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What's new for English-language TV in Spain 2026: Changes you have to be aware of to television for expats in Murcia and Spain
A look back at the history of UK TV in southern Spain, and a clear guide to the upcoming 2026 changes affecting English-language television services across Murcia and Spain, from Rainbow Satellites
Spanish television access for expats is set to undergo important updates in 2026, and many English-speaking residents in Murcia and the rest of Spain will need to adapt. From technical changes to service availability, the year ahead brings adjustments that could affect how viewers watch their favourite programmes.
Understanding what is coming will help households prepare and avoid unexpected interruptions. But first, the changeover of year is as good a time as any to look back at how far we have come...
The history of UK TV in southern Spain in a nutshell
UK TV in southern Spain has never been straightforward, explains Trevor Green from Murcia television installation company Rainbow Satellites.
“Back in the 1990s when I first arrived, we could only get Channel 5 and Sky News on the SKY analogue satellite, and we were quite happy with that,” he says.
Then over the years SKY went digital, Freesat was launched and new satellites were introduced which had much tighter footprints on the UK. Dish size to obtain the weaker signals increased and everyone needed those massive 1.80m satellite dishes, some even opting for 2.20m for better reception.After that, TV by internet was introduced, mainly lead by the Ukrainian company Infomir.
“This put enormous demands on the internet – far more than anything in the past – and all the internet suppliers absolutely hated it because it used up ALL their bandwidth!” recalls Trevor. “TV viewing by internet was very hit and miss; lots of people tried it, failed and went back to satellite.”
However, as time has proven, TV by internet was always going to be the future, helped along by the arrival of fibre internet that could easily cope with the demand. Thanks to that, in the 2020s viewing has been split between clients using the satellite system of both Sky and FreeSat, and those using internet.
Then, in just the past year, many channels on the satellite system went to HD only and used new satellite frequencies that were tightly focused on the UK and no longer available down here in southern Spain. Overnight, many popular channels were lost and the almost total migration to internet TV happened.
“As in any industry where there is money to be made, new suppliers popped up, from the market stall cowboys to the highly professional. As seems to be the way these days, products are totally price led and many used the cowboys with disastrous results and the whole industry got a bad name,” says Trevor.
“Clients were pleading with us to get their beloved satellite back but that was just not possible. However, the professional IPTV service, costing a little more, won through and is the way most people watch UK TV now. Within the services there are a variety of ways to watch from the illegal apps on firesticks and Android boxes to the built for purpose IPTV boxes that we at Rainbow supply.”
New developments for UK TV in Spain coming up in 2026
So, what will 2026 bring? Firstly, TV boxes and their functions will get more sophisticated, according to Trevor. Amazon have already said they will remotely close all the unapproved apps on their Firesticks, and this may also happen to Android type boxes.Operators have said they will just use a VPN but the BBC and ITV have already blocked some VPNs from accessing their online services.
“I am sure Amazon will do the same,” says Trevor, “so it’s best to use a dedicated professional service for your TV supply. Sure, it will cost a little more, but at least you know it will be reliable.”
And what about the kind of internet connection required for watching UK TV in Spain?
“For reliable TV viewing you also need a good internet supply. Generally fibre is excellent, although some operators are much better than others. Again, this is often price led but the cheaper options use cheap, complex routes. Be aware that price is really not the only factor in choosing a supplier.”
As for which areas get the best type of internet, and which connections to choose, Trevor sees major changes coming down the line.
“Fibre is progressing into the campo, but now we also have Starlink, which gives excellent internet anywhere. 2026 will bring new internet developments: the Google LEO system is in its infancy but will be huge in the internet supply field. There are several tests proceeding with high altitude balloons to beam internet down which would be much cheaper than satellites. I can actually see that the days for fibre are numbered!”
In conclusion, he says, technology will move on to services we have never even dreamed of before, but ultimately UK TV by internet will be the only reliable way to view in 2026.
Rainbow Satellites S.L. is the TV company for all your TV and Radio needs in the Region of Murcia.
Contact them on 0034 686 358 475 (phone or WhatsApp), email rainbowsats@gmail.com or take a look at the Facebook page Rainbow Satellites
staff.inc.ali
Tel: (0034) 686 358 475
Satellite and internet TV solutions throughout the Murcia Region
What we do
Rainbow Satellites installs and services anything to do with Television / Radio services. Our main business is installations for UK TV in Spain – but we work with all nationalities installing systems to receive their home TV. We work with individuals for television in private properties together with apartment owners and community groups for shared systems.
UK TV can be received in parts of southern Spain (Murcia Region being one of the lucky ones !) via the SKY and FREESAT satellite networks but it is not as easy or as straightforward as satellite reception in the UK.
In general simple terms the signals down here are not as strong as in the UK – we are on the edge of the signal footprint for many transmissions. This means that larger dishes than in the UK are required to receive enough signal to convert to a TV picture. On top of this the signals vary in strength throughout the day for various technical reasons so that at one time of the day a channel may be available to watch but at another time is not. There are also North and South beams – signals on the south beam tend to be stronger here than those on the North beam. Add to this that different makes/models of digiboxes have varying grades of tuners – all fine in the UK where there is “tons” of signal but critical down here. Also the LNB - the bit on the dish that gets the signal - are VERY variable in their reception quality - LNB choice/selection is a major consideration in successfull reception.
We at Rainbow test all the equipment available and only promote the best in the field – without A1 quality dishes, LNB’s, cables and digiboxes television viewing will be disappointing.
To receive FREESAT – the main UK channels and similar to FREEVIEW – is reasonably straight forward. Connect up the right equipment installed correctly and watch – there are no ongoing charges.
However SKY is a little more involved and is technically illegal to view in Spain – many do watch it and it is not an imprisonable offence ! – but if SKY find out you are viewing in Spain they are obliged to cut your service. There are lots of ways to watch SKY in Spain and the best option if you do want it is to contact us – a few questions will let us tailor a system for you.
A piece of advice if you are moving over here permanently and wanting to continue to watch SKY – contact us BEFORE you tell SKY you are moving or cancel your contact – we can probably assist in the move and save you a lot of money !
Weather can affect signals – rain, clouds or turbulence in the air can reduce the signal strength – sometimes to the point of no signal – this happens in the UK as well as here – it’s just that we have problems less often with the glorious Spanish weather, however whilst we have less weather problems our signals here are weaker and smaller weather issues do effect the signal.
IPTV - Recieving TV by the Internet is now a reality worldwide. NO DISH REQUIRED
We can supply boxes that connect to Routers & TV'S and will show a full range of programmes.
UK IP addresses are NOT necessary.
Computer is NOT necessary.
Please contact us directly for full details
Good A1 internet is required from a supplier who will support internet TV - not always easy in Spain but it is getting better - Mazarron town has recently gone fibre optic with high speeds available!
