AS expected, ITV and Channel 4 followed the BBC to a new satellite this morning, which does not reach those living on the Costa del Sol.

The switch to the UK spot beam  has been a hot topic of discussion in Southern Spain, with expats nervously awaiting the switch for years.

All BBC channels disappeared from screens  at 4:30am last Thursday.

The new Astra 2E satellite will improve reception in the UK but, as shown in the map, doesn’t extend to Andalucia.

Sue Cook in Mijas tweeted: “I am in mourning – no more Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby or Lorraine Kelly in the morning – UK TV all gone from Costa del Sol.”

Sky channels are less likely to be affected as it is probable that they will be broadcast via the pan European beam that can be received in Southern Spain.

However, BBC, ITV and C4 will all be lost from Freesat and Sky boxes and subscribing to Sky will not bring them back.

But there are alternatives to continue getting UK TV. Some free services already exist, such as Filmon,  which are viewed on a computer screen or connected to the television, although picture quality can be poor.

Another alternative is to subscribe to a professional streaming service and connect an IPTV set top box to the main television.

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19 COMMENTS

  1. As a passionate follower of this situation on the other (huge) thread elsewhere on this site, I must say here, that:

    “no more Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby or Lorraine Kelly in the morning”

    ….has to be a wonderful thing. Not that they were ever on my telly in the first place. Bland drivel – like all ITV. Shame about C4 though – although that had gone downhill in the last couple of years too!

  2. Mike…. why the personal comments to Fred? ….there is no need for this to be stated on a site like this…everyone is different in what they want the TV for….I would like to read about helpful replies on here not the likes of your comment.

  3. Fred is using the BBC-Satback service to obtain those BBC, ITV and Channel 4 channels. This is a backup facility for use by the industry and not the general public. The channels are encrypted. You need a specialised satellite receiver and access to the hacked BISS encryption codes. The BISS codes are changed regularly.

    The BBC could, at any time, decide to strengthen the encryption so that hacking would no longer be a possibility. An individual using this route must be aware of that. Apart from any legal consideration, you would lose your investment – the cost of the satellite box and the dish installation.

    See this link to another comment on this site:
    “https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2013/02/07/are-you-ready-for-the-big-switch-off/”
    Comment on June 4th, 2013 12:41 pm BBC-SatBack

  4. To dec

    Have you tried Filmon in their high definition version?

    Also, have you tried recording a programme using the Filmon record facility – available on their website? Then try playing the recording back through your TV. You may see an improvement in quality provided your internet connection speed is OK.

    Are you using an HDMI lead to connect to the TV?

  5. Jamie, BISS (and other) keys have been available for many years, but it’s true that BISS itself is ancient and due an overhaul soon. I’m sure whatever system they come up with, new keys will still be available. If they can make it they can break it.

    Who knows if BISS will last, but currently it works for me. IPTV is good, but it’s never going to be as convenient or as responsive as satellite.

  6. To Alex

    When you ask for technical help you should provide more detail. The make and model number of your laptop would be a good start.

    If you posted your query to a regular forum, the chances are that, without that detail, nobody would reply.

    Does your laptop have a VGA video output?

    If so you could use a VGA to TV video adapter. You may be able to get one with a scart output – or you may get one with a composite video out. You then use a cable for composite video to scart.

    Look at this one:
    “http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Laptop-PC-VGA-to-TV-Video-converter-Scart-Adapter-WF3-/370399617790”

    For the audio use the audio output from your laptop.

    Here’s a comprehensive guide:

  7. According to my investigations, BBC World News Europe is available in Southern Spain with an 80cm dish, unencrypted, on Astra 1L at 19.2 E (the UK channels are at 28.2E). Is it a matter of re-aligning the dish to 19.2 and manually tuning??

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