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Free-to-air (FTA) is a term used to describe television and radio broadcasts which are available without subscription and without decryption (pay-TV). The term usually refers to delivery by satellite television, but in various parts of the world where encrypted digital terrestrial and UHF television channels exist, it can also be applied to those systems.

Although these channels are described as free the viewer does in fact pay for them. Some are paid directly by payment of a licence fee (as in the case of the BBC) or voluntary donation (in the case of educational broadcasters like PBS), others indirectly by paying for consumer products and services where part of the cost goes toward television advertising and sponsorship.

North America

There are a number of competing systems in use, with early adopters having used C-band satellite dishes of several feet in diameter to receive signals which were originally analogue FM, later digital using the Motorola-proprietary Digicypher II system or later still going to Ku-band and under one-metre dishes with most often the international DVB standard.

The most common North American sources for free-to-air DVB satellite television are:

• Ethnic-language broadcasters such as Globecast World TV on Intelsat America 5 (97°W)
• Individual local stations of major US terrestrial TV networks, such as the Equity Broadcasting stations on Galaxy 10R (123°W)
• Public educational broadcasters including PBS on AMC3 (87°W)

Most of these signals are carried by US satellites. There is little or no free Canadian DVB content on medium-size dishes as much of the available Ku-band satellite bandwidth has been siphoned away by pay-TV operators Star Choice and Bell Expressvu. FTA signals may be scattered across multiple satellites, requiring a motor or multiple LNBs to receive everything.

The largest groups of end-users for Ku-band free-to-air signals were initially the ethnic-language communities, as often free ethnic-language programming would be sponsored by foreign governments or broadcasters. Depending on language and origin of the individual signals, North American ethnic-language TV is a mix of pay-TV, free-to-air and DBS operations.

Nonetheless, free-to-air satellite TV is a viable alternative for use in locations where terrestrial over-the-air reception is poor. Digital terrestrial signals, where available, most often tend to be low-power and therefore coverage outside major cities depends largely on analogue terrestrial reception, subscription TV or satellite TV.

Europe

In contrast to the United States, many European countries have a tradition of most television services being free to air. Germany, in particular, receives in excess of 100 digital TV channels free to air, including MTV (which remains encrypted for the rest of Europe). Approximately half of the television channels on SES Astra 1 (19.2E) and 2 (28.2E), and Eutelsat Hotbird (13E) are free to air.

In general, all satellite radio in Europe is free to air, but the more convential broadcast systems in use mean that XM and Sirius style in-car reception is not possible.

A number of European channels which would likely be free-to-air, including many countries national terrestrial broadcasters, do not do so for copyright reasons - rights to purchase shows to show free-to-air are often higher in price than for encrypted broadcasts. However, these channels usually provide a scheme to offer free, but encrypted, viewing with free-to-view broadcasts. The UK's Channel 4 and Channel 5, certain programming on Italy's RAI, and the majority of Dutch channels are covered by such systems.