Instant guide to free digital TV channels

Visit Wotsat.com for daily news, reviews and updates from the world of digital TV, or join our forums.

from summer 2009’s issue...

Want to see more?

Russia & the Caucuses

Freesat Freeview euro tv skyThe best kit, The best programmes

2 What Satellite & Digital TV

Russian kids’ TV remembers the Siberian tiger

Do you recognise this old British favourite?

News is news, in Cyrillic or English

It’s very cold in winter, but the summer’s hot

Get a taste of Christianity, Orthodox-style

We’ve checked, and not all Russian fashion is this bad

Russia & the CaucusesThis month Wotsat looks at free TV from Russia & the Caucuses and how to get it

Free TV is alive and well in the former Soviet Union as we look at

three former client states and Russia.But you’ll need a dish that’s either large

or well-aligned, with an unobscured view to the eastern horizon to pick up satellites like express Am1. The main challenge is skew (the rotation of the LNB itself ), which could tip reception below the threshold if it’s set up for typical european satellites.

Bulgaria offers a surprising number of free music channels, both home-grown and international rock and pop, and from its own vibrant fusion of traditional folk recognisable from the eurovision song Contest. BNT sat is a ‘rights-cleared’ version of the state-funded Bulgarian National Television, aimed at the expat community generated since the country opened up and its economy collapsed in the 1990s. ironically, one hit show, Dalekogled, started out looking at foreigners coming to Bulgaria but now interviews Bulgarians who have returned with money and education from the West. Beyond BNT sat, you can also tune

into several private entertainment channels.moldova may be smaller and poorer, but

it also has an international version of the state channel, and a local version of russian-based sTs (or CTC in Cyrillic), which caters for the russian-speaking minority. The independent channel euTV is an interesting find if your dish is large enough although, like most independent media, it has to be cautious about criticising the government.

You only need a sky box for russia Today, the english-language news channel, and even Hot Bird will get you the state-run Perviy Kanal (Channel one), rTr Planeta, and the interesting ulibka rebyonka. This children’s channel help russian expats counter the corrupting influence of Western media. The Kremlin dominates so much that there’s little independence in russian TV news but you might see some interesting regional news if you can see as far as express Am22 53°e, but it’s very low on the horizon here. There’s a whole bouquet of russian pay-TV on Hot Bird for expats.

if your dish can reach to either sirius 4 or Amos 2 (the latter needs at least 1.5m in the uK), there are many ukrainian channels to see. Aside from pop music, there are some interesting sights like english Club TV, for ukrainians wanting to learn english, the international channels inter+ and slavonic Channel international, some regional TV, and m2 estrada, dedicated to folk culture n

Pjatj iz luchshihFive of TV’s most popular shows in Russia and The Caucuses

Schastlivy VmesteTNT (Russia)The Russian remake of Married With Children has been a huge success since 2007, relocating the middle-class family sitcom from Chicago to Yekaterinburg.

DalekogledBNT (Bulgaria)In The Returnees journalist Nikolina Dimitrova meets Bulgarians who left the country in the 1990s and returned after it joined the EU, to start businesses.

Kopojok5 Kanal (Ukraine)An ironic talk show about political and social problems in Ukraine that never runs short of high-profile targets.

Vedete La BisMoldova InternationalStars Encore (basically Stars In Their Eyes) is hosted by Moldova’s 2009 Eurovision entrant, Nelly Ciobanu.

Spokoynoy noçi malısiTelekanal Rossiya (Russia)Children’s puppet show Good Night Kids, hosted by former Russian Miss Universe, Oxana Federova.

ToolkitWhat you need to receive free TV from Russia and the Caucuses n free-to-air DVB digital satellite receiver n 70cm dish with universal LNB aimed at eutelsat W2 (16°e) for Bulgaria and moldova n 70cm dish with universal LNB aimed at express Am1 (40°e) for russia n 120cm dish with universal LNB aimed at sirius 4 (4.8°e) for the ukraine n see Channel Check for dish sizes required on other satellites

Next on Euro Spotlightn Free TV from North Africa

What Satellite & Digital TV 3

EuRo SPoTlighT

Astrology is nonsense in any language Slick graphics for Ukrainian current affairs

Footprint

16°EKnown as a hot-spot not just for East European free and pay-TV channels, the 16°E spot is also popular for news feeds and other occasional users because it offers low rates in a highly accessible orbital position from almost anywhere in Europe, from Portugal to Romania. The 11-year-old satellite was due to be replaced in 2008 by the more powerful and flexible W2M, built in a pioneering partnership with the indian Space research organisation’s commercial arm, Antrix, but the spacecraft suffered a major power anomaly shortly after launch and was deemed unviable. it will now be replaced in 2010 by the even larger W3B, which also carries Ka-band transponders for two-way broadband services. This launch has proved controversial, using a Chinese rocket instead of Eutelsat’s preferred Ariane or Proton launchers.n operator: Eutelsat

Satellitesn Eutelsat W2Launched: Ariane 4, Kourou, October 5, 1998Launch mass: 2,965kgManufacturer: Alcatel Space Spacebus 3000B2Transponders: 24 Ku-bandEIRP: 50dBWBeams: Widebeam Europe, Madagascar

n Eutelsat W3BLaunched: Chang Zheng-3B, China, mid-2010Launch mass: 5,400kgManufacturer: Thales Alenia Space Spacebus 4000C3Transponders: 53 Ku-band, 3 Ka-bandEIRP: 51.5dBWBeams: Widebeam Europe, Steerable Madagascar

Free Bulgarian TV7 Dni TV Rolling newsBalkanika Music TV Folk musicBGTV ✦ General entertainmentBNT Sat General entertainmentCity TV ✦ Pop musicEBF Business TVEKids Children’s entertainmentEstate TV Rolling newsEvrochans ✦ General entertainmentEvrofutbol FootballFan TV Pop musicFolklor TV Folk musicHeros TV ✦ General entertainmentKanal 3 ✦ General entertainmentMad TV Bulgaria ✦ Pop musicMM ✦ Pop musicPlaneta Folk ✦ Folk cultureRe:TV News & docsSK Folk Folk cultureTelestar TV ✦ ShoppingThe Voice TV Bulgaria ✦ Pop musicTiankov TV ✦ Folk cultureTravel TV Int’l ✶ Travel shoppingTV SKAT ✦ ✦ Christian entertainmentVTV Nature docsNote: All channels on Eutelsat W2, 16°E, except:✶ Intelsat 12, 45°E; ✦ Hellas Sat 2, 39°E; ✦ Thor 3, 1°W

Free Moldovian TVeuTV ✦ General entertainmentMoldova International Expat entertainmentSTS TV Dixi Youth entertainmentNOTE: All channels on Eutelsat W2, 16°E, except:✦ Thor 3, 1°W

Free Russian TVA-One ✱ Pop musicBridge TV ♥ Pop musicCNL Sibir ✤ Religion (Christian)Dom Kino Russian filmsExpert TV ✪ Current affairsGTRK Groznyi ✪ Regional (Chechnya)Mir CIS newsMusic Box Ru ♥ Pop musicMuz TV ✪ Pop musicMuzyka 3 Pop musicNN TV General entertainmentPerviy kanal ✪ ♥ General entertainmentRTR Planeta ♥ General entertainmentRu TV ♥ Pop musicRusiya Al-Yaum ❖ ♥ News in ArabicRussia Today n ❍ ♥ News in EnglishSamarskoe Gubernskoe TV ✪ General entertainmentSarafan ♥ General entertainmentSTS ✭ Youth entertainmentTBN Rossiya ♥ ✤ Religion (Christian)Telecafe ShoppingTelekanal Domashniy General entertainment

Telekanal Rossiya General entertainmentTelekanal Sport SportsTelenyanya Family entertainmentTNT General entertainmentTNV Tartarstan Regional (Tartarstan)TRK Nadym ✪ Regional (Nadym Nadymskoyo)TV Centr Regional (Moscow)Ulibka Rebyonka ♥ Children’s entertainmentVesti ♥ NewsVremya 4 History & peopleWorld Music Channel ✪ Pop musicNOTE: All channels on Express AM1, 40°E, except:✪ Express AM22, 53°E; n Eurobird 1, 28.5°E; ❖ Badr 4, 26°E; ❍ Astra 1, 19.2°E; ✭ Eutelsat W2, 16°E;♥ Hot Bird, 13°E; ✱ Sirius 4, 4.8°E; ✤ Amos 2, 4°W

Free Ukrainian TV1+1 ✤ General entertainment2T General entertainment5 Kanal Current affairsBabay ✤ Regional (Babay)Citi Regional (Kiev)CNL Ukraina ✤ Religion (Christian)English Club TV Language learningEnter Film FilmsEnter Music TV Pop musicGlas Religion (Christian)Gumor TV ✤ HumourInter+ Expat TVK1 ✤ General entertainmentK2 ✤ Women’s entertainmentKiko Children’s entertainmentKino ✤ FilmsKRT Regional (Kiev)M1 ✤ Pop MusicM2 Estrada ✤ Folk musicMenu TV CookeryMTV Ukraina ✤ Pop musicMusic Box Ukraina ✤ Pop musicNews 24 ✤ NewsNovy Kanal General entertainmentOK Pop musicOTV Music ✤ Pop musicPlaneta Russian programmingPro Vse ✭ General entertainmentQTV ✤ General entertainmentRada Ukrainian parliamentReal Estate TV ✤ Property news & tipsShopping TV ShoppingSlavonic Channel Int’l Expat entertainmentStar TV Pop musicSvit General entertainmentTelekanal STB ✤ General entertainmentTisa 1 Regional (Uzhhorod)Tonis ✤ Current affairsTurburo Tourist infoUBC Business newsUBR ✤ Business news

CHANNEL GENRE CHANNEL GENRE

Free TV channels

More footprints at www.eutelsat.com

See Channel Check page 56 for frequencies