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from june 2009’s issue...

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Scandinavia & Baltics

Freesat Freeview euro tv skyThe best kit, The best programmes

2 What Satellite & Digital TV

NRK1 Tegnspråk is a sign-language channel

Visjon Norge comes live from the Holy Land

Visjon is Christian TV for Norway

A peaceful view of Lithuanian life

Belarus TV is the official voice of the country

LTV World is dedicated to Lithuania’s expat community

Scandinavia & BalticsWotsat looks at free TV from Scandinavia & the Baltic States, and how to get it

Free satellite television is surprisingly hard to find from

countries around the Baltic Sea, but with a one metre dish (or bigger) and a little luck, viewers in the East of England should be able to tune in to a spread of channels, and there are even a couple on Astra 1 and Hot Bird.

satellite TV is very popular in scandinavia, not least because it’s an easy way to reach remote locations.

All four nations have long embraced pay-TV and encryption even for their national television channels and, unfortunately, the days of easily hacked encryption on D2-mac are long behind us, so only norway’s nrK1 – a sign-language channel broadcast for two hours per night – is available to expats or the simply curious.

finland offers the unusual cultural window of Toto TV, which specialises in modern chariot racing that you won’t find on British racecourses.

Embracing satellite TVThe former soviet states on the Baltic have begun to embrace satellite TV, not least because there are many of estonians, Lithuanians and Latvians working around

europe since they joined the european union in 2004. Lithuania even has a dedicated world channel for its expats, which is available in the united states as well as across europe.

Latvia’s TV5 is based in riga but is aimed at the country’s russian-speaking ethnic minority. it imports a lot of russian TV, which is usually very difficult to pick up from the uK because russian satellites are so far to the east. it’s also owned by rupert murdoch, who hasn’t yet got involved in pay-TV here.

Eurovision tops the pollBelarus offers two interesting choices: state-run Belarus TV, or Belsat, which is based in Poland to avoid harsh sanctions against television channels which criticise the current ruling regime.

in our list of popular programmes one series is a clear winner in any of these countries; the eurovision song Contest. from picking their entry to the grand final, it trumps all the competition and they embrace the controversy.

it’s easy to understand why the newer member states enjoy celebrating their nationhood on an international stage, but the contest’s enduring popularity in scandinavia is at odds with its decline over here.

maybe they just like a party n

Fem av de beste Five of TV’s most popular shows in Scandinavia and the Baltic States

Return Move Belarus TV Talk show hosted by Alexander Martynenko. Belarus TV says: ‘The programme resembles a chess game, where the emotions are irrelevant.’

Kalyhanka Belsat Belsat is an independent Belorussian channel broadcast out of Poland to avoid strict media controls in Belarus, so it’s not surprising that this comedy show has a rich vein of anti-establishment satire.

Mentu KariTV5 RigaCop series about organised crime in St Petersburg, aimed at Latvia’s Russian-speaking ethnic minority.

PanoramaLTV WorldLithuania’s main evening news programme is one of the most popular shows on domestic channel LTV.

Nytt på nyttNRK1Norwegian TV’s top show is ‘The News Anew’, based on Have I Got News For You.

ToolkitWhat you need to receive Baltic free TVn free-to-air DVB digital satellite receiver n 100cm dish with universal LnB aimed at sirius 4 (4.8°e). see Channel Check for dish sizes required on other satellites

Next on Euro Spotlightn Free TV from Russia and The Caucuses

What Satellite & Digital TV 3

Euro SpoTlighT

Miracle TV – more religion from the North Geography on the First Baltic Music Channel

Footprint

7°Wone of two dedicated Middle East/North Africa orbital slots, a quirky sidelobe allows Nilesat 101 to be picked up on a 1.2m dish in london; Nilesat 102 and Atlantic Bird 4 both require 2.3m dishes, and the same is expected of Nilesat 201 next year, which will ultimately replace the first-generation satellites.n operator: Nilesat/Eutelsat

Satellitesn Nilesat 101Launched: Ariane 4, Kourou, April 28, 1998Launch mass: 1,840kgManufacturer: Matra Marconi Space Eurostar 2000Transponders: 12 Ku-bandEIRP: 50.1dBWBeams: North Africa & Middle East

n Nilesat 102Launched: Ariane 4, Kourou, August 17, 2000Launch mass: 1,827kgManufacturer: Astrium Eurostar 2000Transponders: 12 Ku-bandEIRP: 50.1dBWBeams: North Africa & Middle East

n Atlantic Bird 4 (formerly hot Bird 4)Launched: Ariane 4, Kourou, February 27, 1998Launch mass: 2,900kgManufacturer: Matra Marconi Space Eurostar 2000+Transponders: 20 Ku-bandEIRP: 50dBWBeams: Widebeam

n Nilesat 201Launched: Ariane 5 ECA, Kourou, February 2010Launch mass: 3,200kgManufacturer: Thales Alenia Spacebus 4000B2Transponders: 24 Ku-band, 4 Ka-bandEIRP: 50+dBWBeams: North Africa & Middle East

Free Belorussian TVBelarus TV 40°E General entertainment Belsat 19.2°E, 4.8°E General entertainmentPerviy Muzykalnyi 40°E Pop musicTelekanal

Free Finnish TVToto TV 1°W Chariot racing

Free Latvian TVPerviy Baltijskyi 4.8°E Pop musicMuzykalnyi Kanal TV 5 4.8°E General entertainment

Free Lithuanian TVLTV World 4.8°E Expat entertainment

Free Norwegian TVNRK1 1°W Sign-language news Vision Heaven 13°E Religion - Christian Visjon Norge 4.8°E, 1°W Religion - Christian

Free Swedish TVKanal 10 4.8°E Religion - ChristianLifestyle TV 1°W Religion - Christian

Notes: There are no free TV channels from Denmark or Estonia

CHANNEL SAtELLitE GENRE CHANNEL GENRE

Free TV channels

Nilesat’s official footprints aren’t encouraging for the UK

See Channel Check page 58 for frequencies

Enjoy a little local musical colour You think the winters are bad here?

A lighter moment on Belsat TV