Setanta on Freeview - Using a CAM with your TV

If your digital TV has what's known as a CI slot, it was possible to use these to watch Setanta Sports without needing a special set-top box.

On this page, we'll explain what a CI slot and a CAM are, and how to use them.

Setanta Sports in administration. More

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What is a CI Slot?

If you have a fairly new digital TV set, you may find that it has a slot somewhere, typically covered up with a blanking plate. If you remove the blanking plate, you'll see that something can be slid into that slot.

This slot is known as a CI, or Common Interface, and it's designed to accept a CAM, which will allow you to get a subscription TV service.

So, what is a CAM?

Setanta Girl with a card The lovely lady to the right is modeling a Setanta Sports CAM. It's a small metal adapter, known as a Conditional Access Module that slides into the CI slot on a digital TV set. A CAM measures 10 x 5.5cm.

The CAM has it's own slot, into which you can slide a credit-card-sized subscription card.

The upshot is that if you got a Setanta Sports CAM and subscription card, you could have plugged this into a suitably-equipped TV set and watched Setanta Sports 1.

What did Setanta Sports offer?

Until its shut-down in June 2009, Setanta Sports 1 offered a pay-TV service that was transmitted over Freeview, and received via a TV aerial. Your digital TV needed to be able to get Freeview in order to get Setanta.

The Setanta Sports 1 channel offered subscribers access to Barclays Premier League, Clydesdale Bank Premier League, FA Cup and World Cup Qualifiers, as well as a range of other sports including Cricket, Boxing, Golf and Motor racing.

How do I get a CAM?

Now that Setanta Sports is not in business, stores like Currys, Comet and Argos have stopped selling Setanta Sports CAMs.

If you're looking for a CAM for use with ESPN, see our CAM page.

Setanta Sports CAM with subscription card

How to install a CAM

Assuming you had a CAM and a Setanta subscription card, here's the advice we offered to those looking to set up Setanta:

Insert the subscription card into the CAM - The card goes in chip-first, with the gold chip facing upwards
Next, turn your TV off and insert the CAM into the TV's CI slot. Do this carefully, without using too much force - the CAM may stick out.
Switch on the TV. The CAM should be automatically detected.
At this point, it's a good idea to perform a channel rescan, to ensure that your TV has the correct Freeview channel lineup
It's then a case of waiting for your card to be activated. Tune into Five on Freeview, and stay on that channel for about 30 minutes to allow the Setanta card to receive its activation code over the air

Setanta card in TV set
Setanta card being inserted into TV set

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Problems?

Some users reported messages such as "You are not entitled to watch this programme" when tuning to the Setanta Sports channel. Most likely cause was that the module/card has not inserted correctly, or the card had not received the over-the-air command to activate the subscription

From your digital TV set, go to the on-screen menu, and look through the various options. There should be a screen somewhere that allows you to confirm that the module is inserted, and check that the smartcard is present. It should also confirm the date of your subscription.

Digital TV screen
Accessing the Module set-up on a Sony TV