The Movie Channel (British TV channel)
 Logo as a BSB channel | |
| Ownership | |
|---|---|
| Owner | British Satellite Broadcasting (1990) British Sky Broadcasting (1990–1997) |
| History | |
| Launched | 25 March 1990 |
| Closed | 31 October 1997 |
| Replaced by | Sky Movies Screen 2 |
| Availability (At time of closure) | |
| Satellite | |
| Analogue | Marcopolo 1, 12.0919 |
The Movie Channel was a British television channel, which only aired movies. Launched on BSB, The Movie Channel was a predecessor of some of the Sky Movies channels, having survived the 1990 merger with Sky Television, another satellite service launched by Rupert Murdoch's News International.
History[]
The Movie Channel began in March 1990 as one of the channels of British Satellite Broadcasting, a consortium formed in 1986 by Granada Television, Pearson, Virgin, Anglia Television and Amstrad. The name given to the channel during the bidding process was Screen but ahead of the launch, the name had been changed to The Movie Channel.
Prior to its launch, BSB signed an exclusive first-run deal with UIP Pay TV (which distributed Paramount, Universal and MGM/UA releases). One of its first film premieres was the James Bond film, The Living Daylights, starring Timothy Dalton.[1]
Both BSB and Sky Television suffered heavy losses and merged, operating as the newly formed British Sky Broadcasting. The Movie Channel, along with The Sports Channel, remained on air, and it launched on the Astra 1B satellite on 15 April 1991. The channel changed its name to Sky The Movie Channel, but on air it was still referenced as The Movie Channel. It broadcast under that name until 1997 when it was rebranded as Sky Movies Screen 2.
References[]
- ^ "BSB TV Month" (1). April 1990. Cite journal requires
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External links[]
- Defunct British television channels
- Sky television channels
- Movie channels in the United Kingdom
- Television channels and stations established in 1990
- Television channels and stations disestablished in 1997