With the demise of the Telemicro service on the Costa Blanca, many people have been left stranded with little or no English TV. This system was always prone to shutdown even though it was sold as legal. If companies start again with the microwave system, be very careful before purchasing, these companies cannot legally retransmit sky channels.  You may be lucky and get 12 months TV but its always possible that they could be shut down almost immediately, leaving you with nothing but a hole in your bank balance. 

How Can I Watch My Favourite UK Channels Now?

There are two options for watching the main English channels on the Costa Blanca.  Unlike the majority of the Sky package, which can be received on a 1 mtr dish, the main channels like BBC1, ITV  CH4 and CH5 are only receivable with a large dish.  Depending whereabouts you are situated on the Costa Blanca you will need a dish with a diameter between 1.9 and 2.4 mtr.  These are very large and not everybody has the room to install one.  Many apartment owners are experiencing problems trying to get permission to  install a large dish on the roof and this is causing a lot of frustration.  If you have tried everything and don't seem to be getting anywhere, as a last resort, you can watch your favourite channels online providing you have a broadband connection.

How You Can  Watch Live BBC, ITV etc Online

The BBC, ITV CH4 and CH5 all have online services.  ITV have a live service and from November 27th 2008 BBC will  broadcast BBC1 and 2 live over the internet. A the moment, the BBC have a service called iplayer which allows viewers to catch up on all the programmes they may have missed during the week.  ITV and channel 4 also provide a similar service.  Unfortunately, there is a problem here on the Costa Blanca.  When you go to the BBC or ITV online sites, and try to watch a programme, it tells you that the service is unavailable outside the UK however, there is a way around it.  From the beginning of December (or earlier) , we will be promoting a UK company who can provide you with a  solution for £9.99 a month or £99.95 a year which will allow you to watch BBC, ITV and CH4 online using your computer.  Better still, you can try it free of charge for 12 hrs before you buy.

How Does It Work?

To be able to watch these channels, you have to fool the sites into thinking that you are in the UK.  The company we will be promoting will provide you with what is called a UK proxy address.  Put simply, this will enable you to watch everything in the same way you would if you were in the UK by just entering a number into a box.  This is extremely easy and can be done by anybody who is able to access the internet. 

I Want It Now

At the moment, the company have told us that they are in the process of setting up an affiliate system which should be available next week (week commencing 24th November 2008) As soon as this has been set up, we will be able to provide you with a link to their website.  You can check back here next week or if you prefer, you can click here send your email address and we will send you the link by email as soon as we have it, we will also include links to the BBC, ITV and CH4 online sites .  This system works, I have put it on my mum's computer in Benidorm and she is over the moon with it.  The picture quality is fantastic and you can watch programmes in full screen. After months of having no English TV she can now watch all her favourite programmes.  I've also installed a wireless router for her so she can watch anywhere in the apartment.