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+--- Thread: Early cable exclusive channels (/showthread.php?tid=1297)
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Early cable exclusive channels - Love 90s - 29-07-2022
When cable was trying to complete with Sky, it had channels like L!VE TV, Travel Channel, Performance, Carlton Select, Carlton Food Network, The Box, Channel One, HVC and AsiaNet and 24 hour versions of The Sci Fi Channel, EBN and CMT Europe.
The plan was for Mirror Group to turn Wire TV into L!VE TV and SportsWire, but cable locked into a agreement with Sky and SportsWire channel was shelved, putting cable in cold leaving Mirror with just L!VE TV.
My memories with L!VE TV that I started watching regularly when was channel hopping and I saw a bowling show Pin Money. That was the reasons I've started watching the channel, they took Pin Money off air shortly after that. With L!VE, all was dandy until NTL took over and shut it down.
Discounting HD channels there no cable exclusive channels anymore.
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - Markymark - 29-07-2022
BBC News 24 spent its first year as cable exclusive (Apart from overnight on BBC 1)
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - Aplus1 - 29-07-2022
Cable Jukebox - the cable version of the Lifestyle Satellite Jukebox.
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - James2001 - 29-07-2022
Don't think The Box was entirely cable only, I think it was broadcast during the downtime of Granada Plus. Though as each cable company did have their own "version" of The Box, you could argue each individual version was cable only, even after Sky digital launched.
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - RR - 29-07-2022
I'm not sure that cable locked into an agreement with Sky. Two things happened:
1 - Sky became by far the largest platform;
2 - Cable, which started off as regional franchises - gradually merged, and so there was just one national set of channels- but that took a decade or more.
These meant that any channel wanting size, and hence advertising revenue - gravitated to satellite.
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - Steve in Pudsey - 29-07-2022
I remember the period when TCC was cable exclusive and the generally awful backtiming of this into the handover to Challenge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMP6vOdaIBI
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - Aplus1 - 29-07-2022
(29-07-2022, 07:23 PM)James2001 Wrote: Don't think The Box was entirely cable only, I think it was broadcast during the downtime of Granada Plus. Though as each cable company did have their own "version" of The Box, you could argue each individual version was cable only, even after Sky digital launched.
After Cable Jukebox closed down with the rest of the WHSTV channels in 1993, a number of cable operators picked up The Box instead, so it was cable exclusive for several years before a national version eventually turned up on satellite. (That wasn't until quite some time later - I want to say 1998?)
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - Worzel - 29-07-2022
CMT, Country Music Television, until they pulled out of Europe.
There were a few local TV channels on channel 8 as well, including (Cambridge) redTV.
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - RegularCapital - 29-07-2022
One advantage analogue cable had over satellite was the carriage of the terrestrial PSBs with perfect tuning (including Channel 5 in areas where it couldn't be received at the time via an aerial, however it was on Satellite), so there was no need for an aerial at all.
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - Spencer - 30-07-2022
I had Cable & Wireless in Leeds in the late 90s. I remember they had a Local Channel.
I think each of their different areas had one, but all presented from the same studio with the same presenters, but with local features inserted. The presenters were mostly rather wooden with the notable exception of Adrian Dickson who was very good, and of course went on to be on CBBC.
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - Steve in Pudsey - 30-07-2022
Originally the C&W Leeds local channel was a glorified (or possibly actual) Powerpoint with Radio Aire playing alongside it.
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - i.h - 30-07-2022
don't forget Front Row, which seemed to be a competitor to Sky Box Office.
As I was a rural bumpkin with either terrestrial or Sky I have no idea why there were two systems, but videos indicate some cable cos had a deal with Sky for SBO and others had Front Row.
Swindon had a local channel too, again I only know it from youtube clips but it seemed to last until the NTL era at least.
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - Spencer - 30-07-2022
(30-07-2022, 01:02 PM)Steve in Pudsey Wrote: Originally the C&W Leeds local channel was a glorified (or possibly actual) Powerpoint with Radio Aire playing alongside it.
I understand the cable provider in Bradford (Telewest?) had a local channel too which was presented from a makeshift studio in the back of a clothes shop in Headingley.
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - Stuart - 30-07-2022
(30-07-2022, 01:45 PM)Spencer Wrote: I understand the cable provider in Bradford (Telewest?) had a local channel too which was presented from a makeshift studio in the back of a clothes shop in Headingley.
Oh, Spencer. Surely you jest . . .
RE: Early cable exclusive channels - nwtv2003 - 30-07-2022
(30-07-2022, 01:09 PM)i.h Wrote: don't forget Front Row, which seemed to be a competitor to Sky Box Office.
As I was a rural bumpkin with either terrestrial or Sky I have no idea why there were two systems, but videos indicate some cable cos had a deal with Sky for SBO and others had Front Row.
Swindon had a local channel too, again I only know it from youtube clips but it seemed to last until the NTL era at least.
https://youtu.be/gBKmOOKioEk
Basically this clip from EBN’s Media Report suggests that Front Row was created by means of several cable companies coming together for a Movie Pay Per View service on the basis that they took more of a cut of the profits than if they were to relay Sky Box Office, which Cable & Wireless did. I was in a CWC area which then got absorbed into NTL, so we got to see both Sky Box Office and Front Row. (Not at the same time of course.)
We did have a local channel on cable, which was originally called NCTV, which stood for NYNEX Community TV. It stood the test of time and lasted into the digital era, but by this time it was just called the Local Channel, which had a budget of about 50p.