History of Syfy: Launch of the Sci Fi Channel

It's the first episode of Network Decay, and the first part of my History of Syfy. So let's learn all about the launch of the Sci-Fi Channel
Follow me on Twitter at @7800Productions

[@hdofu]

If you never knew the original Sci Fi Channel, you could never appreciate how awesome it was back in the early 90s. no concern for blocking anything a 12 year old boy would care about.

[@jeremym9011]

Thanks for doing this. Sci-Fi Channel from 1992-1998 was practically my favorite time of the channel before NBC UNIVERSAL ruined it forever to cater to the modern-day geeks.

[@GothicTopicPodcast]

I watched the channel every day. My favorite lineup was: Lost in Space at 8AM, followed by Beauty and the Beast (from the 80s), Dark Shadows...and sometimes Forever Knight. I'd also watch The Twilight Zone along with other older shows.

[@Productions-mo6bs]

I used to really like the Sci Fi world mini marathons. It was cool staying home sick from school and watching a bunch of episodes of Alien Nation.

[@boskostoybox]

The idents in between tv shows still give me great feelings of watching this back in the day. Miss old sci-fi channel

[@gabeherndon2415]

Well it at least made some cool series and even original monster movies

[@willieg7895]

This was when scifi stood for science fiction instead of what it is today. Syfy

[@Productions-mo6bs]

The good old days

[@RyoHazuki1]

It's 2019. By my calculations the KZbin algorithm will give you your first million views by 2022 because this video is an underrated gem!

[@RyoHazuki1]

Also I hope you eventually continue this series. Your narration and the footage used was superb. Loved the boo-urns reference!

[@Productions-mo6bs]

By my calculations it may be 2022 by the time I get the next video done. Just kidding, but after numerous delays I'm finally editing part 2 now.

[@JoseMorales-lw5nt]

Watching this in 2023 with a tear in my eye. Being born in The Bronx in 1981, my family had the great privilege of paying for early cable television programs during the 80's and 90's. Getting to see the original Sci-Fi Channel was always great. From Dark Shadows, to RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT with host Jack Palance. Even the late 90's TWILIGHT ZONE marathons. Here in NYC, WPIX Channel 11 used to air summer marathons of TZ. After they lost the rights, it would seem SCI-FI happily bought up the copyrights to that great series. It was funny to catch TALES FROM THE CRYPT, albeit edited and with commercials. Having viewed CRYPT during its original run on HBO, the swearing and nudity always made it naughty viewing. Seeing that chopped off for SCI-FI, it just struck me as odd and funny. All kidding aside, thanks for posting this great tribute. Especially since its going on 30 years now. Damn, I'm getting old...😂

[@TheVANDERLAND100]

The first time I tuned into this channel on the Big Satellite Dish, there were only the baffling pre-launch videos with clouds and weird soundstage and dialogues like, we're coming for you, Vincent Price, etc. Next time I tuned to it's home on Galaxy 5, transponder 4, I realized all the repertoire was meant for a new channel launch. First movie to see on Sci-Fi channel was The Video Dead, a few days later movies like Evil Dead, etc. But in the end I wouldn't visit the channel that much for over a year since it would play mostly classics like Dracula or Frankenstein in black and white, all until they started playing Tales from the Dark Side and Amazing Stories, that's when I became very fond of this channel. Last time I tuned into this channel was on April 3rd.1994 when I was watching Fright Night 1985 movie and Amazing Stories series. That was an amazing last day because the next day the channel went on scrambled mode on April 4th. 1994 using videocipher ll + scrambling method, you could even hear the sound still, but the picture was scrambled already, and after a month, everything even the audio went on scrambled mode forever. At the end of the month I know they were playing The Return of the Living Dead, but it was scrambled already, didn't get the chance to watch the channel anymore until the end of the year 2000 when I bought a DSS dish on my own. The channel had changed by then, but it was still cool to watch then, not like these days that has turned into pure crap. Miss those days.

[@FangsFirst]

Here ya go for that pre-airing stuff, which I also remember. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6PCkJxra9unpac

[@tapthatt2012]

Great video. Oh the decay of these great channels. 😥

[@1dbanner]

It wasn't until the late 90s when our cable company began carrying the Scifi Channel, so for the years prior I went to my friend's house because they had a satellite dish, and it was amazing being exposed to so many of those shows

[@Productions-mo6bs]

Same for me, except it was Comedy Central and not Scifi.

[@gabeherndon2415]

Its just that while i was interested in the old sci fi, the 2002 sci fi movies were the goodness that was my nostalgia medicine

[@StarvinitySaga]

Absolutely enjoyed watching this video! 🌟 Your thorough explanation and engaging delivery made it both informative and entertaining. I appreciate the effort you put into creating content like this. Subscribed and looking forward to more insightful videos from your channel! Keep up the excellent work! 👏

[@LowellMorgan]

DVDs and KZbin really were the one-two punch to kill the sci fi channel model. Such is progress but it really shows how perfect sci fi channel was for its time.

[@Allanbuzzy]

8:58 That's actually kind of ironic, because in Australia their Sci-Fi rebranded as SF and then it would be rebranded again to SyFy under NBCUniversal's control.

[@FingerBreakerWu]

Bonnie Hammer is a name that will live in infamy as the woman that destroyed the Sci-Fi Channel.

[@johnwalko1483]

It would be great to hear a documentary on the Decades Network, before it was ruined by becoming Classy Comedy. Thanks for doing a great Documentary on the Sci-Fi Channel. John.

[@jduncan957]

I really enjoyed this video, and hope there are more to follow.

[@Productions-mo6bs]

Thanks! Stay tuned because there's more on the way.

[@esrevinu.]

@@Productions-mo6bs I noticed watching this one, that there is another from a year later about sci fi channel in the 90s,... any chance this year, we get one for sci fi channel in the '00s?

[@Productions-mo6bs]

@@esrevinu. Thank you so much, I'm glad you're liking the channel. Well I have good news and bad news. The good news, yes there will be a video about the 2000's. The bad news, my editing drive crashed a couple weeks ago, and I lost a ton of the project files. But I should hopefully have it done by the end of the month.

[@esrevinu.]

@@Productions-mo6bs both happy and sorry to hear that lol,... total shit situation when a drive goes. Its like losing a limb if there was anything useful on said drive. I assume its not just a nights worth of work either, with all the information and editing you have to do for these. Keep up the good works, Ill be checkin the content as time allows!!

[@esrevinu.]

I usually wait to like a video, but "am I supposed to say that slash out loud?" earned an instant like lol.

[@TacomasterStudios]

MCA didn’t own Paramount, they owned Universal

[@realrisingsun]

Great job. Lots of clips I haven't seen anywhere else and a nice deep dive. Hoefpully, a lot more people will see this too.

[@Productions-mo6bs]

Thank you! It was a lot of work. I'm glad you liked it.

[@bottlesparks1024]

I watched the launch. Wow times have changed.

[@Productions-mo6bs]

You're tell me

[@vicariousgamer2871]

Very cool. Thanks

[@Productions-mo6bs]

Glad you liked it!

[@teddyfurstman1997]

This series on Sci-FI Channel's rise and fall is like going from Sci-Fi glory to Reality TV Trash aka Network Decay. BLEH! Great Series tho. Wish your channel goes up.

[@angelagreen5208]

How did you even find segments of sci fi channel's 12 day countdown?

[@Productions-mo6bs]

A couple people just happen to be taping the countdown and uploaded them to youtube. They actually kind of neat to watch.

[@angelagreen5208]

@@Productions-mo6bs ^_^b

[@AdmiralBonetoPick]

Very comprehensive. Good work. Did you ever do an episode 3 (2000s)?

[@Productions-mo6bs]

Working on it as we speak.

[@damin9913]

Sci-fi channel use to be awsome when it first aired star trek and the twilight zone were the only shows I would watch but that magical feel has gone cause its been changed putting on show that has nothing to do with sci-fi

[@nathancegorach9738]

comet channel is amazing

[@Productions-mo6bs]

I've watched a bit of Comet, but heir Roku app is pretty buggy. But their programming very much takes a page from the old Sci Fi Channel.

[@baotrungtruongvu761]

how did you do it can you share with me , thank you

[@ajlen22_48]

U just got a sub 👏

[@KennyOmegasCavity]

I found out about sci fi channel in 2007 thanks to ECW. In my region we had AXN for all the science fiction stuffs instead. So I missed out on the golden days of Scifi 😔. The old Sci-Fi looks cool.