Satellite TV in the Caribbean
Updated: December 2024
Satellite TV is not dead…yet. Even in the age of streaming and Starlink, yachts with existing TVRO antennas that are based in the region or regularly return for a winter season may want to enjoy the reliability and availably of live sports, news and entertainment that satellite TV provides – accessible from every TV onboard.
DirecTV Latin America/Caribbean (DLA)
DirecTV LA is the most popular English- and Spanish-language pay-TV service in the Caribbean. The service is carried on the DLA-1 and DLA-2 (95W) satellites with circular polarization and requires a 24″ or larger antenna for optimal reception, and a specialized DLA LNB.
Programming varies from country to country in the region. Yachts sign up for prepaid marine service from DirecTV Caribbean in Trinidad.
More Information: DirecTV Caribbean
Dish Network USA
Dish Network provides service in Puerto Rico and the USVI, and the footprint of its two main ConUS satellites, 119W and 110W extends further to the Northeastern Caribbean. A large (1m+) antenna is useful for coverage throughout the entire footprint, while smaller antennas can be used in areas with “hotter” signal.
More Information: Dish Network in the Caribbean
Choose Dish Network for:
- Single provider for USA, Northeastern Caribbean, Bahamas
- US news and sports channels
- Pay-as-you-go plans
DirecTV USA
Although not officially published or supported, most transponders on DirecTV’s main Ku-band satellite 101W as well as some on the Ka-band satellites 99W and 103W are now being received in the northeastern Caribbean and can be tracked with marine antennas.
Many vessels report continuing to receive DirecTV USA coming down from the US through the Bahamas and as far south as St. Maarten & St. Barths. In some cases antennas and receivers need to be re-configured to enable reception of all channels.
Please note that DirecTV USA does not have a pay-as-you-go program and requires a 2-year contract and US billing and service addresses and a valid credit card, so this option makes sense only to vessels heading for a long-term stay in the US, or those that want to take advantage of HD programming and exclusive sports that DirecTV carries. Other vessels may prefer using Dish Network.
Choose DirecTV USA for:
- Best-quality USA coverage (with an HD antenna)
- US news and sports channels
Canal+/Canalsat Caraibes
The French-language service is carried on the Intelsat 35e (34.5W) satellite with good coverage throughout the Caribbean.
More Information: Canal+/Canalsat Caraibes
Choose Canal+ for:
- French-language programming
- Linear LNB – no antenna conversion required for European-based yachts
Sky Mexico
Sky Mexico is a Spanish-language offered exclusievly in Mexico.
Service is provided from two satellites:
The older satellite (58W) has more limited coverage and programming. Reception requires a linear LNB.
The newer satellite (at 79W) has a larger coverage area and better programming. However, reception requires a specialized stacked LNB which is currently not available for marine antennas.
Channel lineup from Lyngsat.com
Dish Mexico
Spanish-language Dish service with Mexico local channels
Channel lineup from Lyngsat.com
Free-to-Air (FTA)
Unlike many European countries where free satellite TV service is subsidized by local taxes on TV sets, very few Free-to-Air services operate in the Americas. Those that do offer mostly specialized programming, such as religious and international/ethnic channels. In the Caribbean, some FTA programming is available on the The Galaxy 19 (97W) satellite.
More Information: Galaxy 19 on Lyngsat.com
KiwiSat
KiwiSat is a Caribbean Satellite TV provider operating on the SES-10 satellite at 67W and focusing on the residential and hospitality markets. Our understanding is that they do not currently support marine installations.
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