Channel 4 is considering simulcasting its main channel without encryption on digital satellite to allow it to join Freesat, the free-to-air platform backed by the BBC, which was last week given approval to launch next year. Meanwhile, rival commercial broadcaster Five is in discussions with the BBC to use some of the Corporation's satellite capacity to enable it to join the venture. The BBC's governing body, the BBC Trust, gave the Corporation the green light to form a joint venture with commercial broadcaster ITV to launch Freesat, which will offer around 200 television channels without subscription from early next year. Viewers will be able to buy a free-to-air digital-satellite receiver at retail and have a dish installed. While the BBC, ITV and Welsh public-service broadcaster S4C already broadcast channels via satellite without encryption, Five and Channel 4 are both currently tied to satellite-access encryption contracts with BSkyB. These deals are understood to end in the middle of next year. Channel 4 has previously taken legal advice on whether it could join Freesat before its encryption deal with BSkyB elapsed (NMM December 16, 2005). A source close to Channel 4 said that the broadcaster has held discussions with the BBC and ITV over its potential involvement in Freesat, although its role was yet to be determined.
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