Rebroadcasting services - These companies uses a local mast to rebroadcast the signal to a 40-60 cm dish or square mesh type antenna with home receiver. Dishes of this size & type are not be able to receive ITV, SKY, BBC direct from a satellite in Spain. If you are offered these channels through a small dish, it will be from this type of service. HD services are not available with these type of systems.
Rebroadcasters offer a limited selection of the FTA channels available, some of these companies are offering subscription channels from other service providers, with no legal permissions. A second rebroadcaster - Solaris, has been declared illegal on 17th March 2009 and had all equipment confiscated, with 7 arrests being made. This has left 15,000 people without any television as well losing their installation fees of up to €890.
Full article link Round Town News April 3rd 2009.
Update 7 August Costa Blanca News, 60 further arrests regarding illegally rebroadcasted content - full article (PDF).
Rebroadcasters Simulsat & Torresat have been in court earlier this year and have further hearings scheduled regarding the rebroadcasting of broadcasters channel content without permissions or licensing agreements. Potential outcome of this hearing may well affect other rebroadcasters - including Superbeam, Teleast and Surpris 07 all of which have no permissions for rebroadcasting premium or pay per view content.
Using a rebroadcast service, you will be asked to pay an ongoing monthly subscription charge, usually around €20 per month for as long as you wish to use the service. Should the service be interrupted or stopped you are highly unlikely to get any refund of any system installation charges.
Similar systems are available in other locations via a cable service in certain expatriate locations, these are also classed as rebroadcasting as the signal format is still received via a large dish - then format changed / decrypted & sent out via cable.
Statements made by the BBC, ITV and Sky have all mentioned that there are no rights to rebroadcast their content in Spain, as this is infringment of copyright and intellectual property theft. If you wish to view further information on this matter and the latest updates on the rebroadcast situation, please review the local newspaper articles at the bottom of the page.
December 2009 - Simulsat, which are in service, begin encrypting channels. For those that were receiving Simulsat rebroadcast service for free - this is no longer the case and an ongoing monthly subscription fee will be required. Full encryption for this service begins Christmas 2009
Feb 2010 - Local company, based in Torrevieja 'name withheld due to legal reasons', offered main UK terrestrial programming via rebroadcasting through the Intelsat 905 satellite. This service was offered without the knowledge of the satellite owners. Once this was found to be the case, the service ceased transmitting. All subcribers lost service and installation fees.
Aug 2010 - After citeing illegal closure previously, the rebroadcast company Telmicro has resurfaced again. There are still no permissions from BBC, ITV and any of the broadcasters from the UK for the re-encryption and redistribution of their channels and intellectual property.
Satellite & Dishes
From the widest channel selection combined with the highest quality video, the satellite dish is widely recognised as the best option available. One of the main benefits is you are receiving the signal direct from satellite, so are not relying on a third party to provide an your service.
When combined with the amount of channels now receivable on Freesat, a satellite dish will give you years of trouble free service with no need to pay ongoing subscription fees for free to view channels.
Dishes and LNB's are High Definition compatible and should you require this service all you will need is an HD satellite receiver & HD TV.
You can feed as many end users off a single satellite dish as is required, by use of amplification - from direct neighbours, to an entire community.
SKY and English terrestrial programing is broadcast by the Astra 2 satellite group, located 28.2 degrees east. In the UK the beam for the Astra satellites has a strong signal strength, allowing those in the UK to receive a satellite signal using a 60cm or 80cm dish.
In Spain especially in the area of Costa Blanca South, the Astra satellite signal is considerably weaker than the UK and therefore requires a larger dish. Where possible many share a dish with
neighbours to reduce costs.
If you require stable reception of BBC1. ITV & C4, some areas will allow reception using a dish of 1.45 metres. This will vary from area to area. In areas of Costa Calida & Murcia a 1.45 will perform as well as a slightly larger dish would do in Torrevieja and surrounding locations.
Be wary that a number of suppliers offer a 1.3 offset dish, but supply name it as a 1.4 - whilst this may not sound important - there is considerable performance and cost differences between the two dishes.
The 1.45 prime focus dish is right on the periphery of acceptable performance for the UK main channel reception, the smaller dish - which is an offset type has a lower performance rating and is a cheaper dish, this may not provide 24/7 viewing of certain channels, such as BBC1 & ITV.
Prime focus dishes are perfectly round, Offset dishes are slightly oval.
To receive good stability on the North Astra beam (weakest transponder) in South Costa Blanca, a 1.8 - 1.9 metre prime focus dish is accepted to offer the best cost vs performance option - however a well tuned genuine 1.45 in many locations will offer acceptable performance.
When combined with a digital satellite receiver, this will allow you to view all your favourite 
programs. There are over 200 free to air channels and even more radio stations. Further channel expansion options are available, by utilising a variety of viewing cards.
BBC2 is one channel that has a weak signal in this part of Spain. BBC's sports streams show all the major sporting and summer events shown on BBC2 - such as Wimbledon, the Ashes etc and can be picked up on any generic non Sky satellite receiver, as well as on Sky receiver through the 'red button' service.
Certain locations will allow partial reception of BBC2, BBC3 & BBC4 & free to air channel 5, you will need a dish of a minimum of 1.8 - 1.9 metre for this.
With a Sky freesat card you can also receive - FIVE, Fiver US, Fiver US+1, Fiver, Fiver +1 & Sky Three. These channels cannot otherwise be received with 24/7 stability on the freesat north beam Astra transponder (Costa Blanca & Costa Calida). Broadcasting companies do change transponders and frequencies, so these channels may be receivable at a later stage on free to air, without Sky freesat card.
Jan - April 2010 satellite updates & changes.
Zone Romantica replaced by CBS Drama
Zone Reality now CBS Reality
Zone Thriller now CBS Action
Food Network & Food Network + 1 located on 11344 H, BET channel changed to same
TT on 4 removed
ITV 1 HD added
Sport, Football & Subscription content
Currently on Astra (not listed on program guides) are the BBC sports streams. There are 7 streams which show general sport programming from the BBC (including what is shown on BBC2) Formula 1, the Ashes, Snooker Championships & Rugby etc. During Wimbledon multiple matches were shown on the different streams.
Currently Arabsat offers 8 FTA sports channels (Arabic language - show football & more) - English Language - Euro News, BBC World News, Fox Movies, Fox Series, Dubai One, MBC Action, Persia, Max & MBC 1 - 4, & MTV.
Arabsat general channel listings View MBC film listings for Arabsat. This can be installed or retro fitted to an existing Astra satellite system by way of a secondary LNB & bracket (& cable to receiver) - no need to move the dish.
Whilst the free to air channel selection is comprehensive - sport wise, specifically Premiership Football, it cannot compete with the subscription packages of companies offered by such such as Showtime, Al Jazeera, ESPN & Sky. Update
If you wish to watch premiership football, premium sports events and SKY movie channnels, you will be required to pay monthly subscription charges, as you would in the UK. Other digital viewing cards are also available showing a wide variety of general programing, film, sport and adult content. We do not supply Sky subscription cards ourselves, but can advise of non affiliated suppliers, who can warantee their products and offer aftersales support.
For those with a specific interest in sport or Football, Orbit Showtime or Al Jazeera subscription package, which combined with a smaller dish, 0.80cm - 1.35 metres will allow the reception of the satellite Nilesat to receive all Premiership football matches as well as many other sports. Part of this package includes, comedy & popular US series. In addition to this Showtime also offer an excellent package which includes a general entertainment, film, music, documentaries - similar to Sky.
For Sky sports there are a number of different solutions, please
contact us for further information.
Should you wish to use various subscription viewing cards, you will need a
compatible receiver with a card slot.
What dish size do I need?
80cm - 1.00 metre dish. Suitable for reception of most (not all)
Eurobird & Astra south beam 2a/2b & 2c channels. Additionally with a second LNB this dish is suitable for the reception of Arabsat BADR 4/6.
Dish size is unsuitable for the stable reception of BBC 1, ITV & Channel 4. Suitable for Nilesat (Showtime & Al Jazeera).
1.8 - 1.9 metre prime focus dish. For high stability reception of
Astra north & south beams + Eurobird. Best overall performance for the hard to receive main UK terrestrial channels over the Costa Blanca & Costa Calida.
2.3 - 2.4 metre prime focus dish. Suitable for the weaker areas of Costa Blanca North & community installations where extra signal due to long cable runs may be required.
Above dishes can all be modified to add second LNB for Arabsat. 8 FTA sports channels (Arabic language - show football & more) - English Language - Euro News, BBC World News, Fox Movies, Fox Series, Dubai One, MBC Action, Persia, Max & MBC 1 - 4, & MTV. These channels show many films & popular US series CSI, Law & Order.
Arabsat channel listing MBC movie & series channel listing.
2nd LNB & bracket also available for Astra 1 (19.2) Mainly German, also English, Spanish, Italian & French content. Free to air Eurosport
Dish Quality & Type
There are two main type of dishes - single panel & multi segmented panel. Multi panel dishes are considerably more difficult to set up and any movement on any of the panel joins at any point will cause reception loss. A movement of 0.5mm on any of the panel joins can render the dish unuseable and no amount of setting up will fix this. Additionally multi panel dishes have a lower reception gain, meaning you may need to use a bigger dish than if a good quality single panel unit is used. Television Technology only install premium high gain single panel Portugese, Italian, German and American made dishes.
Of the single panel dishes, there are two types - one is spun (generally of Turkish or Bulgarian origin) the other is pressed. The pressed dishes tend to be of a thicker construction and generally perform to an equal standard. Spun dishes are generally of of a thinner construction and in most instances have a lower signal gain. As most manufacturers do not put their name on the dishes, another way of checking is the quality of the mount and base. Budget dishes will have thinner metalwork which is not as strong as the larger diameter tubing on better quality dishes.
Dish prices
Communities & Dish sharing
Community dishes will require agreement from community members and the president.Smaller systems can be installed on communities if a number of individuals require this service, without the need for community funds.
More on communities.
To reduce installation costs, dishes can be
shared netween neighbours, by using a dual LNB allowing two receivers to access the same dish. Additionally a Quad LNB will allow up to four users with separate receivers without any need for additional amplification. For above this figure or community systems, additional amplification will be required.
Satellite Receivers
To utilise your satellite dish, you will need a suitable digital satellite receiver.
These vary in quality and a good receiver will be able to obtain considerably more channels by having higher internal tuner amplification thus obtaining better signal quality. Having the ability to use a selection of digital viewing cards (free to view, subscription, Sky etc) as well as a system that has the ability to upgrade the firmware, will give you a receiver which will avoid being obsolete for some considerable time.
Consider what features you require, as with all types of electrical equipment - the higher the specification, the higher the initial cost.
Freesat branded boxes offer an easy to use 7-8 day programming guide - however many other FTA channels which are not on freesat cannot be viewed on many types of these receivers.
Generic satellite boxes from different manufacturers do pick up all the required channels, but get a reduced programming guide (due to the weak reception of the epg data stream in Spain) - so you cannot see what is on in 7 days time.
Each type of receiver has its advantages and disadvantages, it will depend on your viewing requirements, which receiver is most suitable.
For most casual viewers and holiday home owners a single tuner - low to medium cost receivers will prove sufficient.
Further features include;
Receiver with the facility to add USB hard drive (for recording or pausing live TV)
HD - High Definition. BBC HD & ITV1 HD.
Twin Tuner - Allowing you to watch one channel and record another, pause live TV and record 2 channels at the same time. Similar to Sky+ in the UK. Sky+ boxes will not work in Spain unless you have an active subscription card, Sky lock out the use of the hard drive.
Many people have a holiday home in Spain, can bring across their receivers from the UK, with certain Pace models being popular being sold as refurbished ex - Sky boxes. Whilst these are perfectly adequate, some of these models have been discontinued and are superceded by newer models with higher sensitivity tuners. Refurbished models generally have a warantee of 6 months, against that of 2 years on a new receiver.
Freeview
UK based terrestrial aerial system - Boxes such as the Humax Freeview are not the same as Humax Freesat. Freeview receivers are slightly cheaper - but more to the point do not work in Spain , as they require a terrestrial (UK) aerial not a satellite dish. For Spain Free to Air & Freesat.
Freesat
Offering a similar style programming guide to a Sky+ box - but without the need to subscribe to Sky for box functionality (so FTA). Useful if you have a recording box, so you can look at what programs are on in a few days time - then easily schedule recording. Non recording Freesat boxes are not as useful as knowing whats on in a few days time without being able to record it - is not so useful. Well specified recording Freesat receivers are not cheap as the equivalent non Freesat receivers.
Freesat / FTA - Whats the differences / benefits?
They are both Free to Air - Freesat is a branded name which allows licensed manufacturers to have the 8 day epg, along with a selection of UK programming.
Non Freesat but Free to air satellite boxes pick up the same channels as a Freesat box as well as all other FTA channels which are not listed on Freesats program guide.
Freesat - Good EPG, simple, good if you want to record (need box with hard drive)
FTA or standard satellite receiver - Picks up all free to air programming content, over 50 channels more than the Freesat box (though most are fringe channels), receivers are generally cheaper.
To add further confusion, some Freesat boxes also have the option of a non Freesat mode to manually scan in the other FTA channels - though these are not on Freesats main epg. You can also not alter the layout format of channel order in most Freesat receivers. Generic receivers (not Sky) will allow you to rearrange channel list order to suit you particualr viewing preferences.
Which is the better system?
If you require a system for scheduled recording & simplicity and are not bothered about picking up every FTA channel from Astra - then Freesat - the only other option to have this type of system is in the Sky+ subscription receiver / service.
If you want as many channels as possible and a less costly receiver, then a generic satellite receiver will pick up all the Freesat & FTA channels - but will only allow you to see a few hours ahead on the programming guide.
Recording TV & HD
Whilst the Freesat PVR's do offer a good system, they are not without fault - one being the FTA channels they do not list and secondly cost - a twin tuner HD PVR €350 - €400.
Twin tuner systems require a dual input, so if you only have one connection to a current receiver, you will need another connection for this type of system.
Currently whilst you can get reasonable HD content on Sky - this does mean paying considerable subscription fees. On Freesat / FTA there are currently only 2 channels BBC HD & ITV HD - this will change in the future, but for now - a little lacking. Popular BBC 2 channels are beginning to be shown on BBC HD, one such show being Top Gear starting November 2009.
The cheapest way to have a satellite receiver that allows recording (without resorting to going back to use your old video recorder) - is to get a USB PVR model. These receivers will allow the addition of a stand alone computer hard drive to be added, allowing recording via internal timer. Prices of these are between 1/3 - 1/2 of a twin tuner Freesat HD system.
Ultimately no one system is better than the other, it is purely down to the end users viewing habits. If you priority is price, system flexibility and receiving as many FTA channels as possible - then a generic satellite receiver. If you just wish to view the main terrestrial channels and record a lot - then a Freesat recording box or if you are prepared to pay for subscriptions - then Sky+ or Sky+ HD box is also an option.
Sky in Spain - subscription and digibox receiver
Sky & Sky + HD boxes are available as non subscribed receivers and can be purchased in Spain.
Subscription cards are available from UK associated companies that can provide the Sky subscription service and paired to the receiver in Spain. Please contact for further information.
Also quite common now seems to be to get a relative in the UK to subscribe to a second box, Sky is currently charging £10 per month for a multi room box. Both parties have the option of sharing the cost of the entire subscription. The second box can be registered then installed in Spain. Legally this is in breach of Skys contract. Whilst you are not going to get arrested for this, any contracted Sky box found to be operational in Spain (which is only likely to happen if they are contacted from a Spanish landline or mobile number) has a high probability of being switched off.
If you have an existing Sky box which has been registered in the the UK, this will work, though you will not have expansion capability and may not be able to use certain other broadcasters viewing cards. Sky receivers are only compatibe with the Astra satellite and cannot be used for connection to another satellite, such as Badr 4/6 - which shows sport & other FTA programming content.
No room for a satellite dish?
For individuals who are unable to utilise a satellite dish and wish to legally receive English language television, a new digital system (not rebroadcasting) has recently been made available and will allow you to receive the full spectrum of English language channels. You will require broadband internet and a home computer for this service. This system will allow you to watch digital channels on your home computer and can be upgraded to work on any television worldwide.
Rebroadcast television - Updates of English television in the press.
Satellite
A satellite TV expert confirmed; “UK TV is only legally obtained by installing equipment that receives the TV transmission direct from the satellites (Astra2D and Eurobird). It is possible to purchase and install readily available consumer products and equipment designed to receive these satellite transmissions and when using a free to air ‘digi’ box the customer is not infringing any copyright laws or licenses by viewing channels received via satellite transmissions that are readily available in Spain. In summary, the use of a large dish and a free to air ‘digi’ box decriminalises the viewing of UK television in Spain.
Friday, 07 August 2009 
Sat TV pirates nicked
By Dave Jamieson - Costa Blanca News Friday August 7th 2009.
A NUMBER of Britons are amongst 60 people arrested across Spain as part of a National Police crackdown on the redistribution of pirated television transmissions.
Hotel directors and community presidents have been allegedly involved in a fraud estimated to run into millions of euros.
Financial administrators and commercial operators have also been detained while two illegal cable television
businesses which supplied pirated pay-TV signals for a monthly fee have been closed.
One in Sevilla had a client base of almost 1,300 while another in Tenerife serviced around 3,000 homes. Other similar businesses were identified along the Costas, while urbanisations and hotels which distributed signals illegally to residents and clients have also been targeted.
For the first time in Spain, the administrators of an Internet site have been arrested on charges of illegally rebroadcasting pay-TV channels on a website.
The programmes, mainly football matches, were taken from Spanish and Arab satellite broadcasters.
Of particular interest to investigators were the companies advertising to the British population in Spain and offering pay-TV channels from the UK. National Police say that thousands of fraudulent contracts have been issued by such companies to their customers and millions of euros have been taken in fees.
Hundreds of satellite television decoders and smart cards were seized during the operation, along with the equipment necessary to redistribute the illegal signals. The operation involved the National Police bases in 17 areas of Spain from Madrid to the Canary Islands and from Barcelona down to the Costa del Sol.
Latest from Valancian News 21 - 3 - 2009
Brits detained
Seven British people -four men and three women - have been detained in Los Montesinos and Orihuela-Costa for offering illegal TV services to over seven thousand clients - the majority of whom were fellow countrymen in the provinces of Alicante and Murcia, charging fifteen Euros monthly and an 890 Euros installation fee. Sources in the Guardia Civil have revealed that according to first estimates, the fraud committed by the group could be as high as thirty million Euros in unpaid rights and taxes.
After the arrests, police confiscated 90,000 Euros in cash, computer equipment, signal decoders and transmission equipment with a value of over half a million Euros. The investigations started last August, when members of the Corps noticed that near the home of the one of the detainees there was an extremely powerful set of parabolic antennas, allowing the capture of several British-based satellite TV channels, that were then decoded and distributed amongst clients on the coast between Torrevieja in Alicante Province and San Pedro del Pinatar in Murcia Province.
The police allege that the organization operated fraudulently, the company was not registered in Spain, no payments were made to Social Security as the law requires, whilst rights to the signal that was captured, decoded and re-broadcast to clients in fact was owned by other companies including Spain and UK. Full newspaper article link.
Still no word from Telmicro Round Town News 19 - 8 - 2008
Not surprisingly, our open invitation to Telmicro Levante to speak to us regarding the dire situation that it has found itself in, went unanswered. Here at Round Town News we are still being inundated with e-mails and telephone calls from disgruntled customers and have spent the week getting various statements in order so that we can tell you, our readers, the best course of action; a legal way to get British TV here in Spain. As we told you last week, we have contacted many companies in both the UK and here in Spain so that we can determine exactly what is the best and legal way to receive TV and what isn’t. As we confirmed at the time, the crux of the whole issue is that Telmicro Levante S.L. were re-broadcasting British TV. Basically, they were using the mesh dishes to receive a signal that was itself being received via a larger dish. The signals were transmitted all over the Southern Costa Blanca and as this is illegal, the authorities shut them down. It is believed that they will be also targeting other companies doing this in the near future. Through our investigations, we have confirmed that the only legal way to get British TV is to buy a satellite dish that is large enough to receive the signal directly from the satellite that is in orbit. This has been confirmed by the Telecommuncations Ministry in Madrid.
Friday 12 - 9 - 2008 Costa Blanca News
DESPITE explicit statements from BBC, Sky and ITV, rebroadcasting of some of their channels continues in the northern Costa Blanca.
Following Guardia Civil action taken against Torrevieja-based Telmicro several weeks ago, nearly all rebroadcasting companies switched to free-to-air channels.
Costa Blanca News last week received public statements from BBC and Sky explaining that currently no company in Spain has been authorised to rebroadcast their channels, and that doing so without permission could lead to legal action.
This week, CBNews received a similar statement from a spokesman for ITV plc who said: “We do not have any sort of agreement in place.
“If an operator in Spain wanted to broadcast our channels there they would have to enter into a contractual agreement with us.”
But despite these clear statements, some rebroadcasting companies have waited for the dust to settle and are rebroadcasting BBC, Sky and ITV stations once again.
CBNews contacted several of the rebroadcasting companies to clarify the situation, but nobody was available to comment and despite leaving several messages, no one has returned the calls.
Customers approached by CBN say they had received the same response.
Sources consulted by CBNews strongly recommend that, when subscribing to one of these services, customers demand to know exactly which channels the company has the right to rebroadcast and be aware of those that could be switched off without warning.
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