Sky Multichannels
Encyclopedia
Analog television
Analog television is the analog transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal...
offered by BSkyB on the Astra
SES Astra
Astra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
satellites at 19.2° east
Astra 19.2°E
Astra 19.2°E is the name for the group of communications satellites co-located at the 19.2°East orbital position in the Clarke Belt that are owned and operated by SES Astra, a subsidiary of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg....
. The service started on 1 September 1993 based on the idea from the then chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
, Sam Chisholm
Sam Chisholm
Sam Chisholm is a media executive born in New Zealand. He was a significant figure in Australian media. He ran Kerry Packer's Nine Network for a significant period during the 1980s before moving to the UK to work for Packer's rival Rupert Murdoch in rescuing the newly established BSkyB from...
and Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
, of adjusting BSkyB's business strategy to include a multi-channel fee-based service which included channels formerly available free-to-air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
or free-to-view
Free-to-view
Free-to-view is a term used for free of charge and encrypted audio and/or video contents transmission that do not require any form of continual subscription...
, as well as introducing new channels. The service continued until the closure of BSkyB's analogue service on 27 September 2001, due to the launch and expansion of the Sky Digital
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
platform. The service was originally priced £6.99 a month at launch, although those who signed up before September 1 could get the channels for the discounted price of £3.99 a month until the start of 1994. The package was however free to existing subscribers to Sky's premium channels, Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
and Sky Movies
Sky Movies
Sky Movies is the collective name for the premium subscription television movie channels operated by Sky Television, and later British Sky Broadcasting. It has around 5 million subscribers, via satellite, cable and IPTV in the UK and Ireland...
. Channels were encrypted
Encryption
In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...
using NDS Group
NDS Group
NDS Group Plc. is a developer of pay TV technology. NDS was established in 1988 as an Israeli start up company. It was acquired by News Corporation in 1992. The company is currently headquartered in Staines, United Kingdom...
's VideoCrypt
VideoCrypt
VideoCrypt is a cryptographic, smartcard-based conditional access television encryption system that scrambles analogue pay-TV signals. It was introduced in 1989 by News Datacom and was used initially by Sky TV and subsequently by several other broadcasters on the SES Astra satellites at 19.2°...
system, and required a monthly subscription payment, VideoCrypt decoder
Decoder
A decoder is a device which does the reverse operation of an encoder, undoing the encoding so that the original information can be retrieved. The same method used to encode is usually just reversed in order to decode...
and valid viewing card to receive the channels.
Channels
Four channels were already broadcasting on Astra's satellites prior to being added to the Sky Multichannels package. Some of the channels did broadcast either in the clear or soft encrypted (whereby a Videocrypt decoder was required to decode, but without a subscription card) prior to their addition to the Sky Multichannels package.Some channels were not launched with the service but got added later, including QVC
QVC (UK)
QVC UK is a digital television shopping channel broadcast in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1993 when QVC, Inc. formed a deal with Sky TV to create a UK version of the US channel. "QVC — The Shopping Channel" first broadcast in the UK on 1 October 1993. QVC UK - 20% owned by Sky - moved into...
which launched on 1 October 1993 and VH1
VH1 UK
VH1 is a specialist music television channel from MTV Networks Europe. The channel broadcasts into the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The channel is based on the original VH1 American channel of the same name...
which launched on 1 October 1994. When VH1 Germany launched in 1995, VideoCrypt decoders would blank out the channel to UK viewers and prevent them from watching the German channel free. Nick-at-Nite, although part of the original Multichannels plan, did not launch. Sky Soap
Sky Soap
Sky Soap was a British Sky Broadcasting channel that showed a mix of American and British soap operas, including Emmerdale and Take the High Road....
and Sky Travel
Sky Travel
Sky Real Lives was an in-house channel from BSkyB that showed extensive programmes about travel, adverts for travel agencies and documentaries. The channels closed on 19 August 2010.-History:...
also launched on 3 October 1994 as part of the package. The launch of Astra 1D
Astra 1D
Astra 1D was the fourth, and under original plans, last communications satellite from Société Européenne des Satellites , now SES Astra. It was launched to Astra's original solitary operational position at 19.2° east, and was intended as an in-orbit spare for Astra's 1A, 1B and 1C...
allowed Sky to expand the multichannels package further, including the launch of Sky's pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
Box Office
Sky Box Office (UK & Ireland)
Sky Box Office is the name of BSkyB's pay-per-view system. There are three branded divisions of Sky Box Office - Sky Movies Box Office, Sky Sports Box Office and Sky 3D Box Office. Until 1 February 2011, the system ran under unified Sky Box Office branding.-History:Sky Box Office launched on 16...
channels in January 1997.
Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
and CNBC Europe
CNBC Europe
CNBC Europe is a business and financial news television channel, the pan-European sister station of CNBC. The network is owned and operated by NBC Universal and headquartered in London, where it shares the Adrian Smith-designed 10 Fleet Place building with Dow Jones...
were also part of the Sky Multichannels package but remained free-to-air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
. QVC however, which launched as part of the Multichannels package, switched to free-to-view broadcasting in 1995.
Channels which joined the Sky Multichannels package were paid a fee of 15 pence per subscriber per month.
A European Multichannels package run by BSkyB also using the VideoCrypt encryption system was planned to be launched soon afterwards, but did not come to fruition. A European package of channels called MultiChoice
MultiChoice
MultiChoice is a South African company which operates the DStv satellite television service, the main satellite TV service in Sub-Saharan Africa. It was formed out of the subscriber-management branch of the M-Net terrestrial pay TV company, and broadcasts the full range of M-Net channels on the...
Kaleidoscope did launch on 1 November 1993 using VideoCrypt 2 encryption. The Multichoice service was run by South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n based Network Holdings, separate from BSkyB. The Multichoice service initially included Filmnet
Filmnet
Nova Cinema is a premium television service available in Greece that broadcasts blockbuster movies and hit series. It is the only 24/7 Movie service in Greece and it launched in 1994. It is owned by Forthnet, who own and operate Nova a DTH satellite service and Nova Sports—a sports channel.Nova...
and The Adult Channel
The Adult Channel
The Adult Channel is a broadcast just for adults pay-per-view cable/satellite/IPTV channel available in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, replacing the Home Video Channel on 30th June 1999...
as premium channels and The Children's Channel (in Benelux only), Discovery, MTV, CMT Europe and QVC as basic channels.
Promotion
British Sky Broadcasting ran television advertisementTelevision advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
s prior to the new service launching. However in 1993, the Independent Television Commission
Independent Television Commission
The Independent Television Commission licensed and regulated commercial television services in the United Kingdom between 1 January 1991 and 28 December 2003....
ruled against BSkyB after ten complaints regarding a number of false claims involving some of the channels which were due to be part of the package. As well as further complaints about the adverts failing to show that a one year contract needed to be taken out for any special introductory offer.
To promote
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
the Sky Multichannels package on the Astra satellites, a selection of channels were placed on Sky's preview channel on transponder
Transponder
In telecommunication, the term transponder has the following meanings:...
47 of Astra 1C
Astra 1C
Astra 1C was the third communications satellite launched by the Société Européenne des Satellites , now SES Astra. It is the oldest Astra satellite still in operation, although it currently carries few services...
in the clear. The preview channel compromised of promotional material in the centre of the screen and 12 channels around the edge, including some English channels which were not part of the package. The channel was replaced by Sky Sports 2 on August 19, 1994.
During sports programming on Sky One, prior to the launch of Sky Sports 2, channels which were part of the Sky Multichannels package were made available free-to-view, to allow sports subscribers who did not take up the multichannels package to watch sports coverage, but it was also used to promote the package to viewers who had not signed up to the Multichannels package.
Channel list
This is correct as of 29 April 1999, the day before analogue shutdown started to occur. This list does not include changes made since then. Channels that are free-to-air (i.e. Sky NewsSky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
) or channels which are included as part of the Sky Movies
Sky Movies
Sky Movies is the collective name for the premium subscription television movie channels operated by Sky Television, and later British Sky Broadcasting. It has around 5 million subscribers, via satellite, cable and IPTV in the UK and Ireland...
or Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
bundles are not listed either; for more information on channels included on those packages, please visit the respective article.
| Channel name | Genre (at the time) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trouble | General Entertainment for teenagers and young adults | 06:00 - 20:00, timeshared with Bravo. |
| MTV Europe MTV Europe MTV Europe is a pan-European 24-hour entertainment cable and digital television network launched on August 1, 1987. Initially, the channel served all regions within Europe being one of the very few channels that targeted the entire European continent... |
Music videos | |
| Sky One | General Entertainment | |
| UK Gold | Classic Programming | |
| Bravo | Classic TV and movies | 20:00 - 06:00, timeshared with Trouble. |
| Discovery Channel | Documentaries | |
| TV Travel Shop TV Travel Shop TV Travel Shop was a British television channel that sold holidays.It launched in 1998, primarily on satellite and cable. In 2000, the channel launched on ONdigital, using capacity from ONrequest 2 , and broadcast 6am-12pm weekdays, and 6am-10am weekends, free to air on channel 44. Its hours were... |
Shopping | 06:00 - 17:00, timeshared with Challenge TV. |
| Challenge TV | Game Shows | 17:00 - 00:00, timeshared with TV Travel Shop. |
| Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (UK & Ireland) Nickelodeon is a children's television channel available on Sky, Virgin Media, Smallworld Cable, TalkTalk TV and UPC Ireland in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including on demand on BT Vision. The channel was launched on 1 September 1993... |
Children's programming | 07:00 - 19:00, timeshared with Paramount Comedy Channel. |
| Paramount Comedy Channel | Comedy | 19:00 - 04:00, timeshared with Nickelodeon. |
| Living | General Entertainment for women | |
| VH1 VH1 UK VH1 is a specialist music television channel from MTV Networks Europe. The channel broadcasts into the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The channel is based on the original VH1 American channel of the same name... |
Music videos aimed towards middle-agers | |
| Sky Soap Sky Soap Sky Soap was a British Sky Broadcasting channel that showed a mix of American and British soap operas, including Emmerdale and Take the High Road.... |
Soap | |
| Sky Travel Sky Travel Sky Real Lives was an in-house channel from BSkyB that showed extensive programmes about travel, adverts for travel agencies and documentaries. The channels closed on 19 August 2010.-History:... |
Lifestyle |
Older channel list
This is correct as of 1 November 1995, slightly over two years after the launch.| Channel name | Encryption status (at launch) | Genre (at the time) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Children's Channel The Children's Channel The Children's Channel, also known as TCC, was a television station in the United Kingdom, Benelux and Scandinavia, which was owned by Flextech . It began broadcasting on 1 September 1984, and was closed on 3 April 1998... |
Free-to-air | Children's programming | 06:00 - 17:00, timeshared with The Family Channel. |
| MTV Europe MTV Europe MTV Europe is a pan-European 24-hour entertainment cable and digital television network launched on August 1, 1987. Initially, the channel served all regions within Europe being one of the very few channels that targeted the entire European continent... |
Free-to-air | Music videos | MTV did not encrypt at the time Sky Multichannels launched, but did so on July 3, 1995. The channel was encrypted with VideoCrypt 1 for UK viewers and in VideoCrypt 2 for European viewers. |
| Sky One | Free-to-air | General Entertainment | |
| UK Gold | Free-to-view encrypted using VideoCrypt | Classic Programming | |
| Bravo | New | Classic TV and movies | |
| Discovery Channel | New | Documentaries | 18:00 - 06:00, timeshared with CMT Europe. |
| CMT Europe CMT Europe CMT Europe was a European television channel. It was a European version of Country Music Television.The channel started in 1992. It was closed down on March 31, 1998 after substantial losses.... |
New | Country music videos | 06:00 - 18:00, timeshared with Discovery Channel. |
| The Family Channel | New | General Entertainment | 17:00 - 00:00, timeshared with The Children's Channel. |
| Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (UK & Ireland) Nickelodeon is a children's television channel available on Sky, Virgin Media, Smallworld Cable, TalkTalk TV and UPC Ireland in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including on demand on BT Vision. The channel was launched on 1 September 1993... |
New | Children's programming | 07:00 - 19:00, timeshared with The Paramount Channel. |
| The Paramount Channel | New | Comedy and Drama | 19:00 - 04:00, timeshared with Nickelodeon. |
| UK Living | New | General Entertainment for women | |
| VH1 VH1 UK VH1 is a specialist music television channel from MTV Networks Europe. The channel broadcasts into the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The channel is based on the original VH1 American channel of the same name... |
New | Music videos aimed towards middle-agers | |
| Sky Soap Sky Soap Sky Soap was a British Sky Broadcasting channel that showed a mix of American and British soap operas, including Emmerdale and Take the High Road.... |
New | Soap | |
| Sky Travel Sky Travel Sky Real Lives was an in-house channel from BSkyB that showed extensive programmes about travel, adverts for travel agencies and documentaries. The channels closed on 19 August 2010.-History:... |
New | Lifestyle |
Closure
Due to the growth of digital televisionDigital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
and the Sky Digital platform, alongside greater choice of channels and the removal of channels having to timeshare due to bandwidth constraints, BSkyB soon announced that its analogue service would cease transmittion for good with all channels in the Multichannels package closing down by 2001. BSkyB started to cease analogue with the shutdown of Sky Soap
Sky Soap
Sky Soap was a British Sky Broadcasting channel that showed a mix of American and British soap operas, including Emmerdale and Take the High Road....
on 30 April 1999, which was then followed by TV Travel Shop
TV Travel Shop
TV Travel Shop was a British television channel that sold holidays.It launched in 1998, primarily on satellite and cable. In 2000, the channel launched on ONdigital, using capacity from ONrequest 2 , and broadcast 6am-12pm weekdays, and 6am-10am weekends, free to air on channel 44. Its hours were...
which became exclusive to digital later in the year. It then continued into February 2000 with many of the channels on Astra 1D
Astra 1D
Astra 1D was the fourth, and under original plans, last communications satellite from Société Européenne des Satellites , now SES Astra. It was launched to Astra's original solitary operational position at 19.2° east, and was intended as an in-orbit spare for Astra's 1A, 1B and 1C...
being discontinued. In May 2001, it was announced that due to the possibility of lost revenue from the existing 242,000 analogue subscribers, the closure of the remaining analogue would be delayed until September 2001 from its original plan of June. BSkyB closed down the last remaining channel in the Multichannels package, Sky One, alongside two other channels on September 27, 2001.