All domestic PSB channels from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are Free To Air (FTA), they are not encrypted, this means they can be received on any digital satellite receiver within the reception area of the satellites. No subscription, or viewing card is required.
However, due to copyright issues, the broadcasters use the UK spotbeams on the Astra 2E and Astra 2F satellites.
These spotbeams are centered on the British Isles, this can make reception of domestic TV services difficult and in many areas of Europe impossible, in many areas large satellite dishes are required.
Both the BBC and ITV operates international channels aimed at a worldwide audience.
To watch online see : No Astra 2E 2F? – Watch for free Online
BBC World News TV
BBC World News is the BBC’s international news and current affairs television channel. It has the largest audience of any BBC channel and any news channel in the world.
The channel broadcasts around the clock, with television programming including BBC News bulletins, documentaries, lifestyle programmes and interviews.
Its main global competitor is CNN International, though it also competes with other major news broadcasting companies. It employs more correspondents, reporters, and international bureaus than any other news channel.
Unlike the BBC’s domestic channels, BBC World News is not funded by a licence fee. Instead, it is funded commercially by advertising.
For more information about BBC World News TV see:
BBC World News TV – Reception information worldwide.
BBC World News Site – Programme information.
BBC World News – Partners
BBC Brit
BBC Brit is an entertainment subscription television channel featuring factual entertainment programming. The channel is wholly owned and operated by BBC Worldwide.
BBC Brit offers premium factual entertainment that is intelligent though irreverent. Aimed at men though with broader appeal, it blends expertise with entertainment and fact with fun. The channel is the exclusive home of Top Gear and covers a rich variety of subjects: cars, science, adventure, business, food, life-changing moments, extreme characters, quirky eccentrics, music, sport and comedy.
BBC Brit is a place that binds us together through a shared appreciation of fast cars, the odd science experiment, and a healthy sense of the absurd. As the new and exclusive home of Top Gear.
From the journey of a lifetime for ‘Little Englander’ Karl Pilkington in An Idiot Abroad and the mind-bending trivia of QI, to the totally bonkers posh people in Life is Toff, BBC Brit delivers a perfect blend of the meaningful and meaningless. BBC Brit is here to entertain and divert, though also inform, educate and enrich.
BBC Earth
BBC Earth is a documentary subscription television channel featuring premium factual programming. The channel is wholly owned and operated by BBC Worldwide.
BBC Earth seeks to inspire audiences by sharing the incredible wonders of our universe.
The channel showcases the work of the world’s foremost factual film-makers and it seeks to take audiences on a thrilling journey of discovery.
From the smallest creature under the microscope to the limitless expanses of space, BBC Earth brings viewers face-to-face with heart-pounding action, mind-blowing ideas and the wonder of being human.
BBC First
BBC First is an entertainment subscription television channel featuring drama and comedy programming. The channel is wholly owned and operated by BBC Worldwide. The channel began rolling out internationally in 2014, launching first in Australia.
On 17 April 2013, it was announced that the BBC had forged a new exclusive deal with Australian subscription television provider Foxtel which would see a new channel launched that would feature drama and comedy content, with programming screening as close to their original UK transmission as possible.
The programming that is shown on BBC First will not air on Australian free-to-air for at least 12 months after its first airing.
It was later announced the new channel would be named BBC First, a new global brand that would roll out in 2014, with Australia being the first location to launch the new channel.
The Australian channel is available in linear format and in high definition, launching on 3 August 2014.
The channel is due to launch in Europe on May 16, 2016, when it will launch in the Netherlands on the terrestrial provider KPN, followed by launches in Belgium and Luxembourg.
Website: www.bbcaustralia.com/channels/first/
BBC Entertainment (Being replaced by BBC Brit)
BBC Entertainment is an international subscription television channel showcasing comedy, drama, light entertainment and children’s programming from the BBC and other UK production houses. A line-up of original drama, outrageous comedy, light and live entertainment. Come here for a magnetic mix of hot talent, original content and world-class production values that will draw you in and keep you glued. Welcome to BBC Entertainment.
The channel has already been replaced in some regions by BBC Brit.
BBC Entertainment is a subscription channel and is not available Free To Air (FTA).
Website: www.bbcentertainment.com
BBC HD Scandinavia
BBC HD Scandinavia is a television channel broadcasting high-definition programming to Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Poland.
The channel is also included in HD Cable Platform Teledünya in Turkey. BBC HD is also available in Latin America.
The channel is available on Canal Digital, and YouSee in Denmark. The launch of BBC HD coincided with the launch of BBC Entertainment (replaced by BBC Brit in 2015), BBC Lifestyle and BBC Knowledge (replaced by BBC Earth in 2015) in Scandinavia.
The channel broadcasts round-the-clock and heavily features BBC dramas and natural documentaries such as Bleak House and Planet Earth.
Website: www.bbcnordic.com/bbc-hd
BBC Lifestyle
BBC Lifestyle is an international television channel. The channel provides six key programming strands: Food, Home & Design, Fashion & Style, Health, Parenting, and Personal Development.
BBC Lifestyle is wholly owned by BBC Worldwide.
Brimming with vibrant, fresh and exciting programmes that set trends, BBC Lifestyle is simply a ‘must have’ channel. Our real human stories will guide you into transforming your world; from revamping your home to invigorating your cooking, revolutionizing your wardrobe and polishing parenting skills, helping you to become healthier, happier and get the best out of life. Inspiring, daring and always in-the-know, this sassy and energetic channel is alive with inspirational ideas to transform your life.
Website: www.bbclifestyle.com
CBeebies
The international CBeebies channel is commercial-free and wholly owned by BBC Worldwide. The first international launch for the CBeebies channel was in India in May 2007.
The channel is available in the Republic of Ireland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Poland, Indonesia, Mexico, Africa, Australia and the United States.
The on-demand version of the network is available in the US on Xfinity.
The domestic version of CBeebies is available in both SD and HD in Europe at 28.2° East, on the UK Spotbeams of Astra 2E and Astra 2F, a large dish may be required in large areas of Europe.
The channels broadcast Free-To-Air (FTA).
Website: www.cbeebies.com
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite. BBC America is distributed in association with Discovery Networks.
The network is not subject to funding from the UK licence fee by law: the BBC cannot fund any of its channels that are not available in the United Kingdom. As this is the case, the channel carries advertisements.
BBC America is available in Bermuda on both Bermuda CableVision’s digital cable TV service and the WOW (World on Wireless) service. It is also available in the US Pacific territory of Guam on MCV Broadband cable service and GTA TeleGuam’s IPTV service, the only territory outside North America where the channel is available.
BBC America HD, a high definition simulcast version of BBC America, is carried nationally by Dish Network, and regionally on Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and some smaller providers.
Website: www.bbcamerica.com
UKTV
UKTV is a subscription television channel in Australia and New Zealand, screening British entertainment programming, sourced mainly from the archives of the BBC, RTL Group (mainly Talkback Thames material) and ITV plc. The company was originally a joint venture with Foxtel (60% ownership) and the RTL Group (20% ownership). It is now owned solely by BBC Worldwide.
The channel shows a mix of repeats of old UK shows previously screened in Australia or New Zealand and new episodes of programmes not shown before in Australia or New Zealand. Repeated series include Doctor Who, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Are You Being Served?, Dad’s Army, Torchwood, Torchwood Declassified, The Jewel in the Crown, Never the Twain, The Sweeney and The Bill that have already been seen on free-to-air terrestrial television in Australia.
New series include Shameless, the original UK version of The Weakest Link, and new episodes of popular soap operas Coronation Street and EastEnders which have not otherwise been screened in Australia. UKTV’s episodes of EastEnders are approximately 12 weeks behind the United Kingdom. Coronation Street is approximately 3 months behind, Emmerdale is about 9 months behind.
Website: www.uktv.com.au (Australia)
Website: www.uktv.co.nz (New Zealand)
ITV Choice
ITV Choice is a satellite and cable television channel owned and operated by ITV plc. It is available in the Middle East, Cyprus, Malta, and across Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Malaysia. The channel was launched in 1997 by Granada Media under the name Granada UKTV.
It primarily carries ITV and other UK programming, produced by ITV Studios and other independent production companies. Key programmes include Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Dancing on Ice, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, The Jonathan Ross Show, Doc Martin and others.
Website: http://itv-choice.com
Availability
ITV Choice is available on the following platforms:
Cambodia PPCTV ch.44
Hong Kong now TV channel 517
India Hathway
Indonesia Telkomvision ch.503
Malaysia Astro ch.735 on the Metro pack
Maldives Medianet ch.815 on the Premium HD pack
Malta GO ch.305, Melita on the XL Entertainment package SD ch.309 & HD ch.332
Middle East OSN ch.217
Mongolia Sky C&C
Myanmar Skynet
Oman Omantel
Papua New Guinea Hitron ch.113 on the Top Shelf pack
Singapore StarHub ch.523
South Korea CJ TVing
Taiwan MOD TV ch.78
Thailand MeTV TOT IPTV ch.331
ITV Choice on Satellite
Apstar 7 at 76.5°E
11.167 Vertical
SR 45000
FEC 2/3
DVB-S2 QPSK
Package: Sky Net
Encryption: Tongfang
Coverage: Myanmar (Burma)
Eutelsat 7 West A at 7.3°W
11.277 Vertical
SR: 27500
FEC: 2/3
DVB-S2 8PSK
Encryption: Betacrypt & Irdeto 2
Coverage: Middle East & North Africa
Package: OSN
Measat 3 at 91.5°E
3920 Vertical
SR: 27500
FEC: 5/6
DVB-S2 8PSK
Encryption: Irdeto 2
Coverage: Global
Package: None
Measat 3 at 91.5°E
11.562 Vertical
SR: 30000
FEC: 7/8
DVB-S MPEG-2
Encryption: Mediaguard 2 & Videoguard
Coverage: Malaysia
Package: Astro
Nilesat 201 at 7.0°W
11.804 Horizontal
SR: 27500
FEC: 5/6
DVB-S2 QPSK
Encryption: Irdeto 2 & Viaccess 4.0
Coverage: Middle East
Package: ADD
SES 7 at 108.2°E
11.640 Horizontal
SR: 24000
FEC: 3/4
DVB-S2 8PSK
Encryption: Videoguard
Coverage: South Asia
Package: Airtel
