Results from our recent survey on television reception

Posted: 19/02/14

We would like to thank the residents who took the time to fill out our recent survey on television reception and internet speed in the Languedoc. Below is a summary of the results.

• 65% of residents surveyed lost reception to Channel 5 after Astra 2F reached is permanent location last year.
• After the transfer of remaining channels BBC, Ch:4 & ITV to Astra 2E at the beginning of February, most residents lost reception particularly to the BBC HD channels, but some started to notice a return of signal after a few days of the change.
• Many residents with standard sized dishes (60cm) have experienced total loss of reception since the change but there have been cases reported in further north where dishes of 45cm still receive signal.
• Residents with larger dishes (90cm) have experienced signal difficulties on some channels - this has been particularly common along the Mediterranean coast.
• Residents with 120cm dishes have not experienced signal problems.
• 70% of those surveyed have a ADSL internet connection receiving a download speed of 6-10mb/sec.

Some questions answered... We spoke with Andrew Sutton at Astrasat.TV about what you can do to resolve your reception issues.

Solution 1: Speak to a local satellite installer for information on reception issues in the area and what satellite dish size they recommend/know is getting reception.
Solution 2: Get UK SkyTV via satellite, installed by a registered provider in France (like Astrasat.tv) - monthly plans are the same as in the UK, however there is a yearly subscription fee of £120 +vat per year. Other than a larger dish, this is the only other option for regular programming.
Solution 3: Watch UK programming via BBC iPlayer, ITV player, 4 on Demand via the internet - This requires a UK IP address and is on demand rather than regular programming.
Solution 4: Watch via internet tv with sites such as filmon.com - free to view but sometimes has signal issues unless you subscribe.

Can you stream TV through the internet with an ADSL connection of 6-10mb/sec?

Yes this should be possible, however there may be some delays while video buffers. To watch UK channels via the internet like BBC iPlayer, ITV player and 4oD you will need to subscribe to a "VPN or Virtual Private Network".

What about satelite broadband services like SES & tooway? Is it worth the extra spend?

With the 20mb/s packages with SES & Tooway customers obtain a UK IP address, so can live stream programming from the UK. 20mb/s provides quicker download speed, better streaming (i.e. no buffering) and the ability to watch it at a higher definition. However, customers need to be aware of the data limits, on the Tooway packages you would need either the L, XL or XXL package to ensure regular streaming for the whole month and similarly with SES the XL package and above.

For more information, visit

or read the Astrasat Blog:

ASTRA 2E in orbit.

Posted: 10/10/13

On September 30th, 2013 International Launch Services successfully launched the replacement satellite, Astra 2E for satellite services company, SES.  Astra 2E has now reached its final destination at the 28.2/28.5 orbital arc and over the coming weeks, the channels currently presiding on Astra N1 will be relocated to Astra 2E to allow Astra N1 to return to its permanent location at 19° East.

The channels currently located on Astra N1 include those provided by the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV.  Channel 5 has already taken up its permanent location on Astra 2F, so if you currently receive Channel 5 with no problems, then this latest switch over should have no affect, other than perhaps, the need to retune generic (non Freesat or Sky) free-to-air receivers. 

If you have permanently lost Channel 5, it will not be possible to receive BBC, Channel 4 and ITV when these channels move to Astra 2E as it has the same reduced spot beam coverage of Astra 2F.  Whilst SES suggests access to this new, tighter spot beam focused on the UK will only be available in areas identified in the map below, this is based on a satellite dish size of up to 60cm and doesn’t take in to account larger dish sizes. 

It is likely that expats outside this area may still be able to pick up the signal with dishes of 80cm or more.  The exact dimension requirements are, unfortunately, varied based on location and line of sight to the satellite.  For expats living in the Languedoc area, you can test your line of sight to the new satellites using applications such as DishPointer - available on both Apple and Android phones. 

It is likely that Astra 2E is still going through a period of location adjustment before the signal settles, however, rule of thumb is, whatever has happened to Channel 5 at your property, the result for the remaining channels will be the same.  The only solution to which is either installation of a larger satellite dish, or subscription to a pay to view service such as SkyTV. 

If you currently receive SkyTV channels via freesat, these will remain available until the launch of Astra 2G, expected in the first half of 2014, after which point these will also move to the same orbit as 2F & 2E, with the same outcome expected.

Rocket failure leads to extended lifespan for Freeview in France...

Posted: 25/09/13

Once again the largely anticipated satellite launch of Astra 2E has been delayed, this time indefinitely.

Originally scheduled for launch on July 211t 2013, the Astra 2E satellite was delayed following the major failure of another Russian Proton M rocket, the propulsion system that deposits satellites in space.

On July 2nd 2013 the Proton-M rocket carrying satellites for the GlONASS positioning system, Russia’s rival to the United States’ GPS failed shortly after liftoff causing the rocket to veer off course and hit the ground in a ball of flames, 30 seconds after launch. This crash led to the grounding of all Proton-M powered missions, including Astra 2E, while the ILS Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB) conducted an independent review of the Russian State Inter-agency Commissions investigation.

On August 13th 2013, the FROB concluded its review, concurring with the findings of the Inter-agency commission and confirming the cause to be the incorrect installation of three angular velocity sensors located on the Proton launch vehicle. To date there have been a total of eight Proton-M failures, two of which were due to problems with the rocket whilst others were the result of upper stage malfunctioning leaving cargo in a useless orbit or incorrect fuelling leaving the Proton too heavy to achieve orbit.

Following conclusion of the investigation, the ILS was permitted to return to their launch schedule, starting with Astra 2E on September 15th 2013 but to date there have been no reports of a successful launch and official reports claim technical problems with the thruster the reason for the delay.

However, head of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Kazakhstan, Mr Kapparov insists that the pre-assigned September 15th launch date has been postponed until September 30th 2013 while they complete decontamination of the site following the July 2nd crash.

Whilst this provides a temporary reprieve for British expats living in Languedoc and other areas effected by the pending satellite change, it is unlikely to last past the end of the next month, with the final outcome expected mid to late November.

British expats seeking a long term solution to the loss of Freeview in France are advised to subscribe either to UK SkyTV via a registered European provider or watch programming online via satellite broadband with a UK IP address. For more information, visit

More information to follow as it comes to hand.