17 Facts About Freesat

Freesat is a British free-to-air satellite television service, first formed as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc.

Freesat offers a satellite alternative to the Freeview service on digital terrestrial television, with a broadly similar selection of channels available without subscription for users purchasing a receiver.

In February 2021, it was announced that, subject to regulatory approval, Freesat was to merge its operation with Digital UK, the joint venture of BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, which manages the broadcast, streaming and EPG of Freeview.

On 18 November 2008, Channel 5 commenced broadcasting a single channel via Freesat, eventually adding its ancillary services 5USA and 5* three years later in December 2011.

Freesat project aims to provide a managed service with an Electronic Programme Guide and interactive features similar to the Freeview service launched three years earlier.

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On 14 February 2013, RT HD was added to Freesat, sharing its channel number with its standard definition simulcast.

In 2010, Freesat indicated an intent to launch a receiver featuring the YouView service and said that the video on demand services 4oD and Demand 5 were under consideration.

Pay-TV sales would be handled by a third party, with Freesat operating the conditional access system that would underpin it.

In December 2015, Freesat announced the availability of an application for the Netflix subscription TV streaming service on the Humax HDR-1000S, HDR-1010S, HDR-1100S and HB-1000S Freetime receivers.

In September 2018, Freesat announced that Arris International would produce Freesat's 3rd generation set-top box.

In 2020 a new generation of Freesat boxes launched, these work with regular LNBs and Sky Q LNB's.

Users who do not currently have a satellite dish, Freesat offers an installation service which is made available through retailers and which is advertised in a leaflet included with Freesat receivers.

Also, Freesat receivers are not widely or easily available outside the UK, without which the full Freesat EPG is not accessible.

Freesat's role is not broadcasting or availability of channels but instead providing a platform for receiving the channels and the EPG.

All of the standard definition channels on Freesat are broadcast using DVB-S; ITV HD, NHK World HD and RT HD use DVB-S.

James Strickland, Freesat's director of product and technology development, explained that Freetime is a hybrid between HbbTV and MHEG-5.

In May 2017, Freesat announced that 904,000 devices capable of receiving the platform were sold in 2016, with the installed base increasing 58,000-year-on-year and passing 2 million during the course of the year.