ITV1/2/3/4 Now Free-to-Air on Digital Satellite

2nd November 2005

All four ITV channels are now broadcasting free-to-air (i.e. unencrypted) on the Astra 2D satellite.

ITV1 and ITV2 were what is known as "free-to-view" (FTV), which means that the channels remain encrypted, but non-Sky subscribers can view the channels if they get a Sky viewing card. ITV3 launched without encryption on satellite, and the launch of ITV4 (which launched on Freeview last night) was delayed on satellite due to some mis-understanding between ITV and Sky.

The ITV channels have gone free-to-air because ITV is launching Freesat next year with the BBC, and Freesat will be the satellite version of Freeview.

This now means that all the BBC and all the ITV TV channels are free-to-air on satellite, which just leaves the Channel 4 channels (C4, E4 and More4) and five of the channels owned by the "big 5" terrestrial TV broadcasters to go FTA. It's not clear whether these channels will launch on Freesat or not.

For a full list of FTA and FTV channels on digital satellite see this web page, and to compare the radio stations and bit rates used on satellite with DAB and Freeview see here (this table is at the bottom of this home page).