TV NEWS

‬Happy New Year to all our readers‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬we thought we would take a little look at the history of UK TV in Spain and what 2026‭ ‬may bring‭.

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UK TV in southern Spain has never been straight forward‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬back in the 90`s when I first arrived‭, ‬we could only get Channel 5‭ ‬and‭ ‬Sky News on the SKY analogue satellite and we were quite happy with that‭. ‬

Then over the years SKY went digital‭, ‬Freesat was launched and new satellites were introduced that had much tighter footprints on the UK‭. ‬Dish size to obtain the weaker signals increased and we all needed the massive 1.80m satellite dish‭. ‬

Then TV by internet was introduced‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬mainly led by the Ukrainian company‭ ‬“Infomir”‭. ‬This put enormous demands on the internet‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬far more than anything in the past‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬and all the internet suppliers absolutely hated it‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬it used up ALL their bandwidth‭! ‬TV viewing by internet was very hit and miss‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬lots of people tried‭, ‬failed and went back to satellite‭. ‬However‭, ‬it was the future and then along came fibre internet that could easily cope with the TV demand‭. ‬

So‭, ‬in the 2020`s viewing was split between clients using the satellite system‭, ‬both Sky and Freesat‭, ‬and those using internet‭. ‬

Then in the past year many channels on the satellite system went to HD only and used new satellite frequencies that were tightly‭ ‬focused on the UK and no longer available down here in southern Spain‭. ‬Overnight many popular channels were lost and the almost‭ ‬total client migration to internet TV happened‭. ‬

As in any industry‭. ‬with money to be made new suppliers popped up‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬the market stall cowboys to the highly professional‭. ‬As seems to be the way these days‭, ‬products are totally price led and many used the cowboys with disastrous results and the whole industry got a bad name‭. ‬Clients were pleading with us to get their beloved satellite back but that was just not possible‭. ‬

However‭, ‬the professional IPTV service‭, ‬costing a little more‭, ‬won through and is the way most people watch UK TV now‭.‬

So‭, ‬what will 2026‭ ‬bring‭? ‬Firstly‭, ‬TV boxes and their functions will get more sophisticated‭. ‬Amazon have said they will remotely‭ ‬close all the unapproved APPS on their Firesticks‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬this may also happen to Android type boxes‭. ‬

Operators have said they will just use a VPN but the BBC and ITV have already blocked some VPN`s access to their online services‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬we´re sure Amazon will do the same‭. ‬Use a dedicated professional service for your TV supply‭ - ‬it will cost a little more but will be reliable‭.

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For reliable TV viewing you also need a good internet supply‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬generally fibre is excellent although some operators are much better than others‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬again this is often price led but the cheaper options use cheap complex routes‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬be aware that price is really‭ ‬not the only factor in choosing a supplier‭. ‬Fibre is progressing into the campo but now‭, ‬we also have Starlink‭ - ‬excellent internet anywhere‭. ‬

2026‭ ‬will bring new internet developments‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬the Google LEO system is in its infancy but will be huge in the internet supply field‭. ‬There are several tests proceeding with high altitude balloons to beam internet down‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬much cheaper than satellites‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬we can‭ ‬actually see that the days for fibre are numbered‭!

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Technology will move on to services we have never even dreamed of but UK TV by internet will be the only reliable way to view in‭ ‬2026‭.‬

Article sponsored by RAINBOW SATELLITES SL‭ ‬‮–‬‭ ‬the TV company for ALL your TV and Radio needs in the region of Murcia‭. ‬

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