Sky Movies is the collective name for the premium subscription television movie channels operated by Sky Television, and later British Sky Broadcasting. It has around 5 million subscribers, via satellite, cable and IPTV in the UK and Ireland.^[1] In addition to the television channels, it has an interactive 'red button' service, a website (sky.com/movies) and in 2005 launched a 3G mobile service via Vodafone. Sky Movies is said^{[by whom?]} to be the largest television movie service in the world.^{[citation needed]}

Sky Movies channels[link]

The current Sky Movies channels are Sky Movies Action, Sky Movies Classics, Sky Movies Comedy, Sky Movies Drama & Romance, Sky Movies Family, Sky Movies Indie, Sky Movies Modern Greats, Sky Movies Premiere, Sky Movies Premiere +1, Sky Movies SciFi/Horror, Sky Movies Showcase and Sky Movies Thriller.

All of the channels are available in high-definition with the exception of Sky Movies Premiere +1.

History[link]

1989-2003: Launch and early years[link]

Sky Movies was originally a single movie channel offered as part of Sky's original 4-channel package on the Astra 1A satellite on 5 February 1989. First showing of the film is Dirty Dancing. Prior to its launch, Sky Movies signed first-run deals with 20th Century-Fox, Warner Bros. Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Orion Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution Co.

After one year of broadcasting free-to-air, in February 1990^[2] it became the first Sky channel to scramble its signal, using a card-encryption system called VideoCrypt which rendered the picture totally obscured to anyone attempting to view it without a decoder and smart card. During 1990, Sky Movies also started broadcasting for 24 hours per day.^[3] The main channel was rebranded as Sky Movies Screen 1 on 1 November 1997.

The Movie Channel[link]

When Sky merged with rival British Satellite Broadcasting it acquired BSB's The Movie Channel, and with the launch of the second Astra satellite (Astra 1B) in 1991 The Movie Channel became part of the Sky package. First showing of the movie is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. During the launch branding, The Movie Channel was used with NBC's Movie intros up until 1993. The channel was closed on 31 October 1997 and replaced with Sky Movies Screen 2 the following day.

Sky Movies Gold[link]

On 1 October 1992, The Comedy Channel is replaced with Sky Movies Gold, a "classic movies" channel was added as a 3-channel Sky Movies package. First showing of the movie is Rocky. In 1997, Sky Movies Gold kept using its name before Sky Cinema was relaunched the following year.

Other dates[link]

On 8 April 1991, music channel The Power Station closed down on BSB's satellite and Sky Movies subsequently launched on that transponder.

The digital era[link]

After a rebrand on 10 September 1998 Sky Movies Screen 2 became Sky Premier, Sky Movies Screen 1, became Sky Moviemax, and Sky Movies Gold was renamed Sky Cinema.

The launch of Sky Digital from the new Astra 28.2°E satellite position in October 1998 was accompanied by a dramatic expansion of channels. Sky Premier 2 through 4, Sky Moviemax 2 through 5 and Sky Cinema 2, along with Sky Premier Widescreen – at the time, the only channel devoted to showing widescreen movies, were all launched exclusively on digital satellite.

On 1 July 2002 saw yet another re-branding exercise. The Sky Premier channels were renamed Sky Movies Premier, the Sky Moviemax channels became Sky Movies Max, and the Sky Cinema channels became Sky Movies Cinema.

Eventually in June 2003 Sky listened to demands for more widescreen movies. The Sky Movies Premier Widescreen channel was closed and the majority of films on the remaining channels were shown in widescreen.

2003-2007: Rebrand[link]

On 1 November 2003, the Sky Movies Premier and Sky Movies Max channels were all brought under one banner as Sky Movies 1 through 9. At the same time, Sky Movies Cinema 1 and 2 became Sky Cinema 1 and 2.

From 30 January 2006, Sky Movies 9 and the new Sky Movies 10 started broadcasting from 5 pm to 3 am. They were PIN-protected, meaning that for the first time 15 rated films were able to be shown as early as 5 pm. With the launch of Sky HD, the two channels were also available in a high definition format.

2007-present: Sky Movies goes categorised[link]

From 4 April 2007, Sky Movies channels were revamped with each channel covering a different genre. Sky Cinema 1 and 2 merged to become Sky Movies Classics.^[4] The names of the new channels became, Sky Movies Premiere, Sky Movies Premiere +1, Sky Movies Comedy, Sky Movies Action & Thriller, Sky Movies Family, Sky Movies Drama, Sky Movies Classics, Sky Movies Sci-Fi & Horror, Sky Movies Modern Greats, Sky Movies Indie, Sky Movies HD1 and Sky Movies HD2. Three of the HD channels have launched already before the other.

Sky Movies also got a new logo, where the V is supposed to be from searchlights, similar to the searchlights used by Fox (which is also owned by Sky's parent company, Newscorp). The new idents for the channels were also based on the searchlight theme.

Sky later made Sky Movies HD1 and HD2 available to subscribers without HDTV equipment through two channels simulcasting the same content in SDTV format. These channels were known as Sky Movies SD1 and SD2. These channels were renamed Sky Movies Screen 1 and Screen 2 in February 2008. The HDTV channels were renamed Sky Movies Screen 1 HD and Screen 2 HD accordingly.^[5]

As of 20 March 2008 an additional high definition movie channel called Sky Movies Premiere HD which is a high definition simulcast version of the current Sky Movies Premiere channel was added after many requests for the channel from Sky HD subscribers.

Sky also announced that in October 2008, they would launch six new high-definition simulcast channels called Sky Movies Action/Thriller HD, Sky Movies Sci-Fi/Horror HD, Sky Movies Drama HD, Sky Movies Modern Greats HD, Sky Movies Family HD and Sky Movies Comedy HD.^[6] This means that almost all Sky Movies channels are broadcast in both standard- and high-definition, except for Sky Movies Premiere +1, Sky Movies Classics and Sky Movies Indie which remained standard-definition only until Sky Movies Indie HD launched on 26 October 2009.^[7][8]

During December 2009, Sky Movies Screen 2 was temporarily rebranded as Sky Movies Christmas Channel, showing Christmas-themed movies and "box sets" of entire movie franchises.^[9] On 1 December 2010, Sky Movies Showcase and Sky Movies Showcase HD was temporarily rebranded Sky Movies Christmas Channel and Sky Movies Christmas Channel HD, this was repeated in 2011.

On 1 January 2010, Sky Movies changed its logo to match with the new Sky logo. The new logo no longer has the searchlight "v".

On 26 March 2010, a new Sky Movies Showcase channel replaced Sky Movies Screen 1, carrying box sets, collections and seasons. Sky Movies also reshuffled its bouquet of ten channels to achieve greater "clarity" for subscribers. The changes included Sky Movies Action & Thriller becoming Sky Movies Action & Adventure, Sky Movies Drama becoming Sky Movies Drama & Romance and Sky Movies Screen 2 becoming Sky Movies Crime & Thriller.^[10]

The Sky Movies HD channels launched on the Virgin Media platform on 2 August 2010.^[11]

Sky Movies Classics HD launched on 9 August 2010, exclusively on Sky.^[12] The channel was added to Virgin Media on 4 October 2011.

On 1 February 2011, Sky Movies was given a new look with a bold new theme tune. It coincided with a number of changes to the Sky network that day.

Smallworld Cable added the Sky Movies HD channels to their line-up in the first quarter of 2012.^[13]

Advertising and promotion[link]

All of the Sky Movies channels have always carried commercials between movies, although the movies themselves are uninterrupted. Additionally some strands and seasons are sponsored. All advertising for Sky Movies (traditional & interactive ads, sponsorship, online) are handled by Sky Media – the advertising sales part of BSkyB.

Sky Movies regularly sponsors the theatrical premieres of major film titles – such as Shrek 2, The Incredibles, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

A brief experiment with small on-screen logos in the early 1990s caused a storm of protest, and so movies are now shown logo-free although the channels use logos over feature programmes like movie Top Tens.

Sky Movies is part of a "Rate Card" within the UK and BSkyB must supply other TV operators (such as Virgin Media) if they agree to pay a price set down by Sky.

Original production[link]

Sky Movies has a dedicated production team that produces over 100 hours of original film-related programming each year – including Sky Movies News (a half hour weekly film release round-up), and UK/US Top Tens. In addition, Sky's close relationships with the Film Studios means it regularly gets exclusive access on-set and to talent for one-off 'making-of's', talent-based programming etc.

In 1998, Elisabeth Murdoch (who was Sky's director of channels and services at the time) advocated Sky setting up a film funding and production unit (similar to BBC Films and Film4 Productions). The result was Sky Pictures, which existed in order to invest in both low-budget and mainstream British films. However, following a lack of success and her decision to leave Sky and set up her own production company, Shine, the unit was scaled back and closed in 2001.

PIN protection[link]

PIN protection of some films was brought in on 30 January 2006 to increase the range of films available to customers during the daytime.

Viewers are prompted for a PIN when trying to watch a programme rated 15 before 20:00, and when trying to watch a programme rated 18 before 22:00. This must be done live, so an unattended video recording will fail, or with Sky+ the PIN will need to be entered when watching the recording.

A Sky system has a 4 digit PIN code. The default Sky PIN code is the last four digits of the Sky viewing card. However, there are some disadvantages in the PIN system used; for example, a parent could give a 15 year old the PIN in order for them to watch a programme rated 15, not realising that it also lets them watch programmes rated 18.^{[citation needed]} This is because the PIN controls on Sky cannot be set to only activate temporarily when watching programmes of a lower rating but still restrictive.

A similar system is used when watching the Sky Movies channels through Virgin Media's cable TV service.

Logos[link]

This section includes brandings of all of the three Sky Movies channels and sub-channels until 3 April 2007.

1st Sky Movies channel[link]

Brandings were:

• Sky Movies (5 February 1989 until 31 October 1997)
• Sky Movies Screen 1 (1 November 1997 until 9 September 1998)
• Sky Moviemax (10 September 1998 until 30 June 2002, 4 multiplex channels)
• Sky Movies Max (1 July 2002 until 31 October 2003, 4 multiplex channels)
• Sky Movies 1 through 9 (1 November 2003 until 3 April 2007, merged with 2nd Sky Movies channel)

2nd Sky Movies channel (Premier branding)[link]

Brandings were:

• The Movie Channel (25 March 1990 until 31 October 1997)
• Sky Movies Screen 2 (1 November 1997 until 9 September 1998)
• Sky Premier (10 September 1998 until 30 June 2002, 4 multiplex channels)
• Sky Movies Premier (1 July 2002 until 31 October 2003, 4 multiplex channels)
• Sky Movies 1 through 9 (1 November 2003 until 3 April 2007, merged with 1st Sky Movies channel)

3rd Sky Movies channel (Cinema branding)[link]

Brandings were:

• Sky Movies Gold (1 October 1992 until 9 September 1998)
• Sky Cinema (10 September 1998 until 30 June 2002, 2 multiplex channels)
• Sky Movies Cinema (1 July 2002 until 31 October 2003, 2 multiplex channels)
• Sky Cinema (1 November 2003 until 3 April 2007, 2 multiplex channels)

Voice-overs[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• skymovies.com

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