Real Digital

Real Digital only offered free-to-air channels which have been available on other platforms for several years. They had intended to offer pay television packages by spring 2012 which would have included Sky Sports 1 and 2 and a high definition version of Blackbelt TV.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tech/news/a284464/real-digital-eyes-sky-sports-launch-offer.html|title=Real Digital eyes Sky Sports launch offer|publisher=Digital Spy|date=27 October 2011}} It was also planned that subscription packages were to be available on a month-by-month basis, without a contract or minimum subscription period. Additionally, it was proposed that pay-per-view services would be made available. Support for the BBC iPlayer and ITV Player video on demand services had also been announced.{{cite web|url=http://realdigitaltv.com/entry006_dst.html|title=Sneak Peek|publisher=Real Digital|date=12 September 2011}}

The service made use of the same fleet of satellites as Freesat and Sky, Astra 28.2°E and Eutelsat 28A. This meant that any satellite dish which was positioned to receive these services was capable of receiving Real Digital, with either an additional suitable receiver or by simply swapping an old Freesat/Sky set top box with a REAL Digital STB. Providing the LNB (low-noise block downconverter) has sufficient outputs, the one dish was able to receive multiple services. For their proposed pay TV offering, Real Digital intended to use a Conax conditional access system.{{cite web|url=http://realdigitaltv.com/entry003_conax.html|title=Conax and Real Digital|publisher=Real Digital|date=30 March 2011}}

Real Digital offered two kinds of set-top boxes, one with a single tuner and the other with a dual tuner PVR, which were manufactured by Fortec Star and Digital Stream.{{cite web|url=http://realdigitaltv.com/entry007_maplins%20online.html|title=First Production run finished!|publisher=Real Digital|date=21 November 2011}}

Before launch, the company had missed many promised launch dates.{{cite web|url=http://www.rapidtvnews.com/index.php/201010278507/competition-tribunal-to-judge-on-real-dth-alternative-to-sky-sports.html|title=Competition tribunal to judge on REAL DTH alternative to Sky Sports|publisher=Rapid TV News|date=27 October 2010}} The service eventually began broadcasting on 1 October 2011.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/REALDigitalTV/posts/341357832548828?comment_id=4726268|title=Need to replace my...|publisher=Facebook|date=24 January 2012}}{{Dead link|date=May 2012}}

Test boxes were received by reviewers and a small number of beta-testers in December 2011.{{cite web|url=http://www.wotsat.com/news/article.asp?a=10205|title=Real Digital PVR- £300|publisher=What Satellite and Digital TV|access-date=31 March 2012}} {{As of|2014|04}} production boxes still have not reached any high street retail stores, despite an agreement being announced with Maplin Electronics,{{cite web|url=http://realdigitaltv.com/entry005_maplin.html|title=Pre-order now!|publisher=Real Digital|date=August 2011|access-date=3 May 2012}} although they had been carried by select specialist online retailers.

While a number of set top boxes had been delivered to both testers and reviewers the first manufacturer Fortec Star was both late at delivering and incomplete software led to Maplin Electronics cancelling orders with Fortec Star. A number of live demonstrations to retailers showed the Real Digital EPG and TV channel lists running and the GUI was widely praised.

On 31 March 2012 at midnight, the lease of the transponder on Eutelsat's Eutelsat 28A satellite ran out.{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}} The transponder was subsequently cleared, removing the EPG broadcast stream. Real Digital claim to be undergoing essential maintenance work, with the signal going offline for approximately 7 days.{{cite web|url=http://realdigitaltv.com/entry010_maintenance.html|title=Maintenance|publisher=Real Digital|date=31 March 2012}} The move left the Real Digital beta-testers with nothing more than the DVB-S standard now and next programme information.

Oon 11 April 2012 Real Digital claimed on Facebook that work had halted due to the Easter break.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/REALDigitalTV/posts/398075800210364?comment_id=5117378|title=Looks like it's...|publisher=Facebook|date=11 April 2012}}{{Dead link|date=May 2012}} Another Facebook post on 2 May 2012, denied that the service had closed but no further updates would be provided until there was definite news.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/REALDigitalTV/posts/223381181105899?comment_id=846118|title=The wiki says you...|publisher=Facebook|date=2 May 2012}}{{Dead link|date=May 2012}} On 29 May 2012, Real Digital deleted their Facebook page and removed all links to it from their website.{{cn|date=June 2022}}

On 5 December 2012 Real Digital submitted a communication to the Competition Appeal Tribunal, in which Real Digital stated that it hoped to have a "soft launch" of a pay TV service in the first quarter of 2013,{{cite web|url=http://www.catribunal.org.uk/files/1.1152_1155_1156-9_1170_1179_Ruling_270213.pdf|title=Ruling (Consequential matters)|publisher=Competition Appeal Tribunal|date=27 February 2013}} however this failed to occur. On 26 April 2013, David Henry informed The Guardian that the service intends to launch in the autumn,{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/apr/26/bt-sky-sports-price-bskyb|title=BT wins right to take Sky Sports price ruling to court of appeal|work=The Guardian|date=26 April 2013}} but this did not happen.

The company was founded by former Rapture TV boss David Henry and Information TV boss Fred Perkins. On 11 November 2011, David Henry was disqualified from acting as a company director after failing to ensure that one of his former companies paid the appropriate amount of tax.{{cite web|url=http://insolvency.presscentre.com/Press-Releases/Former-director-of-Broadcasting-company-disqualified-over-VAT-refund-672a6.aspx|title=Former director of Broadcasting company disqualified over VAT refund even though he had followed advice from HMRC on the matter|publisher=The Insolvency Service|date=21 December 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630041335/http://insolvency.presscentre.com/Press-Releases/Former-director-of-Broadcasting-company-disqualified-over-VAT-refund-672a6.aspx|archive-date=30 June 2013|df=dmy-all}} Until he resigned from the company in February 2012,{{cite web|url=http://opencorporates.com/filings/99681822|title=Termination of appointment of director|publisher=OpenCorporates|date=21 February 2012}}{{cite web|url=https://opencorporates.com/companies/gb/05982572|title=Real Digital TV Limited|publisher=OpenCorporates|date=14 October 2013}} Henry had been the company's managing director.

Between 2014 and 2016, General Satellite (a Russian manufacturer of set-top boxes) held a majority of the voting shares in Real Digital TV Limited. During that time, Dmitry Pasechnik was the chief executive officer of Real Digital TV Ltd.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}

On 4 September 2018, Real Digital TV Limited was dissolved.

• List of free-to-air channels at 28°E

{{Reflist}}

• [http://realdigitaltv.com/entry008_channels.html Real Digital Channels]

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Category:Digital television in the United Kingdom

Category:Direct broadcast satellite services