Loading ...Freesat has today unveiled its largest advertising campaign to date, launching 4th November 2008, which will highlight the satellite TV service’s subscription free high-definition (HD) offer and run across national newspapers, supplements, TV listings publications, commuter press and a wide range of digital media.
The campaign centres around viewers emotional responses to watching their favourite programmes in HD on Freesat, including BBC HD’s Strictly Come Dancing, Little Dorrit, In the Night Garden, ITV HD’s UEFA Champions League football and new teen drama Britannia High.
Key messages communicated in the campaign include;
- Freesat’s attractive no subscription, no monthly bills proposition
- Freesat’s range of channels, which currently number 140, including free HD from the BBC and ITV
- Freesat’s UK wide signal coverage, which stands at 98%
- The ease of equipment purchase and set-up
Freesat, which recently announced that product sales had reached over 100,000 in only five months, has worked with creative agency farm to create and implement the campaign, with media agency MPG handling media planning and buying.
Will Abbott, Freesat marketing and communications director commented;
Freesat offers 140 channels and UK-wide coverage for everyone, for free – no subscription and no monthly bills. That’s a brilliant offer and great value. Add to that some of the best of BBC and ITV in HD for free and it just gets better. But we’re interested in people not pixels. It’s the heightened viewing experience HD offers that we’re focusing on in our campaign – the feeling that you’re really there, immersed in the action.
November 4th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
About time they started to give this thing some publicity. I am amazed at how little has been mentioned so far on the BBC and ITV considering they are investing in it.
November 4th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
when programmes like coronation st, eastenders, the bill etc go hd there will be a dramatic increase in freesat take up
November 4th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Panasonic have been advertising their PZ81 Freesat TV’s very well, so this parallel advertising by Freesat will really help it along
November 4th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Talking of advertising campaigns, it looks like $ky may be putting pressure on Ch4, as Ch4 are now running an add campaign (on Ch4) promoting their HD service on $ky. Does this indicate their excusivity contract for HD on $ky is unlikely to be coming to an end soon and thus we won’t be seeing it on FreeSat in the forseeable future?
November 4th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I think a lot of people expected that more advertising would happen when five came on board, which is going to be very soon now, judging by all the signs.
Without five, if the BBC (especially) and ITV did lots of promotion, and people found that they actually didn’t get all the channels they could get on analogue terrestrial, they’d get a lot of stick for misleading people (despite the leaflets making it clear).
Now that five’s almost here, and a PVR in the run up to Xmas, it’s just the right time to push freesat hard.
November 4th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
But please remember, not everyone likes the above mentioned programmes, as looking back a few weeks +, Harry Potter was not shown in HD as with the new series of Merlin. But there’s one positive side, you can get Hero’s in HD. By the way is there any chance of Zone Fantasy coming to Freesat, in English that is.
November 4th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
I to think the time is right to really push it ..
Im not to sure about the fact they have 140 channels ..
November 4th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
might be worth advertising if they had more than two hd channels otherwise why bother – theres nothing really new about freesat
November 4th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Looks like this is the start of the hard launch with christmas approaching and the PVR and CH5 about to climb on board. This is the moment Sky has been dreading
November 4th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Quote From Harold: “when programmes like coronation st, eastenders, the bill etc go hd there will be a dramatic increase in freesat take up.”
I cannot think of anything worse. They are bad enough in standard definition !!
November 4th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
There was a short freesat ITV HD ad tonight. Perhaps this was the first of their advertising run.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/freesathd/3004004224/
November 4th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Still only says “Watch it live on Freesat”.
Problem is my original gripe still exists – Sky still have a service called Freesat and the public don’t know the difference between the two.
Its way overdue for the BBC / ITV partnership to claim the name they own the rights to.
Failing this, their advertising really needs to say “Watch it live on the BBC’s / ITV’s Freesat service”.
November 5th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Quote from Al:
“Watch it live on the BBC’s / ITV’s Freesat service”.
How about: “watch it live on the true freesat service”
November 5th, 2008 at 9:17 am
“It’s the heightened viewing experience HD offers that we’re focusing on in our campaign – the feeling that you’re really there, immersed in the action.”
Great news for Sky. Sell the concept of HD and when the punter goes to buy Freesat they’ll come out the shop with Sky HD.
November 5th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Someone remind Channel four they are on Freesat please, they dont seam to be ppepared to advertise the fact still not showing freesat as one of their viewing options when they advertise on their splash screens. Are they ashamed of freesat ?
November 5th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
How can FreesatHD compete with Sky HD- being a fact that Sky has more channels with HD. Just how long it be before Freesat get as many HD channels.?
November 5th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I don’t think anyone is seriously imagining it will – one’s a pay service, one’s a free service. And the pay service will always support channels that certainly can’t manage to make enough money out of advertising to survive.
But, in as much as both are services that will allow people to receive digital television, then of course they’re competing; some don’t want the premium pay channels, or an EPG full of stuff they can’t see and can’t delete, and will choose Freesat. Others will want more content, and be willing to pay for it, and choose Sky. Some people will choose both.
If you’re losing analogue TV, and have to choose a replacement, or want some HD content, then obviously you’ll weigh up the different options, and so there will be competition of a sort.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Why choose Strictly Come Dancing as a programme to showcase HD, when the more highly rated results’ show is still broadcast in standard definition?
This will really confuse new customers who don’t read BBC blogs, forums etc.
November 6th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Maybe once the beeb gets to broadcast longer hours on HD, perhaps they find other programes that will have a higher rate than Strickly Come Dancing. perhaps the beeb is thinking,because the SCD did win an award.
Unlike like the viewers who live in Scotland who can’t get itv HD, i thought perhaps the Scottish Parliment might have done something about it, as there always wanting to do things for thier own country. Or if Scotland were independant i wonder would it make any diffrence.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
“Unlike the$ viewers who live in Scotland who can’t get ITV HD”
They can, but they’re not supposed to!!
November 6th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
if any of the scots are looking to get itv hd it’s pretty easy on the humax box (don’t know about the others) just retune with a English post code. Edit customizable channels and you can then choose the Scottish BBC channels. As for stv let’s face it you’re not missing much.
November 7th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Quote from Francis “How can FreesatHD compete with Sky HD”
Simple. FreesatHD does not cost £37 a montth, which a lot of people cannot afford or do not want to pay.
November 7th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Sorry – £27 a month !!! Still too much though
November 7th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Thanks for your advice jon’.. in my case i have’nt got a humax box.. mines is already built into the tv, and i did change the post code and now i can see ‘ Sharpe’s Peril’ in HD. A, how do i get the EPG on the screen ? can’t seem to get it, perhaps i am doing something wrong.. is it the same as Sky’s ? showing you the program line up.
November 14th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I am still annoyed that my Goodmans SD box will not give me the correct 1 day and 5 day weather maps for the South West. The land outline does not appear and only very occassionally do I receive all ten weather icons for the ten towns in the region, in addition when I bring up the programme guide most channels have “no information” displayed, what sort of service is this ?
November 16th, 2008 at 7:43 am
ITV-HD The reason most Scottish viewers can’t get this is because STV isn’t part of ITV and hasn’t opted yet to link up with Freesat. Viewers in the Scottish Borders TV area can get ITV HD as this area is within ITV coverage. Scottish Borders or Dumfries and Galloway postcodes will bring up ITV HD OK. —- I don’t know whether there are technical issues or perhaps financial issues for STV as they are pretty cash strapped.
November 16th, 2008 at 10:22 am
For those in most of Scotland who want to continue to watch SPL football fixtures for example without switching to FTA mode then this can be achieved by the receiver being setup with a Borders or D&G postcode and then bookmarking Border TV (Scotland) in Favourites grouping. Upscaling will be achieved with the new Humax DTR box. about the only thing you will miss out on this way is the STV news but you’ve always got the BBC Scotland news option.