TV Home Forum

TV and Radio in the British Overseas Territories

Question (March 2021)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
RD
Roger Darthwell
Hello everyone, in the occasion of TV Forum's 20th Birthday (and also of my 23rd birthday) I decided to use this opportunity to talk about an aspect that is quite rarely talked about, if ever. Which is this, what TV channels and Radio stations are available in the UK's Overseas Territories? Is it possible to UK TV and radio in any of the other Overseas Territories? Is it possible to have access to BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5, Sky Go, Britbox or any similar thing in those territories? (The British Overseas Territories are: Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Gibraltar, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Antarctic Territory, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan du Cunha, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands)
ST
Ste Founding member
This old thread on DS has some discussion of this topic https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/2194927/tv-in-the-british-overseas-territories

Also https://www.terrestrialtv.uk/dtt.cgi?pg=overseas has some information on DTT in the overseas territories.
RD
Roger Darthwell
Ste posted:
This old thread on DS has some discussion of this topic https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/2194927/tv-in-the-british-overseas-territories

Also https://www.terrestrialtv.uk/dtt.cgi?pg=overseas has some information on DTT in the overseas territories.

Thank you very much Ste! Really appreciated!
NJ
Neil Jones Founding member
I dare say most of these places (bar maybe some of the islands) have their local services. Gibraltar definitely does. British Forces Broadcasting Service may be available as well across a lot of these regions (including Gibraltar).
RD
Roger Darthwell
I dare say most of these places (bar maybe some of the islands) have their local services. Gibraltar definitely does. British Forces Broadcasting Service may be available as well across a lot of these regions (including Gibraltar).

Is BBC iPlayer available in these Territories?
NJ
Neil Jones Founding member
I dare say most of these places (bar maybe some of the islands) have their local services. Gibraltar definitely does. British Forces Broadcasting Service may be available as well across a lot of these regions (including Gibraltar).

Is BBC iPlayer available in these Territories?


I believe not, happy to be corrected. There did use to be a "global" iPlayer a few years ago but I don't think it was truly global as it was only available in certain countries and it was closed anyway. I suspect Britbox might be the next closest thing.
SE
seamus
I recall Bermuda has CBS and ABC affiliates, and previously had NBC. I’m unsure of if they have local content or simulcast (much like how NBC in Puerto Rico is fed by WNBC in New York)

The Falklands and St. Helena are just BFBS if I remember correctly.

Edit: looks like the CBS/ABC duo in Bermuda have local news:
OV
Orry Verducci
I dare say most of these places (bar maybe some of the islands) have their local services. Gibraltar definitely does. British Forces Broadcasting Service may be available as well across a lot of these regions (including Gibraltar).

I'm not completely sure, but as far as I'm aware the Falkland Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territory are the only place where BFBS TV is transmitted terrestrially, with military personnel in the other territories using either the DTH satellite service or on-base cable instead. BFBS radio is widely transmitted wherever there's a British military presence.

In the case of the Falklands BFBS broadcast BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, C4 and i think BFBS Extra FTA so that the locals can receive those channels, with the other channels (i.e. the Sky channels) encrypted and available only to the military. As the BIOC is populated by only the military I supect it's completely FTA there.
Last edited by Orry Verducci on 22 March 2021 10:24pm
UKnews and Roger Darthwell gave kudos
JA
james-2001
It used to be FTA in Cyprus too, I remember a caller on Live & Kicking once watching it on there.
OV
Orry Verducci
It used to be FTA in Cyprus too, I remember a caller on Live & Kicking once watching it on there.

The Cyprus service I know was definitely switched off some time ago, but was available FTA until it was switched off.

To correct my earlier post, BFBS doesn't carry Channel 4 so the Falklands don't get that, but they do get Sky News. Interestingly the local population only get the timeshifted versions of the channels, with the live channels reserved for the military. Details are on their website: https://www.getbfbs.com/ses-6-americas-falkland-islands-civilian-dtt-freeview-tv-viewers
JA
james-2001
The Cyprus service I know was definitely switched off some time ago, but was available FTA until it was switched off.


Well this was in the Zoe and Jamie era of Live & Kicking, so probably around 1997/98. They seemed a bit suprised someone from Cyprus was able to watch.
SC
Si-Co
Which BBC One and ITV Region is broadcast on BFBS and similar services? London?

Newer posts