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The Americas
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The Americas This month Wotsat goes West to find free TV from the Americas
Al Hurra is America’s voice in the Arab world
Toolkit What you need to receive free TV from the Americas n Free-to-air DVB digital satellite receiver n 60cm dish with universal LNB aimed at Hot Bird (13°E). See Channel Check for dish sizes required on other satellites
Say what you like about immigration, but the Americas – south and central America in particular – have become well-represented on satellite TV in recent years, thanks to TV channels chasing far-flung nationals. Some of these channels are on unusual satellites aimed at cable TV providers, but they’re nothing you can’t pick up with an 80cm dish and a good view to the Western skies. And Brazil’s Record TV is on 28°E for anyone with a Sky or Freesat system. The major TV export from Latin America is the telenovela. These long-running drama serials have no equivalent on British or US TV, but they’re hugely popular around the world. Americans know them as ‘soaps’, but they have more in common with romantic novels than the grubby futility of Eastenders. For although they may run for 20 years, there’s usually a start, middle and end to the story, which follows a heroic character in a search for fame, fortune, and, of course, love. There are often fantastical detours en route, which English-language adaptations like Ugly Betty have trouble rendering into anything other than dream sequences. If telenovelas don’t tickle your fancy, then
Evangelism may be America’s biggest export 2 What Satellite & Digital TV
From America to Iran, via Andisheh TV
there’s lots of news, current affairs and general entertainment channels from the Latin world. For a change of viewpoint, tune into Castro’s legendary speeches on Cubavision, or look at South America through the region’s secondmost left-wing culture on Venezuela’s Telesur. There’s spirited Latino pop, and Panama’s only satellite TV export is an adult TV channel. Most of North American TV channels fit into two camps: televangelism and channels for expats/exiles from the Middle East or China. There’s some crossover between the two, such as the Coptic Christian channel, Aghapy TV, and Islamic anti-fundamentalist Salaam TV, but most is of the fire, brimstone and credit-cardsaccepted variety. Some of the Persian channels are targeted as much at domestic Americans as Iranians with satellite TV. Beyond these are a few gems: The Pentagon Channel is a fascinating look at the modern military, The Sundance Channel presents a mix of indie films, arts and alternative documentary series, Nat Geo World Music may be the only TV channel dedicated to this thriving scene, and Supreme Master TV is just totally hatstand.
No signal n That’s the end of our world tour of satellite channels you can pick up in the UK. We won’t be visiting Australasia or the South Pacific, because there are no free TV channels from these areas available to satellite dishes in the UK. In the next issue, we’ll take a new look at TV shows from around the world.
Live TV – Iran may be right to fear jazz-funk
Nick Jr for Germany, but it’s made in the good ol’ US of A
Cinco dos melhores Five of most popular shows from TV in the Americas
El Chavo
Clasico TV (Mexico) The Kid From Number Eight is a cult telenovela. Its 21-year run from 1971 follows the life of an orphan and his neighbours in a Mexican apartment building.
The Grill Sergeants
Pentagon Channel (USA) Among the news and military history is The Grill Sergeants, where the US military’s top chefs encourage innovation, nutrition and food hygiene in the mess.
Green Porno
The Sundance Channel (USA) Bizarre short nature docs about the reproductive habits of animals from worms to anchovies.
Vamos a Concernos
Telesur (Venezuela) Come To Know is a showcase of Latin American culture, people, history and geography.
Bela a Feia
Record TV Internacional (Brazil) Ugly Betty, the Mexican telenovela, returns as an animated serial. Ugly Beautiful follows the talented Anabela’s bid to find success in love and her career.
New Tang Dynasty TV is no fan of the Chinese government
world spotlight Footprint
Note: There are no free TV channels from Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Greenland, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands available in the UK. See Channel Check page 56 for frequencies
Free TV from the Americas Free Bolivian TV Channel
Genre
Red AD Venir Internacional
Religion – Christian
NOTE: All channels on Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W
Free Brazilian TV Channel
Genre
▲[E Record Internacional Europa
Entertainment News Religion – Christian Religion – Christian Religion – Christian
Record News ✝ Rede Internacional de TV ✝ TV Cancao Nova Internacional I TV Novo Tempo
NOTE: All channels on Atlantic Bird 1, 12.5°W, except: I Intelsat 10, 68.5°E ▲ Eurobird 1, 28.5°E, [ Astra 1x, 19.2°E✝ also Hot Bird, 13°E E Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W
Free Costa Rican TV Channel
Genre
Enlace TBN Europa
Religion – Christian
NOTE: All channels on Hot Bird, 13°E, and Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W
Free Cuban TV Channel
Genre
Cubavision Internacional
Entertainment
NOTE: All channels on Astra 1, 19.2°E, and Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W
Free Mexican TV Channel
Genre
❤ Canal de las Estrellas Europa Entertainment ❤ Clasico TV Classic series ❤ De Pelicula Europa Mexican movies E Mariavision Religion – Catholic Christian ❤ Ritmoson Latino Pop music ❤ Telehit Pop music & entertainment ❤ TL Novelas Europa Drama serials NOTE: All channels on Intelsat 905, 24.5°W, except: E only Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W ❤ also Intelsat 3R/11, 43°W
Free Panamanian TV Channel
Genre
Porn Me
Adult entertainment
NOTE: All channels on Astra 1, 19.2°E:
Free Peruvian TV Channel
Genre
Bethel TV
Religion – Christian
NOTE: All channels on Hot Bird, 13°E, and Atlantic Bird 1, 12.5°W
Free USA TV Channel
Genre
I 3ABN International ♣ Aghapy TV
Religion – Christian Religion – Coptic Orthodox
Christian Alhurra Europe Andisheh TV I Apostolic Oneness Network Ariana Afghanistan TV AssyriaSat
News in Arabic Expat Iranian entertainment Religion – Christian Expat Afghan entertainment Assyrian entertainment
Channel
Genre
▲ BET UK/+1 ▲[ Bloomberg TV Europe ♣ BYU TV
Black entertainment Financial news Religion – Mormon The Church Channel Religion – Christian [ CNBC Europe Business news ▲[♣ CNN International Europe News [ Comedy Central Deutschland Comedy I▲[E Daystar TV Religion – Christian Didar Global TV Expat Iranian entertainment EBC1 Expat Iranian entertainment ▲[ EWTN UK/Europe Religion – Christian ✙ Foxlife Greece US TV series ▲ Gems TV 1-3 Shopping ✪♣ GunAz TV Azerbaijani entertainment The Healing Channel Religion – Christian [ Hope Channel Europe Religion – Christian ▼ Huntington Beach Webcams Live beach cameras ▲ Inspiration Network Europe Religion – Christian IPN TV Persian & Arabic entertainment Iran TV Network Expat Iranian entertainment JCTV Religion – Christian ✪ Live Channel Expat Iranian entertainment ♣ MSNBC News ✿ MTV Russia Pop music ♦ Nat Geo Music World music Nejat TV Religion – Christian [ Nick Deutschland/Osterreich Children’s entertainment NTD TV Expat Chinese entertainment Omid-e-Iran Expat Iranian entertainment Pars TV Expat Iranian entertainment Payam-e-Afghan TV Expat Afghan entertainment ✪ PEN TV Expat Iranian music Pentagon Channel Military news ▲ Rural TV Country news Salaam TV Religion – Islam Smile of a Child TV Christian children’s entertainment ✪ Sundance Channel Europe Arts & culture ▲[ Supreme Master TV Religion – Quan Yin Tapesh TV Expat Iranian entertainment ▲ TBN Europe/Italia/Russia Religion – Christian Ulibka Rebyonka Christian children’s entertainment US Armenia Expat Armenian entertainment ♣ VoA TV/Europe/Persian News ✪ Washington International Network Religion – Christian ▲ The Word Network Religion – Christian Yahweh Prophetic TV Religion – Christian NOTE: All channels on Hot Bird, 13°E, except: I Intelsat 10, 68.5°E; ✿ Express AM-1, 40°E ▲ Eurobird 1, 28.5°E, [ Astra 1x, 19.2°E ♦ Eutelsat W2, 16°E ✪ Eurobird 9, 9°E ✙ Atlantic Bird 1, 12.5°W ♣ only Telstar 12, 15°W ▼ NSS-7, 22°W E Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W
8°W Formerly one of the French national orbital locations, later subsumed into Eutelsat, 8°W still hosts the last of the surviving Telecom satellites. After 13 years in orbit, Telecom 2D now has an orbit inclined 3.2° to the equatorial plane, although it still provides occasional use feeds for tracking dishes, C-band TV (in MPEG-4) to the island of Reunion, and serves the French military Syracuse II communications system in X-band. The main satellite at 8°W is now Atlantic Bird 2, with footprints in Europe and the Americas, plus a spot beam covering the Middle East. It’s used mostly for transatlantic feed traffic, with an increasing number of transponders switching to DVB-S2 and significantly increasing its capacity and the robustness of its signals. n Operator: Eutelsat
Satellites n Atlantic Bird 2
Launched: Ariane 4, Kourou, September 25, 2001 Launch mass: 3,600kg Manufacturer: Alcatel Space Spacebus 3000B2 Transponders: 26 Ku-band EIRP: 54dBW Beams: Europe, America, Steerable n Telecom 2D
Launched: Ariane 4, Kourou, August 8,1996 Launch mass: 1,380kg Manufacturer: Matra Marconi Eurostar 2000 Transponders: 10 C-band, 5 X-band, 11 Ku-band EIRP: 54dBW Beams: France (C-band), Indian Ocean (C-band), Syracuse II (X-band)
Free Venezuelan TV Channel
Genre
Telesur
Entertainment
NOTE: All channels on Astra 1, 19.2°E, and Hispasat 1C/1D, 30°W
More footprints at www.eutelsat.com The Taliban can’t close Payam-e-Afghan TV
Telesur is an authentic voice from Venezuela What Satellite & Digital TV 3