Sky TV vs British Satellite Broadcasting | Battle for Viewers | British Television | TN 90-026-012

After one year, Sky TV could have had a better start to the industry, making losses of about £2Million per week! The subscription film channel came as a chance to save these losses, but not without the competition of British Satellite Broadcasting.
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Footage Reference: TN 90-026-012
Thames News was the flagship regional news programme of Thames Television, serving the Thames ITV region and broadcast on weekdays from 12 September 1977 to 31 December 1992.
Footage Reference: TN 90-026-012

[@robertcomer2767]

And all of ITV just sat back because they thought they were untouchable when it was them that should have started to buy up the film and sports rights.

[@anthonyperkins7556]

ITV didn't see the threat coming from Sky, and didn't perceive it as a problem until it had bitten them up the posterior.

[@anthonyperkins7556]

I like the stereo balancing with voiceover left and other sound on right.

[@MarkPentler]

Probably straight from a news VT

[@anthonyperkins7556]

​@@MarkPentler Thames as a broadcaster did make extensive use of this effect as a broadcaster when it transmitted NICAM Stereo in the London area from September 1989. They had little stereo material at the time so decided to do this on Thames News.

[@MarkPentler]

anthony perkins oh wow, that’s wild

[@GeoNeilUK]

The thing about the battle between BSB and Sky was, it was a battle BSB was never goig to win. Required by government to use untested, expensive technology (D2MAC) while Sky used proven technology that was good enough (PAL) required by government to pony up and launch their own satellite (5 out of 5 channels on Marcopolo, meaning you only got BSB channels and nothing else) while Sky just rented space on a bird that was already up there (4 out of 16 channels on Astra 1A, which left the other 12 for other broadcasters whose channels Sky viewers could also receive and the promise of more Astra satellites on the way giving space for more channels) BSB were screwed from the start. Perhaps if the IBA allowed BSB to launch their channels on the Astra satellite that Sky were using (either in PAL or requiring satellite receivers in the UK to support D2MAC as well as PAL if they insist on BSB via Astra to be in D2MAC) then maybe BSB might have competed. Can't say BSB would have won, but thyey might have lasted at least.

[@garrysimpson1395]

Agreed. You could not only watch the Sky Channels you could also watch R.T.L. 3 SAT,A.R.D. PLUS and SAT 1 from Germany to watch the 1989 U.S. Open Tennis GRAND SLAM that B.S.B. were meant to broadcast,but just did not get on air in September 1989. As with B.B.C. Breakfast vs T.V. a.m. First in wins. B.B.C. Breakfest, SKY.By the way that same ASTRA Satellite at 19.2 degrees East still going strong. 300 Pan-European for free. Including SKY NEWS and Sky Sports Germany. HAPPY DAYS!

[@ppate8]

3 other channels TCC, MTV Europe, Screensport were also good for UK viewers. The rest were foriegn anyway.

[@john111257]

BSB was great

[@jaycemacinnis2228]

#BSB #BringbackBSB

[@arw2008]

I watch sky stream via the internet now. I'm not missing the dish.

[@YACW]

26 December 1990 ?

[@johnking5174]

No, as BSB didn't launch until March 1990, with Sky launched properly in February 1989, so this report must have been from February 1990.

[@garrysimpson1395]

The early Subscrition boxes got HOTER and HOTTER!

[@anthonyperkins7556]

BSB excellent picture quality, digital stereo sound and better reception. Sky fair PAL picture quality, hissy analogue Wegener PANDA 1 Stereo, and sparklies in bad weather.

[@anthonyperkins7556]

No, not exactly. Sky would use DVB-S2 for HD quality 1080 pictures with Dolby ac3 sound, and BSB would step up to HD-MAC 1250 line pictures for cinematic quality 16:9 film like pictures and 44.1kbps CD quality stereo way above NICAM Stereo's 32kbps near CD quality sound.

[@anthonyperkins7556]

@Group JW ATSC is incompatible with our PAL standard and it can't be used here in the UK and Europe either. We have MPEG2 DVB standard for standard definition channels, DVB-T2 for terrestrial SD and HD channels, and DVB-S / DVB-S2 for satellite transmission. It can be output via S-Video / composite phono / SCART / Y U V component and HDMI connections if the equipment receiving the transmissions is so equipped with the requisite sockets to output to suitable viewing methods.

[@simu31]

Thirty years later, it's funny to watch the sheer pompousness of these "news" segments concerning satellite TV. Now look at it, ITV's market cap is 3.43 billion, while Sky's is 10 times that at 34 billion. Thames didn't even last 3 years past this segment. Maybe being quite so pretentious didn't work out so well

[@DisneyStudioNetwork]

Sky is now owned American cable operator Comcast which its the parent of the NBC and Universal Studios

[@simu31]

@@DisneyStudioNetwork It is. Your point is what?

[@z00h]

"pompousness" just because they didn't throw in things like "innit", "blud", "cuz", "fam", "skrrrt", "you geddme", "where's my knife" doesn't mean they were pompous

[@garrysimpson1395]

Alison Holiway. I wondered what happened to her?

[@moramento22]

She now has a TV producing company in the US.

[@garrysimpson1395]

Thank You. Best wishes to Alison and to you.

[@moramento22]

@@garrysimpson1395 You're very much welcome

[@garrysimpson1395]

@@moramento22 A very good presenter Aliison was. I was a viewer from Day One of Sky. I have stayed sane I think.

[@YACW]

blonde women sony trinitron i love prosperity nineties also the picture quality is great who owns sky do you have a video ?

[@rockhardsolid3394]

Then sky went and created the premier league.....

[@garyhunt8067]

BSB was a total flop. Who will buy that squariel dish?