We originally wanted to
install a BSkyB system as many other villas have. Upon investigation we
discovered that BSkyB have no license to transmit to Spain and actively discourage BSkyB use here. BSkyB do not provide any licenses for reception in Spain
so anyone using BSkyB in Spain is ostensibly doing so illegally.
The satellite that transmits the BSkyB service
originally had a 'footprint' (the area the transmission covers) that
covered Spain, France and other European countries and could be received
with a normal 0.9m dish. They then tightened up
this footprint. This still didn't stop reasonable reception of BSkyB in
Spain if a 1.5m dish was installed so BSkyB narrowed the footprint even
more. This meant that reception became poor and unusable after about 9pm
as the satellite sinks too close to the horizon. Villa owners are now having
to install 2.4m dishes in their gardens (too big to go on the roof!) and
even then reception after 9pm can be intermittent depending on the
weather. Some businesses have sprung up whereby
they erect a large satellite dish to receive the BSkyB signal and then
re-transmit the signal locally to smaller dishes. Obviously the viewer
has to pay them for this service but BSkyB certainly do not condone this
style of operation or receive money for it. Some villa owners even
suggest clients should bring their own BSkyB card over with them. Tales
of clients asking for refunds due to lack of TV reception are now
starting to surface. Overall BSkyB are
succeeding in making their service unusable from Spain and until they
start up an official transmission here we have opted to go with a
multi-satellite system that allows access to hundreds of free to airs,
many of them English language but NOT including Sky channels (except Sky
News) nor the BBC and ITV channels. |