Saturday July 22, 2006

Freesat ‘delayed to autumn 2007′

The BBC and ITV’s planned free-to-view satellite TV service Freesat will not now be launched before autumn 2007.“It’s the issue of garnering broad support that’s caused the delay,” BBC director general Mark Thompson told MPs on the Culture Select Committee.

Negotiations with other broadcasters had been protracted due to efforts to fix a common standard, he continued.

Freesat will let people access all BBC and ITV channels via a satellite dish without paying a subscription.

BBC chairman Michael Grade said the service - which will cater for the quarter of TV viewers who live outside the Freeview coverage area - would be “ready as soon as possible”.

Currently people who cannot recieve Freeview or cable TV can only access BBC and ITV digital services via a satellite dish provided by Sky.

MPs debated the BBC’s new charter on Tuesday and approved the corporation’s proposed agreement with Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, meaning the charter has now completed its course through Parliament.In an e-mail to BBC staff, Mr Grade, hailed this as a “significant milestone”. He added that Parliament had delivered “a big vote of confidence in the future of a publicly-funded BBC”.