Rediffusion Starview was an early premium
cable television
Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...
channel in the United Kingdom, operated by
Rediffusion
Rediffusion was a business that distributed radio and TV signals through wired relay networks. The business gave rise to a number of other companies, including Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, the first ITV (commercia ...
.
History
Operation
The
Home Office had granted several experimental licenses to broadcast
subscription television
Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, but ...
services, of which Rediffusion also received licenses for five different areas –
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
,
Hull,
Pontypridd
() (colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Geography
comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng (Trallwn) and Treforest (). The ...
,
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
and
Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Roc ...
.
Starview was the first of these services launched on 9 September 1981, with its first showing of ''
The Sea Wolves
''The Sea Wolves'' is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. The film, which is based on the 1978 book ''Boarding Party'' by James Leasor, is a fictionalised account of Operation Creek during the Second World War. ...
'' which had been only for cinema release
a year earlier. The subscription cost varied from several towns – £8 in Hull and £12 in Reading – were available around 22,000 homes served by Rediffusion's cable service, although it is illegal to copy this film onto
domestic recorders (such as
VHS,
Betamax
Betamax (also known as Beta, as in its logo) is a consumer-level analog recording and cassette format of magnetic tape for video, commonly known as a video cassette recorder. It was developed by Sony and was released in Japan on May 10, 1975, ...
and
Video 2000
Video 2000 (also known as V2000, with the tape standard Video Compact Cassette, or VCC) is a consumer videocassette system and analogue recording standard developed by Philips and Grundig to compete with JVC's VHS and Sony's Betamax video techn ...
) by preventing
piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
. Schedules for weekdays consisted of two daily slots (7.00pm and 9.00pm) with Fridays and Saturdays also featuring an 11.00pm slot for
X-rated films, whilst Sundays offered a
matinée
In the performing arts, film exhibition, and other forms of entertainment, a matinée is a performance or exhibition in the afternoon (or occasionally earlier), as distinguished from the evening.
Matinée may also refer to:
* ''Matinée'' (album) ...
showing at 5.00pm,
as well as non-movie content for special events which include
Rod Stewart
Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...
's ''
Tonight I'm Yours
''Tonight I'm Yours'' is the eleventh studio album by Rod Stewart released in 1981. It features hints of classic rock, pop and new wave. The album had three hit singles, with the title track " Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me)" (US ''Billboar ...
'' concert was broadcast on 1 January 1982.
Other early British cable television services started around the same time during 1981 were: Showcable (Visionhire/
BBC Enterprises #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the ...
) on 15 October, and Cinematel (
Radio Rentals
Radio Rentals was formed in 1930Radio Rentals Staff Handbook in Brighton, Sussex, UK to rent out radio sets by Percy Perring-Thoms with a turnover in the first year of £780 (). It later offered televisions and ultimately video recorders for re ...
/
Thorn EMI
Thorn(s) or The Thorn(s) may refer to:
Botany
* Thorns, spines, and prickles, sharp structures on plants
* ''Crataegus monogyna'', or common hawthorn, a plant species
Comics and literature
* Rose and Thorn, the two personalities of two DC Comic ...
) on 6 November.
Demise
Starview struggled to make a huge impact where the channel only had a 10% uptake was dropped by five remaining towns, with
The Entertainment Network replacing it on the Rediffusion cable service from 29 March 1984.
See also
*
Timeline of cable television in the United Kingdom
This is a timeline of cable television in the United Kingdom.
The first part of the timeline covers the development of cable across the country, including details of the cable-exclusive channels which launched in the 1990s as part of cable telev ...
*
List of former TV channels in the United Kingdom
This is a list of former TV channels in the United Kingdom.
Electronic program guide, EPG numbers are displayed in the columns to the left under the relevant service names.
Analogue
Digital
Year
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
200 ...
*
Sky Cinema
Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema on ...
(formerly Sky Movies)
*
The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel (TMC) is an American premium television network owned by Showtime Networks, a subsidiary of Paramount Global operated through its Media Networks unit. The network's programming mainly features first-run theatrically released ...
*
Carlton Cinema
*
Film4
Film4 is a British free-to-air television network owned by Channel Four Television Corporation launched on 1 November 1998, devoted to broadcasting films. While its standard-definition channel is available on Freeview and Freesat platforms, it ...
References
External links
Rediffusion Hull Starview Rediffusion.info
{{Original UK satellite channels
Defunct British television channels
Television channels and stations established in 1981
Television channels and stations disestablished in 1984
Movie channels in the United Kingdom
1980s in the United Kingdom
1980s in British television
History of television in the United Kingdom