles, Kellyang Hill in the Orkneys and even Bressay in the Shetlands!

Sorry, let me rephrase that: In parts of Northern Scotland where there will never be DTT. The people who don't live near the towns in other words.

lawhec

Lennoxschips wrote:

Sorry, let me rephrase that: In parts of Northern Scotland where there will never be DTT. The people who don't live near the towns in other words.

The plans laid out by OFCOM however will probably see that anywhere which can avail of a decent analogue signal should be able to have a viable DTT signal of the PSB multiplexes by the time of the analogue switchoff, therefore if their analogue reception right now is lousy, they probably won't get DTT, though there are plenty of places in northern Scotland where that applies. But even in some more isolated parts of Northern Ireland, analogue reception can be difficult.