All Freesat users in Scotland can now receive their local STV, even if not in HD, on channel 103, after an eleven-month long anomaly was corrected.
- Reinstatement of STV North (Dundee) on Freesat
- Viewers in Edinburgh and Dundee areas still unable to watch their local Channel 3 service in HD through Freesat.
Freesat HD viewers in the Dundee area can now receive their local version of STV on channel 103 once again.
The free-to-air feed for Freesat had been removed in January, as a result of changes made by ITV, with whom STV had a satellite carriage agreement. Sky viewers were not affected.
Following the launch of STV North (Aberdeen) in HD on Freesat earlier this month, the former STV North (Aberdeen) DVB-S2 SD feed has switched to Dundee.
Both versions of STV North as broadly identical, apart from some local news and advertising slots.
HD deficit continues
As before, Dundee and Edinburgh Freesat users must switch to channel 111 to watch STV in HD. This is because not all STV HD regions are available free-to-air on satellite. The two areas are the last parts of the UK unable to access their local version of Channel 3 free-to-air in HD on satellite.
Dundee viewers will see the Aberdeen version of STV North in HD on 111. Edinburgh viewers will see STV Central (Glasgow) in HD on 111.
Why are some STV regions not available in HD on Freesat?
The HD deficit is a result of a complex set-up covering the distribution of STV’s service on satellite.
Traditionally, STV’s standard definition service was uplinked with ITV channels and distributed alongside ITV on satellite.
For HD, only the Glasgow STV service is uplinked alongside ITV’s channels. All other STV HD regions are uplinked via Sky. This follows a commercial agreement struck between the two companies back in 2019, which made the full STV HD regional service exclusive to Sky on satellite for a period of five years (i.e until this year).
Sky continues to distribute the STV HD regions, but STV North (Aberdeen) is no longer exclusive to Sky via satellite. Capacity issues stop the last two remaining STV HD regions going free-to-air. These services will need to move to alternative satellite capacity first – Sky is currently uplinking them to transponders using a pan-European beam. All other main channels use a UK spotbeam. Encryption of STV’s HD channels for the Dundee and Edinburgh areas ensures reception remains restricted to the British Isles and doesn’t incur issues with broadcast rights holders.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: Freesat