No Channel 5 on Sky Freesat

Question

I have recently moved into a house that has a Sky dish. A friend has given me a Sky box and I have managed to get hold of quite a few channels. What does mystify me is that Channel 5 / Fiver and Five Plus do not appear on the TV guide. Is this due to where I live?

Submitted online by Dave

Our Answer

There are a small number of channels that are broadcast on the Sky platform that are known as “free-to-view” – This means that the channels are available for free, but they are encrypted. This is done by the broadcaster to ensure that the channel can only be viewed in certain areas.

A good example of this, is Channel 5. They have made the decision to make some of their channels “free-to-view”, meaning that you need a valid Sky subscription card to be able to get  these channels on a Sky box.

Why do they do this?

Typically, a broadcaster does this for commercial reasons. A TV company gets the rights to broadcast a TV show in a certain country. It’s possible to pick up Sky in parts of Western Europe, and the broadcasters want to prevent non-UK viewers from watching the content. Accordingly, they encrypt it, and Sky only provides the viewing cards to people with a UK postal address.

Which channels are “free-to-view” on Sky?

At the time of writing, the following channels can only be watched on a Sky box with a valid subscription card:

• 5 USA / 5 USA +1
• 5* / 5* +1 (Formerly Fiver)
• Channel 5 HD
• Pick TV / Pick TV +1 (Formerly Sky Three)
• Motors TV
• Sony TV / Sony TV +1
• VIVA

Some of the ITV1 regional services are also encoded, to ensure that they can only be viewed in certain regions.

How do I watch these channels?

• If you’re a Sky subscriber, you’ll get these channels for free with your standard Sky viewing card.
• If you have ceased to subscribe to Sky, you will probably find that your old card will still give you access to the free-to-view channels
• If you don’t have a card, you can get one from Sky by calling 08448 244 400. At the time of writing, the fee is £25 for a “Freesat for Sky” card. Alternatively, sign up to Sky, and you’ll get all f the free, and free-to-view channels (currently over 200)

Related links

• What do I do with my old Sky box?
• Sky +recording without a subscription