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ITV HD launches with football, exclusive to subscription-free Freesat (5/6/2008)

The home nations may not have qualified for Euro 2008, but for armchair fans, the quality of the football they're watching will be better than ever. Freesat, the new, subscription-free, digital satellite TV service from the BBC and ITV announces that Euro 2008 matches will be available in free high definition on BBC HD and ITV HD.

ITV HD launches on Saturday, exclusively on Freesat, with the first game being shown the Portugal v Turkey fixture at 7.45pm. ITV's high definition coverage will be available to Freesat viewers via the red button. BBC HD will broadcast the opening game of the tournament, Switzerland v Czech Republic, at 5.00pm, allowing fans to experience the incredible clarity of HD from the very first whistle.

There are over 10 million HD-Ready televisions in homes across the UK and before the launch of Freesat last month only a small proportion had access to HD content. This month also sees the arrival in stores of Panasonic's HD integrated TVs with Freesat built in, so those planning to get a new TV to watch the football have a perfect solution.

In addition to live coverage of Euro 2008, ITV HD will show a range of top movies over the summer. And following the tournament, there will be the new season of UEFA Champions League, The FA Cup, and England internationals. BBC's extensive summer of sport includes both Wimbledon and the Olympics in high definition.

Emma Scott, managing director of Freesat says, "HD is a fantastic format for watching sport, especially football, because it's like being in the stadium itself. With the games so much clearer, both visually and acoustically, you can see every detail - every shimmy, every little flick and every sly nudge off the ball. Watching Euro 2008 matches in high definition, many fans will see the full capabilities of their HD TV and remember why they bought it in the first place.

"With BBC HD, and now ITV HD, on the Freesat platform anyone can have a high quality, cinematic television viewing experience with no ongoing costs."

Emma Scott believes that in the absence of the home nations, Brits will embrace other countries as their own, to support throughout the competition. "Sports fans cannot help but get involved in Euro 2008," she says. "England has such a high profile Premier League, with many top European players performing each week, that stars such as Torres, Fabregas and Ronaldo already have a huge fan base in the UK.

"The fact that they can admire them from the comfort of their own homes in high definition is even better. Viewers will be able to get that stadium experience and feel a part of the action, whichever country they choose to 'adopt' for the next few weeks."

Freesat, a joint venture between the BBC and ITV, launched in May and reaches almost all of the UK (98% of households). Freesat has over 80 free digital channels - television, radio, interactive - plus high definition (HD) services from the BBC and ITV. Freesat has no subscription and no contract; all that is required to receive it is a one-off payment for equipment. Freesat's channel line-up will grow each month, with up to 200 channels on air by the end of the year.

Freesat's initial channel line-up includes some of the most popular digital TV channels: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three and BBC Four; ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4; Channel 4, E4, More4 and Film4; news channels BBC News and Al-Jazeera English; children's channels CBBC, CBeebies and CiTV; music channels Chartshow TV and The Vault; interactivity from BBCi; digital radio; and the superlative picture quality of BBC HD and ITV HD.

www.freesat.co.uk