Every Points West bulletin and programme, The Politics Show, Inside Out and anything else we produce on BBC 1 will appear on '101' on the electronic programme guide.

Your existing viewing card should assign BBC West to channel 101 - but if you live on the edge of our existing coverage - you may find you get an adjoining region.

In this case simply select channel 986 from your remote control to watch Points West.

If you do not have a viewing card, or live outside the Points West region you will still be to tune into BBC West on channel 986.

So West ex-pats will be able to keep up with all the news and information from around the region.

Historic announcement

Andrew Wilson, Head of Regional and Local Programmes for BBC West said:

"This is an historic announcement. It means that satellite-only viewers who, at the moment, live in a world without Chris Vacher, Susan Osman, David Garmston or Tessa Dunlop (can you imagine that!) will get our programmes easily and simply without the use of complicated red buttons or any extra navigation.

"Analogue and Freeview viewers, as now, will continue to get BBC 1 regional programmes automatically."

Pat Loughrey, Director of Nations and Regions, called the settlement ‘tremendous news for viewers in all parts of the UK’.

He said the deal showed how ‘determined the BBC is to provide strong regional services’.

The full range of 22 variations of BBC One and Two plus the six other channels (BBC Three, Four, News 24, Parliament, CBBC and CBeebies) and all the BBC’s radio output will be available on digital satellite by the autumn.

More information from BBC Reception advice.