Freesat to partner with Netflix, taking the fight to BSkyB

(GETTY IMAGES)

Freesat, the UK’s subscription-free satellite TV service, is on the verge of announcing a major partnership with on-demand film and TV streaming service Netflix. The partnership will integrate Netflix into the Freesat experience and offer a more complete alternative to BSkyB’s Sky TV offering, which currently dominates the UK satellite TV market.

With no monthly subscription fee, Freesat is an attractive alternative to Sky TV. Once you have purchased a set-top box and installed the required satellite receiver, there are no further costs for the standard Freesat package. Netflix can then be purchased as an additional service for £5.99 per month, which you can cancel at any time, unlike Sky TV’s 12 month minimum contact.

The addition of Netflix will also give Freesat the upper-hand against YouView; a competing subscription-free service available through the traditional TV aerial, that doesn’t require a satellite dish.

As families continue to find ways to cut their monthly bills, due to higher living costs and increase online TV viewing, this new partnership could prove attractive enough to persuade subscribers to cancel their comparatively expensive Sky TV packages and move to the cheaper Freesat option.

One significant factor that has deterred consumers from switching to Freesat in the past has been it’s comparatively smaller selection of channels, but the addition of Netflix could be enough to tip the scales for many people.

Freesat is a joint venture between both the BBC and ITV, providing the service with both a bright and secure future. In a world where internet services will inevitably shape the future of TV viewing, a flexible and innovative service like Freesat is perfectly positioned to take full advantage of this sea change, able to integrate with smart-TVs and develop constantly evolving set-top boxes. Sky TV on the other hand, is looking long in the tooth and out of touch, as it relies on an antiquated business model that doesn’t currently provide the flexibility to adapt to the ever changing way in which people access their media content.

The next few years will be BSkyB’s greatest challenge to date, which is great news for customers, as added competition from Freesat and YouView will inevitably lead to faster innovation and more competitive prices.

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• stonedwolf

  The trouble is Freesat is competing with Freeview which comes installed in many TVs, and has all the essential basics (the various BBCs, ITVs, Channel 4s and 5s) with news and radio stations.

  Many of Freesat’s additional channels are just the +1 versions of the likes of ITV4 and 5*. Handy if you missed the start of a “Robin’s Nest” but that’s about it.
  For the rest, perhaps Al Jazeera might be interesting from time to time, maybe France 24 if you’re lingua fracta, but aside from the odd speciality channel it’s an avalanche of crap. Hardly worth the bother and expense of nailing a dish to your house.

  Just look at the newest films added to Netflix… of the new films (last two years) added to in the last month or so the only one I’ve heard of is Super 8, though it’s probably my fault I was previously unaware of “1313 – Night of the Widow” (synopsis: A group of sexy twentysomethings gather to pay their respects to a dearly departed friend. The trip quickly turns horrific, however, when they become pawns in a macabre charade of villainous deceit and lies), and how on earth did I miss “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” (“In this romantic drama, Vince and Shonda find themselves in a tricky place — unable to decide whether their relationship still makes sense. When nothing else helps, they give therapy a try in an effort to understand what each of them truly wants.”). “A Warrior’s Heart” sounded better until I read “Unable to cope with his military father’s sudden death in combat, quick-tempered teen, Conor, starts getting into serious trouble. During an intense lacrosse camp, his father’s old friend challenges Conor to get his life on track and become a man.”

  Murdoch has a legal monopoly on almost all new films, and it shows both in terms of Sky scheduling and peer-to-peer popularity.

• appliance5000

  And here I’ve been enjoying watching Breaking Bad, Day Break, Lost, Heroes, and Mad Men on Netflix -I guess I suck.

• stonedwolf

  The current season of Breaking Bad, series 5, is on Netflix? Or are you talking about the show I already saw a full year ago?

  Heroes and Lost ended their runs, what, two and half years ago?

  Netflix has some good old films and tv, the original Highlander just got added to the roster, but after finishing BB Season 5 I want to watch Sons of Anarchy season 5, Game of Thrones season 3, Spartacus season 3, not shows I watched two and three and four years ago.

• http://twitter.com/BasculeTheFule Sean Gibbins

  Bittorrent it is then! :p

• appliance5000

  You’re right – i didn’t enjoy them – they’re old and crusty like my underpants. Thank you.

• stonedwolf

  uTorrent but yes.

• Blaggerr2011

  Now that’s my kind of free-market. Come on LoveFilms follow suit.

  What was Virgin Media and BT moaning about? Serves them right for not fighting the tyranny of the anti-internet-piracy phonies. Yesterday there was a story about Bruce Willis fighting iTunes’ Licence agreement which does not allow one to transfer one’s iTunes downloads to others in the same way one can pass on CDs. What a con!

  I am glad I still buy CDs.

  Now can the BBC stop paying BSkyB around £10 million for showing BBC on its platform. This when it costs the BBC around £1-2 million for doing the same on Freesat. I wonder how many tv series or dramas could be made for £10 million?

  Incidentally, what happened to ISP rivals being allowed buy wholesale access to Virgin Media’s fibre optic network as they do with BT?