TV deal saves satellite viewers

Some viewers thought Sky were bullying them into subscribing

Satellite TV viewers who do not have a Sky subscription will not lose their signals as feared after a deal was struck between commercial broadcasters.

About 640,000 people, many in remote areas with a poor analogue signal, use satellite dishes and free decoder cards to pick up ITV, Channel 4 and Five.

Sky were due to switch off those cards after the BBC left their service and refused to keep paying for the cards.

But Sports and Tourism Minister Richard Caborn said: "They have made a deal."

ITV, Channel 4 and Five will now pay "hundreds of thousands of pounds" to keep the card scheme going, he said - and viewers will also have to pay for the first time.

Switch-off

Those using the "Solus" cards will have to pay about £23 for a new card, which will last for at least two years, Mr Caborn said.

The deal will please viewers, some of whom had accused Sky of trying to bully them into taking out a subscription by threatening to end the scheme.

The government urged the broadcasters to strike a deal to avoid many people switching back to analogue.

The government has set a target of the year 2010 to switch off the analogue signal.