Loading ...
Setanta Sport, a pay-tv sports network presently available on Sky and Freeview, are currently in discussions with Freesat. They are considering allowing access to their channels through Freesat, free of charge, with income coming from advertising only.
This would be a huge boost for Freesat as Setanta is seen as an important package for keen sports fans, with a proportion of english football and world golf, plus many other sports.
Whilst an interesting prospect, Setanta will have to put significant investiment into making their channels available FTA on Freesat, whilst continuing to supply to Sky customers by subscription only.
The discussions are in very early days, there’s no way Setanta would take such a move now, but the future would certainly look interesting if Freesat can place agreements with such channels.
Leave you comments below, lets help push Setanta into making this a reality.
May 11th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
This would get a lot of people onboard and give sky some real competition.
lovethejobQuote
May 11th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
The only thing I would be interested in is Premiership football but there is no way Setanta could finance that from adverts alone.
I think the take up of Freesat will be fairly slow as most people have access to digital television by freeview, sky or FTA receivers. The big selling point of Freesat would be HD but with the BBC HD still being very much a preview service and ITV HD not even being a proper channel takeup will be very limited.
TrevorQuote
May 12th, 2008 at 7:29 am
i think setanta sports news will become fta ,but no chance for any live sports,maybe a highlights channel if we are lucky.no way will setanta lose its sky and terestial subscribers
darnall42Quote
May 12th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Just to let owners of the Humax Foxsat HD freesat box know that the clock resetting problem will be put right this Friday with a OTA software download.
Ian PalinQuote
May 12th, 2008 at 9:40 am
I believe the only option for Setanta sports is for one of the manufacturers to launch a Freesat box with an encryption card slot. While this could confuse viewers who expect Freesat to be “Free”, it is no different to Freeview boxes with a card slot for Setanta on DTT.
RogerQuote
May 12th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I think this is related to their news programs, not live premiership football.
zagQuote
May 12th, 2008 at 10:42 am
They may be able to control the subscription to Setanta through a better mechanism that putting a card in the back of the box…
GordonQuote
May 12th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Sentanta will NOT be on Freesat any time soon.
IanQuote
May 12th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
I detect some very worried Sky subcribers (?) here who’ve also been sceptical of Freesat in other posts.
Freesat is already a great service compared to Freeview and will only getter better over time.
The pressure is on Sky and about time too.
Freesat take up will I believe be great provided they finally kick a proper advertising campaign into gear later this year that makes a big play of the advantages over Freeview and emphasises the parallels with subscription channel offerings but empasises the fact its for free. The time for treading softly with advertising has gone.
Setanta would be a great addition to Freesat. Only Setanta know if they can make it commercially viable for free Ian, thats not something anyone else can judge.
I just hope they can as I’d love to see more sport on Freesat, especially football and especially in HD.
Welcome Setanta!
AlQuote
May 12th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
lets not forget sentanta is free to some virgin subscribers
the jl wizzardQuote
May 12th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Yes Setanta would be a great addition to Freesat and would encourage a lot of Sports fans to join up.
M.ChapmanQuote
May 12th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
could we see the source of this info please
steveQuote
May 13th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Hope satanta can do a deal with free sat, it would get a lot more viewers.
Mt GreenQuote
May 27th, 2008 at 8:21 am
although it would be great if setanta sports was on freesat for free, can they not put it on freesat for The current price of £9.99 i for one will purchase freesat only if setanta is on it, so i can get all the services setanta offer not just a limited service through freeview.
william macgregorQuote
August 5th, 2008 at 8:10 am
can any one tell me if you can get setanta with sky free sat without subscribing to any other sky package
KeithQuote
August 20th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Yes you can, Keith. Absolutely. All you need is your viewing card number.
Glen McFarlaneQuote
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:05 am
I’m currently looking for an HD solution, but with Setanta Sports as well. Other than going for Virgin Media or Sky HD, which are expensive, you’re out of luck.
Sky Freesat, I presume thats not HD?
AndyQuote
September 13th, 2008 at 8:44 am
It would be great for Setanta to join – as well as all the channels currently on freeview – it would mean one less box under the tele and better reception.
JeffQuote
September 28th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
i belive that setanta sports should be free to air
anthonyQuote
September 29th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Absolute bananas ! Years away.
John LongstonQuote
November 16th, 2008 at 9:11 am
I am waiting for Setanta to do this deal. I’ll ditch Sky in a second, but only if I can get Setanta on Freesat. Come on guys, get it right, and give Sky something to worry about!
Nickie TQuote
November 30th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
I am currently a Sky subscriber and would like to stop my sky subscription. And I right in believing that I can buy a sky hd box and setanta subscrition without purchasing a sky subscription.
GeoffQuote
March 13th, 2009 at 9:49 am
I read with interest the above. Can anyone advise me of how this will work. my telly has freesat as well as freeview built in. Therefore i don’t have a box or sat card. I simply use an existing dish that was left when i bought my house. How can i subscribe for setanta
NeillQuote
March 13th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Neill, this is a very old post and no further discussion/decision has been made on such services appearing on Freesat. One things for sure, should this go ahead it’s most likely with the requirement for a viewing card, which will mean as your IDTV doesn’t have a card slot, you’d need a separate receiver with card slot, of which don’t exist at present, apart from the Humax FOXSAT-HDR, but that’s not to say it will be compatible in the future.
adminQuote
March 26th, 2009 at 8:23 am
I currently watch setanta through freeview – if I buy a freesat box what channels of setanta can I get? Will I be able to upgrade to all the setanta channels like sky or just get the one I already get on freeview?? Please help
barbaraQuote
March 26th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Barbara, as per the post above, no deal is in place between Setanta and Freesat yet. We’ve had no further news on this since the post was published.
adminQuote
March 28th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Re the discussion about freesat and seatanta sports. I have freesat with HUmax foxsat HDR box which has a CI Module slot. I bought a CAM and viewing card but setanta will not accept me. The CAM and card are recognised by the Humax receiver. I would like to know how to get Setanta sports with subscription.
CliveQuote
March 28th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Further to my query. I am told that Setantasports can be viewed with a set up as mine. Can anyone suggest how it is done?
Thanks
CliveQuote
March 28th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Clive, Setanta is not yet available on Freesat. Your only way around this would be a CAM and a Setanta card designed for the Sky platform, but it’s a breach of both Freesat and Sky’s contracts so not something many will discuss on an open post/forum.
adminQuote
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:16 am
great if we get setanta goes on freesat .its on test on nofreesat at the monment i can folow irish football which is very difrent game than normal football
joeQuote
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:14 am
is this why there is minimal golf available on freesat?
Craig McLaughlanQuote