Free-To-View TV Packages

Freeview is the general tag that is given to all free-to-air TV broadcast in the UK, and is the new standard in terrestrial TV that requires no subscription fee and will work with your existing aerial. Freeview services were originally launched in 2002 and have grown to include over 40 digital television channels as well as loads of digital radio channels and interactive services.

All you need to receive the Freeview channels is a set top box, costing as little as £15, or alternatively a television with a built in Freeview receiver. Most modern HD and digital ready TVs will come with this Freeview built in which is particularly convenient as it means you won't need the separate box which would require another plug socket and mean more messy wires. At the moment in the UK there are both digital and analogue TV signals being broadcast, so you can still watch the five terrestrial channels just by plugging your aerial directly into your TV.

However, over the next three years analogue broadcasting is going to be phased out so that by 2012 you will only be able to watch digital broadcasts in the UK. That means that getting in on the Freeview act now will have you prepared. Currently around 27% of households in the UK are in areas not yet covered by a Freeview broadcast, but by 2012 the government plan to bring Freeview coverage up to 98% of households, which is currently the level that analogue broadcasts are at.

Interactive Services

Because Freeview is a digital broadcasting service it allows viewer interaction via the remote control, allowing you to view additional content like the recent sing alongs on BBC's Top of the Pops, a variety of live sports as offered during the 2008 Olympic Games and even interactive adverts which offer additional information about a product or service when you press the red button during the advert's broadcast.

Future of Free-to-view TV

New channels are always being added to the Freeview service, and there are plans to introduce HD channels over the digital service starting later in 2009, which is great news for the thousands of people who have equipped themselves with an HD ready TV in anticipation of future HD broadcasts. But the current generation of Freeview boxes and built in receivers won't be capable of decoding the new HD signals so you'll need to make additional purchases in the future.

Freesat

There is another free-to-view TV service that has been available since mid-2008, and that service is called Freesat, which differs from Freeview in that its broadcasts operate over a satellite network, and you will need satellite receiving equipment and a different type of set top box to view the channels. The advantage of Freesat over Freeview is that a slightly larger number of channels are currently available, and Freesat services are available in areas in which Freeview broadcasts are not yet. Also, Freesat is available with high definition channels, but you will need to buy a Freesat HD set top box which will set you back more money.