What's the deal?

We have one on our SKY box and watch all the stuff the BBC does - multiple Wimbledon matches, alternative rugby commentaries, MOTOGP 125's and 250's and so on.

My mate who has a freesat box doesn't have one - he would love one.

Is the only way to get one in Spain to get a SKY box?

Do you get one in the UK on the digital terrestrial channels? (I don't think my MIL has one)

(Does your mate have a genuine Freesat box, or are you using this term for a generic free to air receiver?)

BBC Red Button for Sports is available on both Sky and Freesat boxes.

Why does he not just press the red button (I think the "text" button also works) on the remote when on BBC and he will get the options

Even on a small dish you can go to BBC News, press red or press text and go to "page number" 3001.

Maybe he has turned the option off that displays the red button icons on channels - you can also do this on sky boxes - so the "red button" icons are ont displayed on the screen!

The sports streams are also available on nonsky and non freesat boxes - just scan frequency 12441 v and you can access the "streams" direct.

Yes you also get them on Freeview - the UK ONLY terrestrial service - but due to frequency allocations the number of streams available is reduced and some things are not available on freeview - it think freeview has 4 streams available yet by satellite you can have 6

My red button works ok in the UK, but not in Spain or Sweden on the same Sky box,which I always carry with me.
Been that way for many years
Is that down to the poorer signal strength in Spain?

Thanks for the quick!! reply.

I don't know, does it make a difference?

Freesat boxes only or generics as well?

I'll get him to try it

I have a freesat box and red works fine.

Only Sky and Freesat boxes have the required software to run the BBC Red Button Stuff.

Generics do not have the software so you cannot press the red button toa ccess the stuff - but you go direxct to them in your channel list - they are listed as
stream 0
stream 1
stream 2 etc


If you are getting BBC1 then press red and interactive stuff appears.
IF you do not get BBC1, go to BBC News and press red, type in 3001 and press select and you get the interactive stuff.

Its worked fine in SPain for as long as I remember. The interactive stuff are not on the weakaer astra 2d satellite, but the stronger astra 2b SOUTH beam - if you get BBC News and Sky news then you can access the BBC SPorts red button stuff. So somehting must be seriously wrong if you cannot get them in Spain - dont know about sweden though - its a bit out of my service area

I'll second that......we get all the freeview channels via our spanish digi box and yep the alternatives (red button stuff) is found under stream 1, stream 2 etc.

Anyone else hate the new Sky Active News. The sound is horrendous and you cannot now watch the original programme.

you are not alone in complaining.
many on TV forums (fora??) also dont like the new style.

Agree

Well I told him and he's now got what he wants. All he said was "I wish someone had told me that 2 years ago". Miserable git...