Tomorrows World - Astra and BSB

Yes, there was, but I don't think WH Smith owned it. Music Box launched in March 1984 along with The Entertainment Network and ScreenSport, a few months after Sky Channel which had become available to UK subscribers in January.

I'm not certain, but it appears Music Box was a merger between two competing projects from Thorn EMI and Virgin/Yorkshire. Thorn EMI owned 50%, Virgin 45% and Yorkshire 5% until 1985 or 1986 when EMI stepped out of the venture and Virgin took a majority 60% share, Yorkshire increased to 20% and Granada stepped in as a new shareholder with 20%. That changed again once Music Box morphed into Super Channel.

WHSTV operated Lifestyle Jukebox which was a music request channel broadcast after Lifestyle's usual hours.

Quite clearly they were very hesitant to mention Sky - there was only one very hesitant mention of the company's name in the entire feature, with all other references being to "Astra". Wheras BSB was mentioned throughout and the name of the satellite "Marco Polo" not mentioned at all.

Well apart from BSB being the official satellite broadcaster, their system and the channels were all 'BSB'. As she says the channels on Astra were (and still are) from several different companies - not just Sky and WHS but MTV as well. I suppose at that early stage Sky hadn't yet got the dominant position they has a few years later so they had no need to single them out