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1986: BSB wins the DBS franchise

(June 2012)

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:-(
A former member
Its very interest video, it does leave some unanswered questions such has is the current DBS - Direct Broadcasting by Satellite franchise still in play? or was that killed off in 2002 when sky went Digital?

When Did the ITV companies sell of there shares in BSKYB?

feature=relmfu
IS
Inspector Sands
BSkyB was 50/50 Sky and BSB's shareholders, I would have thought that most of the divestment of the original investors happened when it went public. Amstrad didn't last long in the BSB consortium and of course ended up being heavily involved in Sky

Those reports are interesting as the service that launched was very different, the rolling news channel never materialised and ITN never actually got involved in BSB despite them talking up their involvement. No mention of the channel that in the end had the biggest legacy - The Sports Channel

There's no DBS 'franchise' any more in the same way that there's no ITV franchises any more - the IBA doesn't exist to franchise anything. The frequency allocation might still exist on paper but the whole world of satellite broadcasting and licensing is so very different now they'd be irrelevant
IS
Isonstine Founding member
Great videos - interesting that the only channel that launched as planned was Galaxy. The 'Now' name was used for one of the channels but by launch it was a more of a lifestyle channel - although it did have some current affairs programming. Screen became The Movie Channel which was another survivor of the merger with Sky.

At what point did BSB decide to launch a sports channel? Would this have been before or after that Sky announced their intention to do the same?

It's intriguing to think what could have been - as the video highlights - the BBC was set to have two of the channels but pulled out in the end due to high costs. Although I think the BSkyB deal would have ultimately happened, there's no doubt that BSB would have been in a stronger position with the BBC properly on board.
JJ
jjne
Wasn't Sky Channel itself set up by what was left of the old Trident (Yorkshire/Tyne Tees) company in the early 1980s?

I'm sure I read there was a link somewhere.
ST
Stuart
There's no DBS 'franchise' any more in the same way that there's no ITV franchises any more - the IBA doesn't exist to franchise anything. The frequency allocation might still exist on paper but the whole world of satellite broadcasting and licensing is so very different now they'd be irrelevant

Aren't the C3 licenses still just network franchises (awarded by Ofcom) which are due to expire in 2014?

Whilst there's no DBS franchise anymore, Ofcom still license any channel which broadcasts from the UK, regardless of whether the UK is the intended audience.
IS
Inspector Sands
Aren't the C3 licenses still just network franchises (awarded by Ofcom) which are due to expire in 2014?

I suppose in the respect that there's one company per area yes, but there's a big difference between an IBA franchise and an Ofcom license

The IBA was essentially a broadcaster and the radio and TV services that it franchised were 'programme contractors'. They provided a programme service over the IBA's transmitters and the IBA had a lot of say over what it's franchises did to the extent of being able to dictate things like programming and the equipment in their studios.

After the IBA was dissolved the TV and radio stations became broadcasters in their own right and the franchises became licenses to broadcast. The main difference for was that each station was responsible for it's own transmission; even though most carried on with the IBA's old transmission arm: NTL, they didn't have to

Quote:
Whilst there's no DBS franchise anymore, Ofcom still license any channel which broadcasts from the UK, regardless of whether the UK is the intended audience.

Absolutely, that's one of the ways it's changed. Back when BSB launched Sky was on air without any UK license.
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 6 June 2012 12:51am
JA
JAS84
At what point did BSB decide to launch a sports channel? Would this have been before or after that Sky announced their intention to do the same?
Definitely before. Sky Sports is actually a renamed BSB The Sports Channel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Sports
MI
Michael
JAS84 posted:
At what point did BSB decide to launch a sports channel? Would this have been before or after that Sky announced their intention to do the same?
Definitely before. Sky Sports is actually a renamed BSB The Sports Channel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Sports


Yes we know, thank you. What Isonstine means is, was the decision of Sky Television to launch with Eurosport as part of their package the catalyst for BSB to create their own sports channel off their own bat? There's nothing in that Wiki article to suggest when BSB The Sports Channel was created.
IS
Inspector Sands
Yes we know, thank you. What Isonstine means is, was the decision of Sky Television to launch with Eurosport as part of their package the catalyst for BSB to create their own sports channel off their own bat? There's nothing in that Wiki article to suggest when BSB The Sports Channel was created.

I know that they gained a channel between being awarded the franchise and launch (or 2, I thought it was originally meant to be just 3 channels) so maybe part of the decision was because they had another slot to fill
:-(
A former member
Silly question but if iba only give out one franchise how did sky get allowed to start selling its boxes and services in the UK?
GO
gottago
Silly question but if iba only give out one franchise how did sky get allowed to start selling its boxes and services in the UK?


It was a franchise contest for the British Marcopolo satellite. Sky used Astra based in Luxembourg.
:-(
A former member
Iba could outlawed the sale of the boxes and dishes in UK?

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