found this on the guardian website:
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Can I still receive ITV Digital if I am a subscriber?
No. ITV Digital disappeared from screens at midnight, when pay TV channels including Sky Sports 1 and UK Gold were taken off the service. The company's licence to broadcast has been rescinded.
So should I just bin my set-top box?
No. Subscribers can still pick up free-to-air channels on their decoders, including ITV2 and the BBC's new digital channels. The free services are guaranteed by a different licence. Only the pay TV operations will go. But the administrators have a responsibility to pay back the company's creditors and the 1.5m boxes in circulation are worth some money, if they can be rounded up. Rumours are circulating that the boxes will be sold to Russia, where the government is trying to kickstart its own digital revolution.
Will I be able to watch the Football League play-offs?
Yes. ITV said last night that ITV Sport will continue. It was protected from the administrators because the shareholders set it up using a different legal framework. The Champions League final will be shown on the main ITV channel. ITV Sport will also continue on cable networks.
I've paid up for the next year. Will I get a rebate?
Most people pay by monthly direct debit, which will simply be stopped. If you bought a pre-pay box you'll have to join a long queue of creditors, including Granada and Carlton Communications, the owners of ITV Digital.
What will happen to the free services?
Free services including BBC1, BBC2, BBC4, BBC News 24 and the two new children's channels will continue to be available as will ITV1, ITV2, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
Who will step in to the breach?
It is possible that a BBC-led consortium - dubbed Freeco - could step in to provide a free service of up to 15 digital channels. All the major commercial broadcasters, including ITV, would be involved. This could include extra services such as Emap's Smash Hits TV and the National Geographic channel.
Can I transfer free to Sky's service to watch sport and movies?
No. But if you subscribe to Sky sports or movies you can phone Sky to get a free dish and decoder installed. But you will have to sign a new contract and are unlikely to get a refund from ITV Digital if you were a pre-paid customer.
What about the set-top boxes that have come on to the market, offering just free-to-air services?
Proceed with caution, due to allegations of poor picture quality caused by the notoriously weak digital terrestrial signal. Some campaigners are urging the public to hold back until new boxes appear on the market over the summer and the government strengthens the digital signal.
