Analogue Satellite TV in the United Kingdom

Direct-to-Home satellite broadcasting was very much in vogue when it first arrived in the UK in the 1980s. It began with a competition between BSB and Sky Television. Both broadcasters were eager to occupy the lucrative market niche. They used different technologies to do so. The PAL format was already widely available in the country at that time. It was the one Sky used to broadcast its satellite programming in conjunction with the Astra 19.2°E Pan-European cluster of satellites. Meanwhile, BSB went for D-MAC carrier modulation designed by IBA (Independent Broadcasting Authority). Sky supplied 80CM to their viewers. BSB tried to market a diamond-shaped flat Satellite antenna which was considerably smaller. It became the heart of their advertising campaign. The competition seemed to be a fierce one and would have made for some interesting TV history. In an anti-climactic turn of events, however, just six months after launching the respective services, Sky and BSB merged under the umbrella of British Sky Broadcasting. At that time they moved all Satellite TV viewers to the Astra and PAL system. The pros of that move were that it was a much cheaper alternative. At the same time, however, it turned out to be much inferior to the D-MAC system.

At that time, some of the analogue Satellite TV channels were paid. However, viewers who had the necessary equipment were able to enjoy quite a few free alternatives as well. Even if you chose not to pay for the additional packages, you were still able to enjoy the following programs: BBC News, British Eurosport, Cartoon Network, CNBC, CNN, Discovery Channel, Discovery Home & Leisure, Universal Channel, Movies 24, MTV, Film4, QVC and Yesterday.

That made satellite TV quite an attractive option for many people. The technology was accessible, considerably cheaper than cable, and covered the entire territory of the country. What was not to love?

The close of the 1990s came with indications that analogue satellite signals will soon become a thing of the past. BSkyB launched its first digital satellite service in October 1998. The digital signal allowed the broadcasting of many more channels. At the same time, it required a much smaller dish to receive the signal, which was of far superior quality as well. So it was only a matter of time before Sky decided to completely switch off their analogue service in June 2001. Some of the channels that were included in the analogue package – CNN and CNBC Europe in particular, continued broadcasting in the analogue format sometime after that. The last three analogue TV channels – Sky Premier, Sky One, and Sky Sports 2, were switched off at midnight on 27 September 2001.

British viewers who had the equipment used to receive analogue satellite signal at home were still able to use it for ten more years. The Sky analog equipment was able to pick up German channels until 30 April 2012, when these were officially shut down as well. A hobbyist movement developed across the UK. Some people who were fascinated by the now obsolete technology were buying and modifying old receivers and decoders. They used them to receive free TV broadcasts from across Europe.

Unfortunately, today there are no longer open satellite TV channels. The old pieces of equipment are now suitable only for private collections and museum pieces. The direct alternative to the old analogue satellite TV is the digital satellite TV package offered by Sky. Cable and in recent years – Internet streaming, are probably the most popular ways for viewers to watch TV in 2023.