Freesat is a
free-to-air digital satellite television joint venture between the
BBC and
ITV plc, serving the United Kingdom. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008. Freesat offers a satellite alternative to the
Freeview service on
digital terrestrial television, with a broadly similar selection of channels available without subscription for users purchasing a receiver. The service also makes use of the additional capacity available on digital satellite broadcasting to offer a selection of
high-definition programming from the BBC, ITV plc,
Channel 4,
NHK and
RT UK.