Quick answer: Hotbird is Eutelsat’s satellite position at 13.0° East. 3 of its most useful free-to-air transponders for international news are 11727 V (DW English, BBC News Arabic, TV5Monde), 11566 H (France 24 English and French, TRT World) and 11747 H (Al Arabiya, Sky News Arabia), all on Hotbird 13G.
Hotbird carries hundreds of channels, mostly aimed at Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Many are encrypted pay-TV channels, but a large share are free-to-air, including international news services that viewers in Africa search for.
Hotbird 13°E free-to-air frequencies (2026)
| Frequency | Polarisation | Symbol rate | FEC | System | Free channels include |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11727 | Vertical | 29900 | 3/4 | DVB-S2 8PSK | DW English, BBC News Arabic, BBC News Persian, TV5Monde Europe, Arirang World; radio from BBC World Service and RFI Afrique |
| 11566 | Horizontal | 29900 | 3/4 | DVB-S2 8PSK | France 24 English, France 24 Français, TRT World, TRT Arabi, Qatar TV, Bahrain TV |
| 11747 | Horizontal | 27500 | 3/4 | DVB-S2 8PSK | Al Arabiya, Al Hadath, Sky News Arabia, Asharq Business Bloomberg, Sharjah TV |
All 3 transponders use DVB-S2, so an older DVB-S-only receiver will not find them. Channel line-ups change when broadcasters move, so rescan if a channel disappears.
Hotbird satellite settings
| Satellite | Hotbird 13G (with other Hotbird satellites at the same position) |
| Orbital position | 13.0° East |
| LNB type | Universal Ku-band |
| LNB frequency | 9750 MHz (low band), 10600 MHz (high band) |
| LNB voltage | 13V for vertical, 18V for horizontal |
How to scan Hotbird channels
- Point your dish at 13.0° East. A satellite-finder app shows the direction and elevation for your location.
- In your receiver’s antenna or satellite setup menu, select Hotbird 13°E, or add it by orbital position.
- Set the LNB to 9750 MHz low band and 10600 MHz high band.
- Add one of the transponders above, for example, 11727, vertical, symbol rate 29900.
- Run a free-only scan to skip encrypted channels, or a blind scan to find every transponder.
Can you receive Hotbird in Ghana and West Africa?
Hotbird’s beams are designed for Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, so reception further south isn’t guaranteed. In West Africa, signal strength depends on your exact location and dish size, so a professional installer with a signal meter is the most reliable way to confirm coverage before you buy equipment.
For satellites designed to cover the region, see our guides to Multi TV frequencies on Astra 2F at 28.2° East, which carries Ghanaian channels, and Nilesat frequencies at 7.0° West. Our satellite TV frequency list for Africa compares all the main options.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hotbird free?
Partly. Many Hotbird channels are free-to-air and need only a dish and a DVB-S2 receiver, including the news channels listed above. Others are encrypted pay-TV channels that need a subscription and a compatible decoder or module.
Can I watch Hotbird on a DStv decoder?
No. DStv decoders are locked to the MultiChoice bouquet. You need a standard free-to-air satellite receiver pointed at 13.0° East.
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