History
Origins
The present service can trace its heritage back to 1990, when BSkyB's predecessors Sky Television andPremier League football
In the autumn of 1991, talks were held for the broadcast rights forSky Multichannels
In September 1993, BSkyB launchedLaunch of Sky Digital
BSkyB's digital service was officially launched on 1 October 1998 under the name Sky Digital, although small-scale tests were carried out before then. At this time the use of the Sky Digital brand made an important distinction between the new service and Sky's analogue services. Key selling points were the improvement in picture and sound quality, increased number of channels and an interactive service branded Open...., later called2010s
Sky's direct-to-home satellite service became available in 10 million homes in 2010, Europe's first pay-TV platform to achieve that milestone. Confirming it had reached its target, the broadcaster said its reach into 36% of households in the UK represented an audience of more than 25m people. The target was first announced in August 2004, and since then an additional 2.4m customers had subscribed to Sky's direct-to-home service. Media commentators had debated whether the figure could be reached as the growth in subscriber numbers elsewhere in Europe flattened. In December, the UK's parliament heard a claim that a subscription to Sky was 'often damaging' to welfare recipients, along with alcohol, tobacco and gambling.2020s
On 17 September 2020, Sky Arts became the first premium Sky channel to become available on the free to air terrestrial Freeview service, joining Sky News and a couple of channels which trace their linage back toServices
Digital terrestrial television
Sky initially faced competition from theVideo on demand
Sky initially faced increased competition from telecommunications providers to deliver pay television services over existing telephone lines usingSky Go
Sky Go is provided free of charge for Sky (satellite TV) subscribers and allows them to watch channels live and on-demand through an internet connection on a computer or mobile device. On 29 May 2009, it was confirmed thatSky Broadband
On 1 March 2013, it was announced that Sky would buy O2's and Be's broadband services fromSky Mobile
On 21 October 2016, it was announced that public pre-registration for Sky's new mobile network, Sky Mobile, would take place from 31 October 2016. The network will operate as a FullSky Talk
Sky Talk is a fixed-line telephone service, with options for pay-as-you-go or bundled call minutes.Sky Store
Sky Store has a library of films from Sky Cinema that can be rented or bought, either via an app or physical DVD/Blu-ray copies by post. Sky Store is available on Sky Q boxes as well as through apps on devices such as computers and mobile devices. It is available to anyone with a compatible device and does not require a Sky TV subscription.NOW
An over-the-top contract-free television service from Sky. The service is provided on a NOW device or through an app on selected computers, mobile devices, set-top boxes and smart TVs. NOW is separate from the core Sky TV service.Products
Sky Digibox
Sky launched with a set-top box known as the Sky Digibox, using the Slogans ''"What do you want to watch?", "Entertainment your way"'' and the current slogan ''"Believe in Better"''.''Believe in Better''Sky+
Sky initially charged an additional subscription fee for using a Sky+ PVR with their service; waiving the charge for subscribers whose package included two or more premium channels. This changed as of 1 July 2007, and now customers that subscribe to any Sky package have Sky+ included at no extra charge. Customers that do not subscribe to Sky's channels can still pay a monthly fee to enable Sky+ functions. In September 2007, Sky launched a new TV advertising campaign targeting Sky+ at women. As of 31 March 2008, Sky had 3,393,000 Sky+ users. In January 2010 Sky discontinued the Sky+ Box, limited the standard Sky Box to Multiroom upgrade only and started to issue the Sky+ HD Box as standard, thus giving all new subscribers the functions of Sky+. In February 2011 Sky discontinued the non-HD variant of its Multiroom box, offering a smaller version of the SkyHD box without Sky+ functionality.Sky+ HD
Sky launched itsSky 3D
Sky began to broadcast programmes in 3D in April 2010. This included new 3D channels, including a ''Sky Sports 3D'' and ''Sky Movies 3D''. Sky previously experimented with 3D broadcasting by broadcasting anSky Q
On 18 November 2015, Sky announced4K UHD
The Sky Q 2TB set-top box is capable of receiving and displaying 4K UHD broadcasts. HDR was added on 27 May 2020, alongside the launch of Sky Nature and Sky Documentary channels. The HLG format is to be included in a select number of UHD VoD downloads, starting with Sky Nature before being added to other channel content. UHD broadcasts started on 13 August 2016, with the first live Premier League football match of the 2016/17 season, Hull vs Leicester City. UHD broadcasts are available free of charge to Sky Q 2TB multiscreen customers with any other relevant subscriptions.Sky Glass
On 7 October 2021, Sky announced an in-houseSky Stream
On 27 September 2022, Sky announced a new streaming box called Sky Stream, which launched on 18 October 2022.Television channels
Sky, and its sister companies, operate a number of channels in the UK and Ireland with some being joint ventures with other companies: Entertainment *Marketing
Sky (formerly marketed as Sky Digital) is the brand name for Sky plc's United Kingdom digital satellite television and telecommunications services. Slogans that have been used for marketing include ''"What do you want to watch?", "Entertainment your way"'' and the current slogan ''"Believe in Better"''. Sky has also aired several advertisements featuring characters from Toy Story (franchise), Toy Story for ''Toy Story of Terror!, Toy Story of Terror!'' and ''Toy Story That Time Forgot, Toy Story That Time Forgot'', Minions (film), ''Minions'', Inside Out (2015 film), ''Inside Out'', ''Kung Fu Panda 3'', ''The Secret Life of Pets'', ''The Lego Batman Movie'', ''Despicable Me 3'' and ''Monster Family''.Broadcasting
Transmission
When Sky Digital was launched in 1998 the new service used the Astra 2A satellite which was located at the 28.2°E orbital position, unlike the analogue service which was broadcast from Astra 19.2°E, 19.2°E. This was subsequently followed by more Astra satellites as well as Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 (now Eutelsat 33C) at 28.5°E), enabled the company to launch a new all-digital service, Sky, with the potential to carry hundreds of television and radio channels. The old position was shared with broadcasters from several European countries, while the new position at 28.5°E came to be used almost exclusively for channels that broadcast to the United Kingdom. New Astra satellites joined the position in 2000 and 2001, and the number of channels available to customers increased accordingly. This trend continued with the launch of Eurobird 1 (now Eutelsat 33C) in 2001. Additionally, some channels occasionally received new numbering – However, in early 2006, the majority of channels received new numbering, with some receiving single-digit changes, whilst others received new numbers entirely. It was the country's most popular digital TV service until it was overtaken byLow-noise block converter
Provided is a universal Ku band Low-noise block converter, LNB (9.75/10.600 GHz) which is fitted at the end of the dish and pointed at the correct satellite constellation; most digital receivers will receive the free to air channels. Some broadcasts are free-to-air and unencrypted, some are encrypted but do not require a monthly subscription (known as free-to-view), some are encrypted and require a monthly subscription, and some are pay-per-view services. To view the encrypted content a VideoGuard UK-equipped receiver (all of which are dedicated to the Sky service, and cannot be used to decrypt other services) needs to be used. Unofficial conditional-access module, CAMs are now available to view the service, although the use of them breaks the user's contract with Sky and invalidates the user's rights to use the card.Standard definition broadcasts
Sky's standard definition broadcasts are in Digital Video Broadcasting, DVB-compliant MPEG-2, with theDigital satellite receivers
Sky utilises the VideoGuard pay-TV scrambling system owned by NDS Group, NDS, a Cisco Systems company. There are tight controls over the use of VideoGuard decoders; they are not available as stand-alone Digital Video Broadcasting, DVB CAMs (conditional-access modules). Sky has design authority over all digital satellite receivers capable of receiving their service. The receivers, though designed and built by different manufacturers, must conform to the same user interface look and feel as all the others. This extends to the Personal video recorder (PVR) offering (brandedElectronic programme guide
Technology
Sky maintains an electronic programme guide (EPG) which provides information about upcoming programmes and a list of channels. TV channels available on Sky are assigned a three-digit logical channel number which can be entered on the remote control to access the channel and determines in what order channels are listed. Radio channels similarly receive a four-digit EPG number (0 prefix + three digits). The EPG differs depending on the viewer's location due to the limited regional availability of certain channels or conditions relating to their must-carry status. For example, this ensures that viewers get access to the correct BBC or ITV region or that S4C gets a prominent listing in Wales. All channels are grouped into categories depending on their content. What section of the EPG a channel gets allocated is determined by rules set up by Sky. Sky has no veto over the presence of channels on their EPG, with open access being enforced as part of their operating licence from Ofcom. Any channel which can get carriage on a suitable beam of a satellite at 28° East is entitled to access to Sky's EPG for a fee, ranging from £15–100,000. Third-party channels which opt for encryption receive discounts ranging from reduced price to free EPG entries, free carriage on a Sky leased transponder or actual payment for being carried. However, even in this case, Sky does not carry any control over the channel's content or carriage issues such as picture quality. In October 2007, Sky announced that they would not accept new applications to launch the channel on their EPG, citing "very significant memory constraints" on many of its older digiboxes. In June 2012, Sky launched a new EPG dubbed "Darwin" for their Sky+HD receivers, offering a more modern, refreshed interface and some improved functionality. Newer SkyQ UHD receivers utilise different hardware, so run a different software stack.Numbering system
The EPG numbering is altered frequently when new channels launch or receive new numbers. A few times, the EPG has been substantially altered. For example: *In early 2006, most channels received new numbering. This shake-up was intended to split up the original ten categories into sixteen. For example, several channels that had been listed under the 'Entertainment' category were split off into a new 'Lifestyle & Culture' category while the 'News & Documentaries' category was split into two. The 'Specialist' category, which had included shopping, dating, gambling, and international and adult channels was split into several genres. *Following the integration of Living TV Group into BSkyB, Sky in early 2011, several prominent slots were freed up as many channels were closed down. It was, reported Broadband TV News, the biggest reshuffle in EPG positions for over a decade, with MTV, Comedy Central, Universal Channel, Syfy, News Corporation's FX, and 40 HD channels moving to more prominent places. * Documentaries and other channels moving towards general entertainment programming and many other channel categories are being overspilled into other parts of the EPG. Sky reshuffled the channels again on 1 May 2018 which merged the documentaries and entertainment channels making many documentaries move to more prominent slots which had been occupied by time shift and standard definition channels which had been given their own areas in the 200s and 800s with the 800s being also filled with SD channels from other categories.Competition
On 12 July 2011, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown claimed that Sky's largest shareholder – News Corporation (1980–2013), News Corporation – attempted to affect government policy with regards to the"Mr James Murdoch, which included his cold assertion that profit, not standards were what mattered in the media, underpinned an ever more aggressive News International and Sky agenda under his and Mrs Brooks' leadership that was brutal in its simplicity. Their aim was to cut the BBC licence fee, to force BBC online to charge for its content, for the BBC to sell off its commercial activities, to open up more national sporting events to bids from Sky and move them away from the BBC, to open up the cable and satellite infrastructure market, and to reduce the power of their regulator, Ofcom. I rejected those policies."On 13 July 2011, MP Chris Bryant stated to the House of Commons, in the Parliamentary Debate on the
Hansard: 13 July 2011 – Column 400
"The company has lots of technological innovation that only a robust entrepreneur could bring to British society, but it has also often been profoundly anti-competitive. I believe that the bundling of channels so as to increase profit and make it impossible for others to participate in the market is anti-competitive. I believe that the way in which the application programming interface—the operating system—has been used has been anti-competitive and that Sky has deliberately set about selling set-top boxes elsewhere, outside areas where they have proper rights. If one visits a flat in Spain where a British person lives, one finds that they mysteriously manage to have a Sky box there even though it is registered to a house in the United Kingdom."
Virgin Media dispute
Discovery Networks dispute
On 25 January 2017, Discovery Networks Northern Europe, Discovery Networks announced that they were in a dispute with Sky UK over the costs of payment fees to the broadcaster. The broadcaster threatened to blackout their channels on the Sky platform, which includes Eurosport, Discovery Channel (UK and Ireland), Discovery Channel, TLC (UK and Ireland), TLC, Animal Planet (UK TV channel), Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery Europe, Investigation Discovery, DMAX (UK TV channel), DMAX, Discovery Turbo, Discovery Shed, Discovery Science (European TV channel), Discovery Science, Discovery History and Discovery Home & Health, Home & Health, unless Sky accepted their request for fair pricing. Sky indicated that they will not bow down, and the channels would likely become unavailable from 1 February 2017. The same day, Discovery sent out a press release on the dispute and also blocked access to its own website with the news. Discovery stated ''enough is enough'' and claimed that Sky is paying less for its channels than it was ten years ago. At that time, Discovery had stated that its viewing share has grown by more than 20%. Managing Director Susanna Dinnage stated in the press release:"We believe Sky is using what we consider to be its dominant market position to further its own commercial interest over those of viewers and independent broadcasters. The vitality of independent broadcasters like Discovery and plurality in TV is under threat." In response, Sky stated that they had been "overpaying Discovery for years." It comes after Sky had paid £4.2 billion on Premier League rights for the following three seasons. The channel 'blackout' would have also affected the Sky-owned Now TV (UK and Ireland), NOW TV with the removal of Discovery Channel from both the live stream and On Demand service. On 31 January 2017 at around 21:00, Sky UK revealed that they would continue to broadcast the Discovery Networks Channels by releasing the following statement: "Great news, we can confirm that Sky will continue to carry the Discovery and Eurosport channels. This means you can still watch channels including: Animal Planet, Discovery HD, Discovery History, Discovery Home & Health, Discovery Science, Discovery Shed, Discovery Turbo, DMAX, Eurosport1, Eurosport2, Investigation Discovery, TLC, and Quest." At the time of the statement release, it had not been revealed how much Sky UK had paid Discovery Networks.Litigation
In July 2013, the English High Court of Justice found thatCriticism and controversies
Awards and nominations
See also
*References
External links
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