Perhaps its a
sign of the times but one of the most asked questions after weather,
concerns television and radio. Almost everyone wants to know what's
on the box in Spain and can they receive UK broadcasts.
Spanish
television which once was appalling has improved to such a degree
that it can now fairly be described as dreadful. Inane game shows, terrible
chat shows, dwarf throwing and much sport, particularly football and bull fighting
with a smattering of news at regular intervals form the bulk of
terrestrial television transmissions. Spain has digital satellite
broadcasting via two satellites and both broadcast a fair amount
of programmes in English. "Via Digital" (Company name)
is probably the more preferable for those from the UK and ROI
and broadcasts include BBC World News and a large daily dose of
films, the majority in English but some of which will have subtitles
in Spanish.
As
of September 2007 there were no High Definition TV broadcasts by
any Spanish TV company apart from the odd test transmission. Some Sky broadcasts are in HD and providing
you have paid to receive them and have a high definition TV, you
will have no problem.
Most
TV channels available
If
you wish to stay in touch with home there is absolutely no problem
whatsoever as Sky can be received all over Spain as can BBC1,
BBC2, ITV 1, 2, 3, C4, C5 and BBC World. Sky, for whatever
reason are not very co-operative when it comes to helping you
receive their broadcasts outside of the UK and ROI so you will
need to subscribe to the service in the UK and bring equipment
with you. Don't bring the mini-dish. They are too small and a
much larger dish is required.
On
the east coast of Spain perfect, uninterrupted reception is particularly
difficult requiring 5 and 6 metre dishes which are not feasible
for the average person or his house. 1.5 metre dishes are adequate
but you will lose some channels for an hour or so each day. The
further west you go the smaller the dish you require. In Madrid,
it is said that a one metre dish provides uninterrupted service
of good quality. However, there are ways of receiving Sky and
if you intend to move to Torrevieja, Benidorm or anywhere on the
Costa Blanca, the local English paper will have full information.
SPC clients are informed routinely as to the availability
of UK television in their areas and how to receive it.
If
you bring Sky equipment with you there may be problems with the
contract which requires you to stay connected to a telephone line.
Every now and again the system checks automatically to see if
you are connected - if you are not it shuts the system down and
you have to go through the process of connecting once again -
but it must be done in the UK. You can purchase boxes in Spain
which obviate this problem but they tend to be expensive.
Quite
common now seems to be to get a relative in the UK to subscribe
to a second box, sharing the cost of the entire subscription.
The second box can be connected in the UK and then installed in
Spain. All BBC and ITV broadcasts can be received from the Sky
satellite. It is said that Sky intend to stop this method of receiving
their broadcasts outside of the UK but as of yet nothing has happened and until equipment becomes a lot more sophisticated than it currently is, the situation is unlikely to change. .
Digital
Broadcasts
All
5 BBC radio stations are broadcast digitally via the Sky satellite
as is Virgin Radio, Classic FM and many more. If you want to stay
in touch with your local radio station, even this is becoming
possible now as more and more find their way onto the net and
broadcast in streaming audio.
Set
adjustments may be necessary
If
you bring Sky decoders with you, British TV sets will work as
they did in the UK. If you buy a Spanish TV, there is a possibility
that whilst you will receive a good picture, there will be no
sound. In fact, most modern TV sets are PAL multi standard and
work on all broadcasts. If you wish to bring UK TV sets, you can
have them converted for about £18 or so should this prove
necessary.
Programming
TV
magazines are in abundance with all programming listed and all
English language newspapers have a TV column. It's worth having
a teletext set in Spain as quite a lot of useful information is
carried by all broadcasters.
If
SPC is to build your house inland, we'll survey the land to see
whether or not you can receive UK television, advising you of
the situation before you buy. We'll also help with the installation
of any equipment needed If you can't live without a hefty
daily dose of television, you need have no concern in regard to
living in Spain. All UK TV broadcasts are available via satellite
as are many channels that most people are not even aware of.
Radio
Broadcasts
The
World service of the BBC can be received on a short wave radio
but as mentioned above, most people use the Sky satellite to receive
digital radio broadcasts. Digital radio, for which a digital radio
receiver is required can also be received in Spain. Most areas
of Spain where ex pats can be found have an English broadcasting
radio station. Currently all that can be said about most of these
is that they serve to keep their regular listeners regular!!
Most
national and local radio stations can be received with perfect
clarity via the internet although a broadband connection will
be required.
