It might not feel like it was 20 years ago that Skys TV channels became available to the British public, but Thursday the 5th of February 2009 marked the 20th birthday of Sky TV. In a world where 24hr programming is now common place, its incredible to look back and remember that British TV in 1989 consisted of just four terrestrial channels, most of which closed down around midnight.
Thats not to say that SKY was an instant success. Its requirement for a satellite dish and expensive box certainly put off most from initially signing up for this new TV service. However, one thing Sky has managed to do over the years is turn to innovation in its products and programming, helping them achieve widespread acceptance in todays entertainment world. And probably the biggest draw right from the start has been a unique stance in covering live sports programming. You only have to look at the archives of how the BBC and ITV covered football to see the unique steps Sky took in changing how we watch the beautiful game. Multi camera coverage, super slow motion replays and in 1999 they introduced the first ever interactive football coverage. But it doesnt just stop there, who would have imagined that a 24hr news channel would be needed in our country back in 1989? Not many people thought so, but Sky News has for the last 20 years been the forerunner in Europe for instant news coverage and innovation. They won the first of their 21 RTS awards way back in 1993 and have continued to offer unique ways to get up to date with the latest headlines. The organisation won 3 Bafta awards in 2002, one for its coverage of the harrowing 9/11 tragedy.
Readers may wonder what the big deal is about a pay TV organisation reaching its 20th birthday, and if it was just a pay TV channel we would probably agree. However, as AV fans we think it is a very important milestone and nobody can deny that SKY have pushed the TV boundaries over the last 20 years. From interactive features to Sky Plus and now High Definition and possibly 3D TV very soon. It has been down to one TV Company that these services become widespread and accepted by the public at large. With 31 HD services now running and more planned along with its continued sports and entertainment productions, Sky havent just taken the subscription money and run. In terms of Audio visual technology the company are undeniably pushing the boundaries for viewers to experience new and exciting products and programming, with the others left to catch up.
Whether you are a fan of SKY TV or not, we certainly feel you cannot deny the fact that they have helped develop the way TV is delivered and watched by up to 9 million households. The fact that the organisation is pushing HDTV in a way the terrestrial channels could never have managed and offering glimpses of future technology yet to come, you cannot say that SKY are not investing in a better service for viewers.
We dont normally take much notice at TV organisations reaching a birthday like this, but AVForums certainly feels that SKY have, for better or worse, been a driving force behind TV change in the UK and helped push much of the technology us AV Fans now enjoy today.
Happy Birthday Sky from everyone at AVForums.com
Look back at SKY TV from the past and on to the future at their new website Sky 20 years on...
Thats not to say that SKY was an instant success. Its requirement for a satellite dish and expensive box certainly put off most from initially signing up for this new TV service. However, one thing Sky has managed to do over the years is turn to innovation in its products and programming, helping them achieve widespread acceptance in todays entertainment world. And probably the biggest draw right from the start has been a unique stance in covering live sports programming. You only have to look at the archives of how the BBC and ITV covered football to see the unique steps Sky took in changing how we watch the beautiful game. Multi camera coverage, super slow motion replays and in 1999 they introduced the first ever interactive football coverage. But it doesnt just stop there, who would have imagined that a 24hr news channel would be needed in our country back in 1989? Not many people thought so, but Sky News has for the last 20 years been the forerunner in Europe for instant news coverage and innovation. They won the first of their 21 RTS awards way back in 1993 and have continued to offer unique ways to get up to date with the latest headlines. The organisation won 3 Bafta awards in 2002, one for its coverage of the harrowing 9/11 tragedy.
Readers may wonder what the big deal is about a pay TV organisation reaching its 20th birthday, and if it was just a pay TV channel we would probably agree. However, as AV fans we think it is a very important milestone and nobody can deny that SKY have pushed the TV boundaries over the last 20 years. From interactive features to Sky Plus and now High Definition and possibly 3D TV very soon. It has been down to one TV Company that these services become widespread and accepted by the public at large. With 31 HD services now running and more planned along with its continued sports and entertainment productions, Sky havent just taken the subscription money and run. In terms of Audio visual technology the company are undeniably pushing the boundaries for viewers to experience new and exciting products and programming, with the others left to catch up.
Whether you are a fan of SKY TV or not, we certainly feel you cannot deny the fact that they have helped develop the way TV is delivered and watched by up to 9 million households. The fact that the organisation is pushing HDTV in a way the terrestrial channels could never have managed and offering glimpses of future technology yet to come, you cannot say that SKY are not investing in a better service for viewers.
We dont normally take much notice at TV organisations reaching a birthday like this, but AVForums certainly feels that SKY have, for better or worse, been a driving force behind TV change in the UK and helped push much of the technology us AV Fans now enjoy today.
Happy Birthday Sky from everyone at AVForums.com
Look back at SKY TV from the past and on to the future at their new website Sky 20 years on...
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