Sky or Non-Sky?How do you decide? Check out our comparison chart! |
Satellite RadioIt's easy without a TV. Just connect your receiver to a hi-fi. |
This page index
• Why Choose Satellite?
• How many Christian Channels?
• With no Sky contract or subscription?
• What is Free-to-Air?
• What about ITV, Ch4 & Ch5?
• What about Digital Radio - DAB ?
• Can I get TV via my phone line?
Why Choose Satellite?
because satellite ...
- gives you over twenty Christian TV and Radio stations
- is available in 98% of the UK
- has no ongoing cost once installed
- can be used with a hi-fi for radio only
- will have the most Christian channels for the foreseeable future
but why can't I get Christian Radio in my car or kitchen?
In the UK, Christian organisations were not eligible to apply for a Broadcast licence for FM, MW or LW. Even so, by God's grace, we've had Premier in London and Cross Rhythms in Stoke-on-Trent broadcasting on 'regular' radio for some years. Recently, five Christian groups were awarded community radio licences, while UCB UK and Premier have gained regional DAB frequencies, so many people are now being blessed by a Christian Station in their area - see where in our Non-Satellite TV and Radio Guide.
Freeview gives you digital TV and Radio via your TV aerial but Premier Radio is the only Christian channel. Even so, if you can't have a dish, then try and get Freeview because Premier Radio alone is well worth having. TribalUK provide a useful guide to buying a Freeview box.
Nevertheless, for many of us, Satellite, Cable or Freeview remain the main choices for Christian broadcasting - and this website will help you to choose. And we'll all have to decide soon because the Digital switchover begins in 2008 and will be completed by 2012.
How Many Christian Channels?
Satellite provides the greatest choice of Christian broadcasting for homes in the UK.
Sky has fifteen Christian TV channels and ten Christian Radio channels.
Virgin Cable has only three Christian channels, Freeview
has one and Digital Radio (DAB) has no national channels.
There are three local DAB stations.
And, Freeview is not yet available in around 25% of the UK.
Just how many channels of TV and Radio are there on each platform? This table shows you....
| If you choose >> | Sky Satellite* | Virgin Media Cable | Freeview | BBC ITV Freesat | Digital Radio DAB | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian channels >> | 15 TV 10 Radio | 1 TV 2 Radio | 1 Radio | No Christian channels | no national channels |
* At least five more Christian channels can be received with a generic Non-Sky receiver. For more details go to Tuning details for Non-Sky receivers on the Christian channels page.
Satellite has many FREE non-Christian channels too. There are around 200 free TV channels and over 100 free Radio channels. Once you have a system there is nothing more to pay - but the number of free channels continues to grow!
With no Sky contract or subscription?
Yes! Well over 1,000,000 UK homes own a Sky system but but pay nothing to Sky. Most have cancelled their contract and stopped paying rental while others have had Freesat-from-Sky installed . If you stop paying Sky, you keep the system and can still receive over 300 free (or 'Free-to-Air') channels. These are broadcast at the expense of the broadcaster. You pay nothing, but please send donations to the organisations who run the Christian stations. If you haven't got a Sky system, we'll explain how to get one without the need to subscribe to Sky.
What is Free-to-Air?
These are the free channels you can receive without a subscription.
Subscription (pay TV) channels are encrypted so need a ‘TV viewing card’ in the digibox to be seen.
Thankfully, all the Christian TV and Radio and all BBC and ITV channels are Free-to-Air so don't need a card
and can be received on a non-Sky box as well.
All the Sky Free-to-Air channels are listed at
www.wickonline.com.
What about Freesat from the BBC and ITV?
There are no Christian channels on the recently launched Freesat, the free satellite service from the BBC & ITV. Christian broadcasters would like to be on Freesat but the cost may prevent them joining. Even if some Christian channels do appear, the number would have to be the same or greater than Sky's to make it worth considering. For choice and ease of use the best option for Christian TV and Radio is a Freesat from Sky system.
What about ITV, Ch4 & Ch5?
In November 2005, ITV went Free-to-Air so all ITV channels can be received with either a Sky or non-Sky box.
But, to get Ch4 & Ch5, you must have a Sky digibox fitted with a Sky TV viewing card.
A card, valid for five years, is available separately to non-subscribers for just £20.
To obtain a card, ring the Freesat from Sky line on 08706 061111.
What about Digital Radio - DAB ?
Well, Christian DAB has finally got going in the UK. Having started in Wolverhampton and Greater London, UCB are now taking it to many parts of the country. Find out if you can get Christian DAB in your area by using the postcode checker at getDAB.com.
Congratulations to UCB,
who began broadcasting on DAB across Staffordshire and beyond in April '07.
The UCB Europe channel has been renamed 'UCB UK' and began broadcasting via DAB to London in January '07.
And from October '07 both UCB UK and UCB Inspirational began broadcasting to the following regions; North East England,
North West England, West of England and South Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire.
Congratulations also to Premier Radio! Since Easter '07, it has been broadcasting London-wide on DAB. Premier announced "The new DAB licence will give Premier a much greater broadcast footprint that its current AM reach" which is very good news.
So now, millions of people have access to digital quality Christian Radio on a portable radio - the first time on this scale in the UK. We hope and pray that through this development, many more people will discover Christian Radio and realise just what a wonderful blessing it is.
Our list of Christian programmes on other radio stations (including DAB) can be found
on the Non Sat TV & Radio page.
Thinking of buying a DAB radio? Check out DigitalRadioTech,
and Radio Now.
If you can't get Christian DAB, get a sky box and connect it to a hi-fi! You'll get ten Christian Radio stations anywhere in the UK, all in crystal clear digital quality, right now!
If you see anything on this site that's incorrect or unclear,
please contact us and we'll put it right!
Thanks, Steve Lee.
Can I get Christian TV via my phone line?
There are many channels of Christian TV available if you have Broadband. Check out our list on our Non-Satellite TV and Radio Guide page.
Both Tiscali and BT offer TV via your phone line. But at present, not a single Christian channel. For more information check out their websites.
- Tiscali now available nationwide.
- BT Vision Installations start January 2007. Available nationwide. Consists of the Freeview channels plus a Broadband connection for TV on demand. You'll only get the Freeview channels if Freeview is available where you live. Also, to get BT Vision you must have BT Total Broadband, one of the more expensive broadband deals at the moment. So, unlike satellite, TV via your phone line is not exactly rental free.
But niether offer any Christian Channels at the moment. We'll have to wait and see if any Christian broadcaster chooses to use this platform.