Looking after our users’ needs

Why Freesat look to Breaking Bad for inspiration

The first series of Breaking Bad was brilliant. So good that it had to be a hard act to follow. But Breaking Bad did more than maintain the same high standard — from Walt & Jesse’s first cook in the desert to the explosive final face-off, the show kept getting more addictive. It was the best kind of television, the kind that got better and better until the very last moment.

At Freesat, that’s exactly what we are trying to do.

We know our customers are happy with us, but we don’t want to settle on that. We’re always looking for ways to improve our Freetime service.

That’s why in the last few months we’ve been working on even more ways for Freetime customers to record TV — wherever they are. Now, when you’re reading the emails put together by our editorial team, all you need to do is click on a link, and the show will automatically be recorded on your set top box at home. Easy-peasy.

Soon, we’ll be bringing this feature to Twitter as well. So if you see us tweeting about a big new drama while you’re on the train, you won’t need to worry if you get held up. You can watch the telly you want and find shows you didn’t know about, all in your own time. This one small addition can make a huge difference.

That’s one of our principles for building on our Freetime service. We take one great component — like recording shows — and aim to make it better and better.

We know that recording remains one of the most loved and requested features for set top boxes (just behind paying £0 a month for great telly, of course). Making that option even more accessible was the perfect next step.

So now, if you’re reading your emails, browsing Twitter or in the Freesat app itself, it doesn’t matter where you are. You can record tonight’s Corrie while having a pint at the pub, or the next EastEnders in the milk aisle at Morrisons.

We build these features knowing that not everyone will use them, but they’ll be loved by those who do. Some people prefer to plan ahead while they’re at home, and that’s fine. But we’re betting that even for them, it’s reassuring to know that the option is there. As a certain lawyer of Breaking Bad fame would say — you hope you never need it. But not having it? No.

The final three episodes of Breaking Bad are available now on Demand 5 with Freetime.

Paul Gilshan is the Marketing Director at Freesat