British TV’s don’t work very well in Spain, often you get picture but no sound unless you have a multi-region TV set so it’s worth checking before you buy one in the UK.

The reason for this is that British TV’s receive the signal in PAL I format; most TV’s in Europe receive the signal in PAL B or G format. The picture signal is that same but the sound signal operates on a different frequency. If you are planning to buy a TV prior to coming to live in Spain it’s advisable to check the technical specifications before purchasing.

If you have a British TV however you do have some options:

  • Have the TV “chipped” in Spain so it can receive Spanish signals.
  • Buy a Spanish VCR and connect it to your TV via the scart socket.
  • Only receive TV via a SKY digibox and dish although this is very expensive.
  • Throw away or sell your UK TV and buy a Spanish one.

There are several companies offering British television channels via satellite dishes, set top boxes or cable so it’s best to ask around to see what people recommend. In La Marina the main supplier is Telecable who can offer you a complete package including television, telephone and internet.

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Available TV Channels

There are two systems available on the Urbanisation depending on the age of your property and your physical location.

Older properties are connected to the cable system which receives approximately 40 channels (although the majority are not in English).

The other alternative is the microwave system which relays the SKY satellite signal from a transmitter locally (there are several) which will give you 12 channels in English. These are BBC 1 / BBC 2 / ITV 1 / Channel 4 / Channel 5 / SKY One / SKY Sports 1/ SKY Sports 2 / UK Gold / Discovery / SKY Movies / SKY News / Canal +.

The cost of installation varies according to how many systems you want.

However, to receive ALL the channels, you need a 2.4m dish capable of receiving the UK SKY signal. From January SKY are lowering the signal strength and you will need the 2.4m dish to pick up the southern beam of Astra 2D. This system is going to cost you approx. 1800 Euros.

It always pays to phone around prior to parting with your money.

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