BBC Red Button is broadcast on all digital television platforms in the UK, including digital cable ( DVB-C ), IPTV ( TalkTalk TV – channel 503, no red button or teletext ), digital satellite ( DVB-S ) ( Sky & Freesat ) and digital terrestrial television ( DVB-T ) ( Freeview ).

The major cable television company is Virgin Media, and the digital terrestrial television company Freeview.

In addition, the station is also available through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media and on the internet.

Also, New Zealand's free-to-air digital television network, Freeview, provides live coverage of the debating chamber when it is in session on Parliament TV.

DTV Services, trading as Freeview, is the name for the collection of free-to-air services on the Digital Terrestrial Television platform in the UK.

DTV Services is responsible for marketing services such as Freeview +, the PVR brand and Freeview HD.

The technical specification for Freeview is published and maintained by the Digital TV Group, the industry association for digital TV in the UK who also provide the test and conformance regime for Freeview, Freeview + and Freeview HD products.

To receive the services that Freeview promotes, either a television with an integrated digital tuner, or an existing standard analogue television receiver ( used as a display device ) plus a set-top box ( typically available from £ 15 ) or digital PVR is required.

The Top Up TV service is not connected with the Freeview service ; it simply runs alongside it on the DTT platform.

The Digital TV Group the industry association for digital television in the UK, is responsible for co-ordination between Freeview, Top Up TV, and other digital services.

Freeview +, originally entitled " Freeview Playback ", is a consumer brand for the specification of Digital Terrestrial Recorders which is published and maintained by the Digital TV Group.

Freeview HD is the first operational TV service in the world using the DVB-T2 standard.

Thus equipment sold as Freeview HD before April 2011 may not deliver surround sound to audio equipment ( some equipment may, but this is not mandatory ); later equipment must be capable of surround sound compatible with most suitable audio equipment.

, 77 % of the UK population can receive the full Freeview service, with more able to receive some channels before digital switchover and all channels after Coverage is being increased as digital switchover takes place across the UK.

Wales is the first nation to complete the digital switchover with its analogue services replaced by high-powered digital signals carrying the Freeview service.

In New Zealand, DVB broadcasting is marketed under the Freeview brand name.

Its replacement, BBC Red Button, is available on most digital services including Freeview, Virgin Media, Sky and Freesat.

As a result, S4C now broadcasts solely in Welsh language and, as well as on Freeview in Wales, is available throughout Britain, Ireland and the rest of western Europe on Freesat and Sky.

On 7 May 2007, a consortium of broadcasters including TVNZ, TVWorks ( owners of TV3 and C4 ), Maori Television Service, and Radio New Zealand launched the non-profit, free-to-air Freeview service ; the only digital free-to-air system in New Zealand.

The aim of the service is to " Top Up " Freeview customers by providing additional content and services through encrypted TV channels unavailable to regular Freeview viewers.

At the end of 2006, BT ( the UK's former state owned monopoly phone company ) started offering BT Vision, which combines the digital free-to-air standard Freeview through an aerial, and on-demand IPTV, delivered over a BT Broadband connection through the Vision set-top box ( BT have chosen to deploy Microsoft's Mediaroom platform for this.

** Freeview, free-to-air digital terrestrial HD and SD content.

A consortium made up of the BBC, BSkyB and Crown Castle International was granted ITV Digital's old broadcasting licence, and launched the Freeview service on 30 October 2002, offering 30 free-to-air TV channels and 20 free-to-air radio channels including several interactive channels such as BBCi and Teletext but no subscription or premium services.

The Freeview service broadcasts free-to-air television channels, radio stations and interactive services from the existing public service broadcasters.

The vast majority of channels are available free-to-air through the Freeview service, with a small number of subscription channels available from Top Up TV.

When the channel became free, it also returned to digital terrestrial as part of the Freeview brand, and became completely free-to-air on satellite television.

Ftn ( Flextech Television Network ) was a television channel from Virgin Media Television ( formerly known as Flextech ) transmitting free-to-air on Freeview and Virgin Media, and as a subscription channel on Sky Digital.

The rebrand included the channel being available free-to-air on digital terrestrial platform, Freeview, replacing UKTV Bright Ideas which only averaged 0. 1 % of the audience share.

In the UK, around 70 free-to-air television channels and 25 free-to-air radio channels are available terrestrially via the Freeview DVB-T service, including up-to four HD channels ( via DVB-T2 ).

The channel was encrypted as part of the basic Sky package, and therefore was not free-to-air, in contrast to its unencrypted status on Freeview and cable television.

On 2 May 2005, Men & Motors launched as free-to-air channel on the Freeview digital terrestrial television service.

The channel was available free-to-air on the British digital terrestrial television service Freeview on channel 18.

The vast majority of digital cable television services are provided by Virgin Media with satellite television available from Freesat or British Sky Broadcasting and free-to-air digital terrestrial television by Freeview.

All the major analogue broadcasters provide additional channels on the free-to-air Freeview digital television service, and all of these channels can be accessed via a cable or satellite provider, such as Virgin Media or BSkyB.

On 19 April 2006, Ofcom ruled that, on request of each multiplex operator, the ' free-to-air channels only ' requirement put in place at the launch of Freeview in 2002 may be lifted on Multiplex B, C and D. The effect of this ruling is that if a Mux operator requests the restriction to be lifted, their multiplex may carry pay TV services.

Formed after the two other TMF stations, which are based in mainland Europe, the channel was created to counter against EMAP's The Hits channel ( now 4Music ) on the new free-to-air digital terrestrial television service Freeview in 2002.

Pick TV is a British television channel, available free-to-air on Freeview, Sky, TalkTalk TV, and via subscription on Virgin Media.

The News Multiscreen was removed from the digital service in October 2009, to make room for future Freeview HD broadcasts.

Initially it was difficult to obtain a digital satellite or terrestrial receiver without a subscription to Sky or ONdigital respectively, but now the channel forms an important part of the Freeview package of channels.

Most American television sets are cable-ready and have a television tuner capable of receiving older analog cable TV ( UK televisions are set up to receive Freeview digital terrestrial broadcasting ).

* Radio broadcast stations: AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 ( 1998 ), 4 on Freeview digital satellite.

** Freeview digital free satellite with a dozen SD channels, with SD feeds of the terrestrial HD freeview channels.

Had the move been successful, this could have threatened to undermine the fledgling Freeview service, since at the time most digital terrestrial receivers were former ONdigital and ITV Digital units.

New channels broadcast by the commercial networks in addition to the ones listed above are available on the digital service called Freeview ( Australia ) to viewers in Traralgon and the Gippsland

Freeview officially launched on 30 October 2002 at 5 am when the BBC and Crown Castle ( now Arqiva ) officially took over the digital terrestrial television ( DTT ) licences to broadcast on the three multiplexes from the defunct ITV Digital ( originally called ONdigital ).

Only approved digital terrestrial recorders ( PVRs, DVRs and DTRs ) which meet specified quality and functionality criteria are permitted to carry the Freeview + logo.