History Creator / Sky

It originally launched with only four channels-- Sky Channel (renamed to Sky One by July of 1989), Sky News, Sky Movies, and Eurosport (a channel backed by the EBU to show all the sporting events they had no time to air), broadcasting on the free-to-air Astra satellite platform (though Sky Movies was scrambled after the first year). It beat the government-backed BSB (British Satellite Broadcasting) to air by over a year, and in turn a "[[DuelingWorks satellite war]]" was briefly waged between the two rivals. BSB had hoped people would wait for its' promised high-quality originals and superior technical quality which included the infamous "squarial" receiving dish), but Sky's early launch proved people would be just fine with Sky's populist programming. BSB and Sky wound up heavily bleeding cash and therefore merged to survive in November 1990-- this resulted in the rename to [=BSkyB=]. The healthier advertising contracts, as well as the rights to films and sport, held by BSB were picked up by Sky, which then expanded its' network to five channels (BSB's Movie Channel-- redesigned to fit Sky's slick CGI aesthetic-- and Sky Sports, previously BSB's Sports Channel, were the survivors {Sky sold their stake in Eurosport as a result}; BSB's Galaxy and Now channels [[CompositeCharacter were merged into Sky One and Sky News]]; BSB's music/youth channel, The Power Station, was shuttered in favor of Creator/{{MTV}} Europe, and was replaced by Sky Movies for ex-BSB customers). Sky kept broadcasting over BSB's Marcopolo satellites for a little bit before abandoning the platform in favor of Astra (due to the Marcopolo system's government regulation and lack of channel expansion).

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** Sky Cinema (formerly Sky Movies, split into channels based on specific genres, as well as the occasional temporary channel dedicated to a specific franchise like ''Film/JamesBond'' and ''Film/StarWars''. Airs films uncut and ad-free, and requires the user to enter a customisable PIN, done so it can get around {{Watershed}} restrictions)

** ''Series/{{Supergirl}}''

It originally launched with only four channels-- Sky Channel/One, Sky News, Sky Movies, and Eurosport (a channel backed by the EBU to show all the sporting events they had no time to air), broadcasting on the free-to-air Astra satellite platform (though Sky Movies was scrambled after the first year). It beat the government-backed BSB (British Satellite Broadcasting) to air by over a year, and in turn a "satellite war" was briefly waged between the two rivals. BSB and Sky wound up heavily bleeding cash and therefore merged in November 1990-- this resulted in the rename to [=BSkyB=]. The healthier advertising contracts, as well as the rights to films and sport, were picked up by Sky, which then expanded its' network to five channels (BSB's Movie Channel-- redesigned to fit Sky's slick CGI aesthetic-- and Sky Sports, previously BSB's Sports Channel, were the survivors (Sky sold their stake in Eurosport as a result); BSB's Galaxy and Now channels were merged into Sky One and Sky News; BSB's music/youth channel, The Power Station, was shuttered in favor of Creator/{{MTV}} Europe, and was replaced by Sky Movies for ex-BSB customers). 1993 saw the launch of "Sky Multichannels", which meant that all Sky channels, and not just the sports and film channels, as well as certain channels operated by outside companies, were scrambled and customers would pay subscription fees (this was to ensure only UK viewers received these programs). Over the next few years, Sky opened more channels for movies and sports as Astra launched more satellites. Sky Digital was launched in 1998, offering viewers interactive services and a boatload of new channels; the analogue service was shuttered by 2001. Since then, the service has grown by leaps and bounds, offering DVRs, HDTV and even internet and telephony services to customers. Their most recent innovation is the new "Sky Q" system, which integrates Creator/{{Netflix}} and other streaming services into the guide and menu system, offers 4K resolution, a new touch remote, and boxes that double as Wi-Fi hotspots.

They also operate the "NOW TV" cord-cutting service, which can be used by non-Sky customers and offers different packs of channels, including timed passes where customers can buy channels for a limited time (ie. if there's a big event on Sky Sports). Rebadged, white-colored Roku devices are offered, though you can use your own device if you want to.

Essentially Creator/{{Fox}}'s UK counterpart; during the early years they shared much of the same programming and ''The Simpsons'' is still a part of [=Sky1's=] lineup, while Sky News and Fox News frequently team up to cover global news.

* Sky Witness and [=LivingIt=] (formerly just Living, and Sky Living airs ABC and CBS content)

* Sky Arts (and, for a time, Sky Arts 2) (airing shows about contemporary and classical art)

* ''[[Series/Sally4Ever Sally4Ever]]''

* ''Series/{{Das Boot|2018}}'' (2018)

In the UK, Sky means:

Sky is a subscription satellite TV/cable TV network; originally pan-European until 1989, but now available legally only in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It forms the cornerstone of Sky Television (a British satellite service now known as British Sky Broadcasting) and belongs to UsefulNotes/RupertMurdoch. Essentially Creator/{{Fox}}'s UK counterpart; during the early years they shared much of the same programming and ''The Simpsons'' is still a part of [=Sky1's=] lineup, while Sky News and Fox News frequently team up to cover global news.

* Pick TV (formerly [=Sky3=], one of the network's two free-to-air stations, effectively an advert for a full Sky TV package)

* Sky Arts 1 and 2 (airing shows about contemporary and classical art respectively)
* Sky News (the network's other free-to-air station, and pretty much Murdoch's only TV news network that's impartial)

** Sky Cinema (formerly Sky Movies, split into channels based on specific genres, as well as the occasional temporary channel dedicated to a specific franchise like ''Flim/JamesBond'' and ''Film/StarWars''. Airs films uncut and ad-free, and requires the user to enter a customisable PIN, done so it can get around {{Watershed}} restrictions)

Most of Sky's channels are also carried by cable operators like Virgin. Pick TV and Sky News can also be seen on broadcast (Freeview). The exception is Sky Atlantic, launched as a Sky-exclusive showcase channel, though rumors have swirled about other services carrying it.

* ''Franchise/{{Arrowverse}}''

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}''

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''

** ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow

* Sky Living and [=LivingIt=] (formerly just Living, airs ABC and CBS content)

** ''Film/UnseenAcademicals''

* Pick TV (formerly [=Sky3=], the network's only free-to-air station apart from Sky News, effectively an advert for a full Sky TV package)

* Sky News (pretty much Murdoch's only TV news network that's impartial)
** The Sky Sports and Sky Cinema multipack networks

* A channel for News, several for Sports and lots for Movies

Other Sky-branded TV services are available in Italy and Germany; a similar service is available via both cable and satellite in Australia called Foxtel (up until the 2013 split of Murdoch's entertainment and print assets, they also owned NDS, the people who made the encryption software; hence the services also share similar equipment and on-screen guides). Murdoch also tried a few times to enter the US market; both attempts failed.[[note]] His first attempt was in 1990, with his planned ''Sky Cable'' operation alongside Hughes Electronics, Cablevision Systems and Creator/{{NBC}}. The plan called for a 108-channel service with HDTV capabilities and 12-to-18 inch satellite dishes to be launched by 1993. However, due to NBC and Fox both fearing upset over-the-air affiliates if they were to provide their schedules, cable providers not wanting the operation to carry cable networks, and News Corp's financial drain related to [=BSkyB=] and Murdoch's acquisition of TV Guide, the project was abandoned by early 1991. (Hughes would later launch their own service, [=DirecTV=] in 1994; News Corp. from 2003 to 2006 held a 38% stake of [=DirecTV=], several of [=DirecTV=]'s foreign operations use Sky branding, and [=DirecTV=] also owns some former Fox Sports Networks stations under the branding of Root Sports.) 1996 saw the planned ''American Sky Broadcasting'' or ''[=ASkyB=]'', a joint venture between News Corp. and MCI Communications. At one point, a merger between [=EchoStar=]- owners of Dish Network- and [=ASkyB=] was near completion (with plans calling for Dish Network to be rebranded as Sky), but the merger fell apart for various reasons, including Congressional opposition to [=ASkyB=]'s planned carriage of local TV stations and [=EchoStar=]'s founder Charlie Ergen repeatedly clashing with News Corp. executives. The satellites were sold to [=PrimeStar=] (which had briefly planned to merge with [=ASkyB=], but did not due to the cable operators who owned Primestar unable to come to an agreement), who planned to use the satellites but went out of business shortly after (the assets went to [=DirecTV=]). Meanwhile, the 110-degree orbital slot and the uplink facility in Gilbert, AZ were sold to [=EchoStar=], who would use the orbital slot to launch their new ''Dish 500'' service.[[/note]]

Other Sky-branded TV services are available in Italy and Germany; a similar service is available via both cable and satellite in Australia called Foxtel (up until the 2013 split of Murdoch's entertainment and print assets, they also owned NDS, the people who made the encryption software; hence the services also share similar equipment and on-screen guides). Murdoch also tried a few times to enter the US market; both attempts failed.[[note]] His first attempt was in 1990, with his planned ''Sky Cable'' operation alongside Hughes Electronics, Cablevision Systems and Creator/{{NBC}}. The plan called for a 108-channel service with HDTV capabilities and 12-to-18 inch satellite dishes to be launched by 1993. However, due to NBC and Fox both fearing upset over-the-air affiliates if they were to provide their schedules, cable providers not wanting the operation to carry cable networks, and News Corp's financial drain related to BSkyB and Murdoch's acquisition of TV Guide, the project was abandoned by early 1991. (Hughes would later launch their own service, DirecTV in 1994; News Corp. from 2003 to 2006 held a 38% stake of DirecTV, several of DirecTV's foreign operations use Sky branding, and DirecTV also owns some former Fox Sports Networks stations under the branding of Root Sports.) 1996 saw the planned ''American Sky Broadcasting'' or ''ASkyB'', a joint venture between News Corp. and MCI Communications. At one point, a merger between EchoStar- owners of Dish Network- and ASkyB was near completion (with plans calling for Dish Network to be rebranded as Sky), but the merger fell apart for various reasons, including Congressional opposition to ASkyB's planned carriage of local TV stations and EchoStar's founder Charlie Ergen repeatedly clashing with News Corp. executives. The satellites were sold to PrimeStar (which had briefly planned to merge with ASkyB, but did not due to the cable operators who owned Primestar unable to come to an agreement), who planned to use the satellites but went out of business shortly after (the assets went to [=DirecTV=]). Meanwhile, the 110-degree orbital slot and the uplink facility in Gilbert, AZ were sold to EchoStar, who would use the orbital slot to launch expanded service for their new ''Dish 500'' service.[[/note]]