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Sky TV's 30th anniversary in 2019

Less than two years to go (August 2017)

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VM
VMPhil

BBC Three launched in 2003, but the channel launched in 1998 as BBC Choice, but you wouldn't say that BBC Three is going to be 20 next year just because the channel was launched in 1998 under a different name.

That's an interesting one because the original BBC Choice effectively died in 2000/2001 when Stuart Murphy took over and the early, more ramshackle stuff like The RDA and Backstage ended, and shows that were intended for BBC Three like 60 Seconds and Liquid News began. If you want an exact date you could look to 3 April 2000 when both Choice and Knowledge got radically revamped schedules, though stuff like The RDA still lasted through to 2001.


Off-topic but it's incredible to think that when digital television started, national variations of BBC Two were, at least initially, forgone in favour of national variations of BBC Choice.
RD
rdd Founding member
In many ways it (Sky One) was similar in that the programming change came before the name change. As I say it remained Sky Channel for several months after the launch of Sky Television, so that when the change to Sky One came (in late June 1989 I think) all that happened was that the word "Channel" was replaced with "One" in substantially the same ident. (Later they redid the ident again, to make it "ONE" in neon, and yet again to add the "British Sky Broadcasting" subtitle, with the same jingle throughout).
JA
JAS84
They had four ident variations in the space of a year, yeah.
****
:-(
A former member
when did the second look come into effect?


First one: 5th February 1989
Third one: 30th July 89
ST
Stuart
During the mid 1990s, Sky used to change their idents almost on an annual basis. It was interesting times. Very Happy
RD
rdd Founding member
I don't recall the original ident (with the pan across the Sky logo) lasting very long - maybe little more than three months or so. It was replaced with the form up version quite early. A lot of Sky presentation in the 1989-93 period was chopped and changed like that, until the big relaunch on 1st September 1993.
NP
NovaProdTV
Is far as I recall, the fourth "blocky One" logo came in around the time of the merger with BSB to form British Sky Broadcasting. The previous "brush font One" logo was certainly being used at the same time as BSB were promoting Galaxy in the press during 1990, but the blocky One was in use when Galaxy finally was absorbed into Sky One and became available on the Marcopolo satellite.
RD
rdd Founding member
It was certainly in by the time of the merger, because the last logo of the 1989-93 period was that logo with the "British Sky Broadcasting" legend added (as it was to all of Sky's idents until September 1993).

But I have a feeling the logo wasn't adopted simultaneous with the merger (ie December 1990) but a good bit before.
JA
JAS84
It was some time after The Simpsons launched, if that helps narrow it down?
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RD
rdd Founding member
Actually it does, the Simpsons debuted in September 1990, while we know the neon logo debuted no later than 2nd December, the day after Galaxy closed. That actually strongly points to it having been introduced on 2nd December 1990, at the same time the BSkyB subtitle was added.

Either way, there were no more changes to the Sky One ident after that, until 1st September 1993.

12 days later

:-(
A former member
It seems it was even later that Sept 90. Date: 29th October 1990

Last edited by A former member on 4 September 2017 8:51pm

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