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Sky Multichannels

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The Sky Multichannels logo used in promotions by British Sky Broadcasting

Sky Multichannels was a package of analogue television channels offered by British Sky Broadcasting on the Astra satellites at 19.2° east.[1][2] The service started on 1 September 1993[3] based on the idea from the then chief executive officer, Sam Chisholm and Rupert Murdoch, of adjusting BSkyB's business strategy to include a multi-channel fee-based service which included channels formerly available free-to-air or free-to-view, as well as introducing new channels.[2] The service continued until the closure of BSkyB's analogue service on 27 September 2001,[4] due to the launch and expansion of the Sky Digital 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 and Sky Movies.[5] Channels were encrypted using NDS Group's VideoCrypt system,[1] and required a monthly subscription payment, VideoCrypt decoder 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[6][7]:

Channel name Former encryption status Genre (at launch) Notes
The Children's Channel Free-to-air Children's programming
MTV Europe Free-to-air Music videos MTV did not encrypt at the time Sky Multichannels launched,[8] but did so on July 3, 1995. The channel was encrypted with VideoCrypt 1 for UK viewers and in VideoCrypt 2 for European viewers.[9]
Sky One Free-to-air General Entertainment
UK Gold Free-to-view encrypted using VideoCrypt Classic programming from Thames Television and BBC Worldwide

Other channels which launched on 1 September 1993 as part of the Sky Multichannels package were[6][7]:

Channel name Genre (at launch) Notes
Bravo Classic TV and movies
Discovery Channel Documentaries Timeshared with CMT.
CMT Europe Country music videos Timeshared with Discovery.
The Family Channel General Entertainment Timeshared with The Children's Channel.
Nickelodeon Children's programming
UK Living General Entertainment for women

More channels joined the Multichannels package, including QVC which launched on 1 October 1993 and VH1 which launched on 1 October 1994.[5] 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.[9] Nick-at-Nite, although part of the original Multichannels plan, did not launch.[10] Sky Soap and Sky Travel also launched on 3 October 1994 as part of the package.[11][12] The launch of Astra 1D allowed Sky to expand the multichannels package further,[13] including the launch of Sky's pay-per-view Box Office channels in January 1997.

Sky News and CNBC Europe[14] were also part of the Sky Multichannels package but remained free-to-air. QVC however, which launched as part of the Multichannels package, switched to free-to-view broadcasting in 1995.[15]

Channels which joined the Sky Multichannels package were paid a fee of 15 pence per subscriber per month.[6]

A European Multichannels package run by BSkyB also using the VideoCrypt encryption system[16] was planned to be launched soon afterwards[17], but did not come to fruition. A European package of channels called MultiChoice Kaleidoscope did launch on 1 November 1993 using VideoCrypt 2 encryption. The Multichoice service was run by South African based Network Holdings, separate from BSkyB. The Multichoice service initially included Filmnet and The Adult Channel as premium channels and The Children's Channel (in Benelux only), Discovery, MTV, CMT Europe and QVC as basic channels.[18][19][20]

Promotion

British Sky Broadcasting ran television advertisements prior to the new service launching. However in 1993, the Independent Television Commission 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.[21] 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.[22]

To promote the Sky Multichannels package on the Astra satellites, a selection of channels were placed on Sky's preview channel on transponder 47 of Astra 1C in the clear.[23] The preview channel compromised of promotional material in the centre of the screen and 12 channels around the edge,[24] including some English channels which were not part of the package. The channel was replaced by Sky Sports 2 on August 19, 1994.[11][25]

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.[26]

Closure

Due to the growth of digital television and the Sky Digital platform, alongside greater choice of channels and the removal of channels having to timeshare due to bandwidth constraints, in the year 2000 BSkyB announced that it would be closing its analogue channels, including those in the Multichannels package in 2001.[27] From February 2000, BSkyB had closed a number of channels at a time, starting with a number on the Astra 1D satellite. 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.[28][29] BSkyB closed down the last remaining channel in the Multichannels package, Sky One, alongside two other channels on September 27, 2001.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "BRITISH SKY BROADCASTING". The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  2. ^ a b "British Sky Broadcasting Group plc". Funding Universe. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  3. ^ "Sky Television - Promos". TV Ark. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  4. ^ a b Wathan, Chris. "How the Sky analogue service was run down in favour of digital..." Analoguesat. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  5. ^ a b Groves, Don (1993-09-06). "BSKYB takes sky-high gamble with pay TV". Variety. Retrieved 2007-02-16.
  6. ^ a b c Dawtrey, Adam (1993-09-01). "Sat trio in U.K. debut". Variety. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  7. ^ a b "Sky Television - Advertising". TV Ark. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  8. ^ "MediaScan - Number 2183". Radio Sweden. 1993-07-20. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  9. ^ a b "MediaScan - Number 2220". Radio Sweden. 1995-03-21. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  10. ^ "NICK AT NITE FOR UK NOW IN DOUBT". Highbeam Research. Screen Digest. 1994-03-01. Retrieved 2007-02-16.
  11. ^ a b "Profile". British Sky Broadcasting. Retrieved 2007-02-16.
  12. ^ "TELE SATELLIT - Number 19". Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  13. ^ "Sky Guide Issue 39". Retrieved 2007-02-16.
  14. ^ "Mediascan - Number 2245". Radio Sweden. 1996-04-02. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  15. ^ "MediaScan - Number 2219". Radio Sweden. 1995-03-07. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  16. ^ Ingram, Darren (1993-10-11). "Satnews - Issue 118". M2 Communications Limited. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  17. ^ "Sky Guide - Issue 24". Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  18. ^ Ingram, Darren (1993-10-25). "Satnews - Issue 119". M2 Communications Limited. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
  19. ^ "MediaScan - Number 2190". Radio Sweden. 1993-11-02. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  20. ^ "MediaScan - Number 2204". Radio Sweden. 1994-07-19. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  21. ^ Ingram, Darren (1993-09-27). "Satnews - Issue 117". M2 Communications Limited. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  22. ^ Ingram, Darren (1993-11-08). "Satnews - Issue 120". M2 Communications Limited. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  23. ^ "Sky Guide Issue 37 (Inactive as of 2007-04-29)". Retrieved 2007-02-16. [dead link]
  24. ^ Williams, Martyn. "TELE Satellit - Number 6". Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  25. ^ Williams, Martyn. "TELE Satellit - number 8". Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  26. ^ "MediaScan - Number 2196". Radio Sweden. 1994-03-15 (incorrect date given in reference). Retrieved 2009-04-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "A beginners guide to finding the orbital slots". Analoguesat. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  28. ^ Milmo, Dan (2001-05-09). "Sky pushes back analogue switch-off". Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  29. ^ Bohem, Erich (2001-05-09). "BSkyB digital subs top 5 mil". Variety. Retrieved 2008-06-14.


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