Sky Freesat - Free Sky Digital TV Channels

Sky Freesat Channels. Review, Help & Advice

Get help and advice concerning Sky Freesat below. We clarify how to receive free Sky TV channels with Freesat from Sky - a subscription free digital TV service for UK residents.

A separate Freesat HD TV service from the BBC and ITV has recently been launched offering free HD TV via a Sky dish with 80 free digital TV channels available via the Astra satellite at 28.2E (the same orbital position as used by the Sky Digital platform - so you can use your existing Sky dish).

If you don't have Sky TV already, for a one-off fee you can purchase a Sky Freesat installation to receive the just the free digital TV channels, without paying a monthly subscription. Alternatively as an existing Sky TV subscriber, you can cancel your monthly subscription and purchase Sky Freesat FTA viewing card for a one off payment of £20. More information and help on the available options is provided below.

Freeview versus Sky Freesat Comparison

Freeview is digital TV via your aerial requiring a Set Top Box (STB) whereas, by comparison, Sky Digital is digital TV via a satellite dish.

To compare products, "Sky Freesat" offers more free digital TV and radio channels than Freeview largely because Freeview is limited by the number of available UHF channels for broadcasting its terrestrial digital TV service. Sky TV, by contrast has access to multiple Astra satellites and are able to offer 140 free digital TV channels via a satellite dish. This compares to around 38 free digital TV channels on the DVB-T Freeview TV service via an aerial.

Freeview terrestrial digital TV reception is currently only possible in around 72% of the UK via an aerial, due to the lower power of the digital terrestrial TV service. Whereas Sky TV reception is possible in around 98% of the UK. Around 2% of UK locations, particularly homes in deep valleys or surrounded by tall trees obstructing the view of the Sky satellite, will not be able to receive Sky TV. Visit our Sky TV reception problem page for more help.

Note: The Sky Freesat service is not to be confused with the recently launched jointly operated ITV / BBC Freesat HD TV service which offers subscription free HD TV via the same satellite.

Sky Freesat Installation Options

New Sky Installation

To get Sky Freesat if there is no existing Sky TV box or satellite dish (minidish) installed at your UK address, you will need to buy a new Sky Freesat installation, by calling 0870 240 5651. A trained Sky engineer will then fully install a Sky box and minidish at your property and provide a Freesat viewing card for a one time payment (currently £150). After this one off payment, there is currently no monthly Sky subscription for Freesat.

Save Money on Freesat by Installing Your Own Sky Box

Alternatively, you can buy a second hand Sky box on Ebay (or buy one new) and install it yourself using a suitable satellite alignment meter or get a friend or local Sky installer to install it, then all you need to pay Sky is a one-off payment of £20 for a Sky Freesat card, including service activation.

Note: Satellite alignment meters are available from Satcure. Click here to get a discount voucher for use on the Satcure website.

The one off £20 fee for a Sky Freesat card applies even if you have no current Sky subscription at your premises. After this one off payment, you can enjoy the benefits of subscription free digital TV by satellite, whilst saving money on the £150 installation charge. And, as previously stated, all Sky Freesat customers currently enjoy no monthly subscription!

Existing Sky Subscriber - Changing Subscription to Freesat from Sky

You can cancel your existing Sky TV subscription and purchase Sky Freesat by calling 0870 240 5651. Your Sky subscription will then be changed (downgraded) so that you can only receive the 120 free digital TV channels available on Sky Freesat. As an existing Sky TV subscriber, to make this change you will only need to make a one off payment (currently £20) for a Freesat viewing card.

If you mainly watch the free digital TV channels on Sky and want to cancel your monthly Sky subscription for the Sky TV premium channels like Sky Movies and Sky Sports, then this option will be attractive.

Sky Freesat Channels

For an up to date list of Sky Freesat channels click here.

Sky Freesat has many of the same free digital TV channels as Freeview including popular general entertainment channels: BBC1, BBC2, BBC THREE, BBC FOUR, ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, C4 and five. Unfortunately, many of the additional free TV channels on Freesat (which are not available on Freeview) are "special interest channels" many of which feature sales presentations of products and services rather than general entertainment.

When I compare the channels offered, Freeview has more quality music TV channels with HITS and TMF, whereas Freesat offers CNN (currently unavailable on Freeview) and a much better selection of digital radio channels. So, Sky Freesat having more free digital TV channels than Freeview doesn't necessarily mean higher quality programming!

Free to Air TV Channels

You will need a viewing card to view certain channels on Sky Digital. Currently these include Channel 4, Five, Five Life, Five US and Sky Three - but the list may vary in the future.

BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4 and ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 are all free to air channels and can be watched without a viewing card (with a Sky Digibox and a correctly aligned satellite dish of the recommended size). Please refer to our article Sky Digital reception in Europe for more information.

Freesat HD TV via Satellite

The BBC and ITV have joined together to offer the UK's first HD TV service via digital satellite. Currently BBC HD programming is limited in hours to between 8pm and midnight and the ITV HD offering will be a "red button service" whereby you'll press the handset red button to activate HD TV viewing when an HD logo appears at the top of the screen.

To receive Freesat HD TV you'll need an Freesat HD digital set top box which you'll need to connect to your existing Sky TV dish (as the HD service uses the same satellite). If you haven't got a Sky dish on your property, you'll need to get a local CAI installer to fit one at a cost of around £80.

It's worth noting that by changing the LNB on your existing Sky dish you can still enjoy subscription channels from Sky Digital as well as having access to Freesat HD TV. A Quad LNB allows up to 4 digital receivers (whether they be Sky Digital or Freesat) to be fed from one dish via separate coaxial cables. An LNB upgrade may mean your dish needs re-aligning slightly as quad LNB's are slightly heavier than single LNB so the dish elevation can be affected.

You can buy a Freesat HD box from Argos, Comet, Currys or John Lewis online. Prices start for the HDTV compatible set top boxes start from around £120, with standard definition (SD) boxes from £50. A digital TV recorder (DTR) which allows the recording of Freesat HD TV services and the ability to pause live TV will be available shortly.

More information on the BBC Freesat HD TV service is available on the official Freesat HDTV website.

Disclaimer

All information on this page, including references to Sky Freesat channels, help and advice is provided in good faith and is accurate to the best of our ability. Freesat channels are subject to continual amendment by the broadcaster and hence no guarantee concerning accuracy of information is provided. Use all information entirely at your own risk.

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