Freesat Roll Out ITV Player Catch-Up TV Service On Humax Set-Top Boxes

Satellite television platform Freesat is now rolling out the ITV Player Video-on-Demand (VoD) service via Humax set-top boxes. This move now makes the provider the only subscription-free TV service to offer catch-up services from both ITV and the BBC. The ITV Player service will automatically be added to the TVs and digital boxes of existing Freesat customers.

Freesat rolls out ITV player
Freesat rolls out ITV player

Initially the service will launch on Humax Freesat HD and Freesat+ boxes on channel 903. Over the coming months the service will be rolled out to other Freesat boxes and HDTV sets. As part of the ITV Player service, users will be able to watch content from ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 for up to seven days after programmes air on television. However, in order to use the ITV Player service with Freesat, consumers need to have a broadband internet connection speed of at least 2Mbps.

Freesat’s managing director Emma Scott said that the company is very pleased that it is now able to offer its customers the two biggest catch-up TV services, with both BBC iPlayer and ITV Player now providing users with the chance to enjoy on-demand television services to catch up with some of their favourite shows. She added that the launch of the ITV Player service forms another important landmark for Freesat.

Final tests on the service were only completed recently, and whilst the service is still in beta at the moment (which is why it is only available on Humax Freesat HD and Freesat+ boxes at present), it is hoped that the rollout of the service to HDTVs and set-top boxes from other brands will be quick and efficient. While many consumers are looking forward to the addition of the new service, many have already been waiting patiently for some time. The actual launch of the service is over one year late, as it had been scheduled for the first half of 2010.

22 comments

  1. Itv player does not show on my humax freesat box (10.AUGUST.2011). My box is conected to my broadband (over 2mb) and i live in Northern Ireland. Does anyone know why? Cheers.

  2. i also have a humax freesat box conected to my broadband [over 2mb ] and live in north ayrshire and itv player dose not show

  3. Channel 119 does not exist nor does ITV Player, Guernsey

  4. 901 for IPlayer and 903 for ITV Player working fine on my Humax box

  5. ITV player will not be available on my 2010 Panasonic G20 TV.

    Freesat and Panasonic have both replied to emails each ‘blaiming’ each other, however no solution for th econsumer.

  6. Could not get ITV On Demand to work on channel 903 on the HUMAX Freesat HD box as it reports “service unavailable, try later”…

    The answer is to select the Freesat information channel 999 and press Green-Green- Blue-Green-Green on the remote. The TV will then display the access screen and Red needs to be selected which will result in the ITV On Demand service being displayed.

    I guess this is the engineering back door until channel 903 gets linked properly.. more information to be found here http://www.astra2d.com/freesatitvplayer.html

  7. ITV Player has suddenly stopped working on my Humax HDR and Sony Bravia TV. It was working fine up until a few weeks ago when I got the ‘not currently available. Please try later’ message.

    I’ve tried the Green-Green- Blue-Green-Green sequence on the remote and it still doesn’t work. It just takes me to the ITV Player screen where it still comes up with the ‘not available’ message.

  8. Not happy with ITV Player – sat down to watch The Jury and found episodes missing + started to watch the 1st episode when ‘problem’ message appeared. Unable to get ITV Play after that. The Humax is properly connected to broadband and BBC i Player is fine – can anybody help with this problem please
    Thanks

  9. Its about time itv player was accessible for all on freesat. The bbc I player is superb and is showing up itv. Pathetic.

  10. itv player is not available as promised through my humax foxsat-hd,i get bbciplayer without any trouble. My postal code is ml7 5jp

  11. Humax hd freesat box runs itv player but it’s very low quality as is the bbci player with no hd options I have noted the itv player is in the beta stage so fingers crossed

  12. BBC Iplayer excellent, but when using ITV Player and selecting programme, error code “The service was unable to locate the content (50060), appears each time

  13. can’t get catch up tv from my humax top book the programes don’t go up to 901 my post code is wn7 4jf

  14. Since i posted the green-green-blue-green-green link, which is on the freesat web site, the link now directs to the “365 box office” trial. I now have to re-tune my humax box every time I want to access itv player, at least the gfbgg link was reliable. Has anyone at itv player been doing user acceptance testing? Budgetary problems then?

  15. I cannot get itvplayer through the menu normally by selecting guide, on demand and channel903 itvplayer. It comes up with the message “service unavailable (10001) However I can get itvplayer in 3 ways all unorthodox.

    Select on demand and 903 itvplayer andwhen message 10001 comes up press the standby button, Then power it back up again and ITV player will come up

    Guide,on demand go to Freesat info and then press green, green, blue, green, green, (itvplayer comes on) I go this from forums.

    Select BBCiplayer, go into it and play any catch up film for a few seconds. (need to do this for some reason) Then go back to Guide and select on demand and itvplayer. This also seems to work

    I have talked to Freesat who said it was Humax’s fault and Humax who say it is because ITVplayer is not working properly yet. Freesat say I should take the box back to the shop as I bought it only 2 months ago. I really do not know what to do. I am just a bit concerned that my fixes may disappear if the software is updated in the future but it seems a waste to get a new box if there is no need. Both Humax and Freesat deny that other people have had problems but the forums show only too plainly that they have. Humax will not check the box out.and the shop says there are itvplayer problems.

  16. I live in the Scottish Highlands and cannot get ITV Player to even show up as an option on my Humax HD box so none of the above ‘fixes’ will work for me. I have tried retuning and updating my box but its made no difference, iPlayer works fine and theres no issue with my broadband speed. Any updates on these issues would be appreciated :)

  17. The ITV Player via Humax is very poor. It does not have the same program content as ITV Player has via a pc, it has no search facility and you are ‘lucky’ even to get ITV Player to load on Humax. All in all very disappointing. As for the convuluted methods of tricking Humax to load ITV I seriously believe that there is a policy of making ITV Player almost impossible to view!

  18. Stuart Bowyer-Sidwell

    Just received my Netgear Powerline AV 200 mini set from Amazon, that includes
    two adaptors and two ethernet cables. My Humax Freesat receiver is now connected to the web via my BT modem, checked out both BBC and ITV player.
    10mins, job done. No regional problems in Suffolk.

  19. The itv player used to wok fine on my humax hd box but suddenly stopped working. The bbc player works fine, I would try now and again over the past few months but the channel 903 always gave the same 10001 error. In this thread I read the select 999 channel. Press green, green,blue, green green and this works. It seams that itv player is not linked correctly to the 903 channel.

  20. Martin Blackbourn

    Just wasted £40 trying to get ITV player to my Humax Freesat box. Bought a device to transmit the signal via the household wiring as the Wii will only pick up BBC IPlayer via wi-fi but guess what? You’ve got it – still can’t get ITV Player. BBC IPlayer is great by either method. Come on ITV. You are letting the BBC run circles around you. It’s not exactly rocket science. If they can get it right what is YOUR problem?

  21. Couldn,t get itv player on 903. Just tried the channel 999 green green blue green green routine and now have ITV player through my humax HD.

  22. same here in leicestershire.Ch 903 shows up but not available when last year it was .However ch 999 green green blue green green works.
    Humax box shows last software update in 2010.Have Humax stopped developing their product?
    Business suicide!!