Sky Scottish
Encyclopedia
Sky Scottish was a short lived satellite television
channel operating on the analogue
Sky TV service for 18 months (between 1 November 1996 and 31 May 1998).
The service was a joint venture between British Sky Broadcasting
and STV owners SMG plc (now STV Group plc), and was aimed at Scots living outside of Scotland who would not otherwise be able to receive Scottish programming such as that transmitted within Scotland by Scottish Television
, Grampian Television
or BBC Scotland
. It broadcast between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm.
The station's main programmes included an extra edition of Scottish Television's regional news programme Scotland Today
and episodes of Take the High Road
from 1994. Celtic F.C.
's 1997 pre-season friendlies were shown on the channel.
Scotsport
was also shown on the channel as well as spin-off show Extra Time. There was also The Football Show presented by Jim Delahunt
and Peter McGuire.
Despite BSkyB and SMG entering into a seven year contract to run the service, Sky Scottish was closed down after just 18 months. Its closure was explained as the channel having failed to meet its financial targets. Reports suggested that only The Ibrox Club Hour and The Celtic Park Hour, programmes relating to Rangers
and Celtic
football clubs, had attracted more than 10,000 viewers.
Speaking about its demise, the managing director of SMG at the time, Donald Emslie, described the service as having "been a valuable learning experience" for his company. SMG's finance director, Gary Hughes, stated that the service had shown "it is very difficult to access a Scottish audience outside Scotland", but also that Scottish audiences wanted more home-grown programmes.
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
channel operating on the analogue
Analog television
Analog television is the analog transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal...
Sky TV service for 18 months (between 1 November 1996 and 31 May 1998).
The service was a joint venture between British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
and STV owners SMG plc (now STV Group plc), and was aimed at Scots living outside of Scotland who would not otherwise be able to receive Scottish programming such as that transmitted within Scotland by Scottish Television
Scottish Television
Scottish Television is Scotland's largest ITV franchisee, and has held the ITV franchise for Central Scotland since 31 August 1957. It is the second oldest ITV franchisee still active...
, Grampian Television
Grampian Television
Grampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North and North East of Scotland. Its coverage area includes the Scottish Highlands , Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee and parts of north Fife...
or BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
. It broadcast between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm.
The station's main programmes included an extra edition of Scottish Television's regional news programme Scotland Today
Scotland Today
Scotland Today was a Scottish regional news programme covering Central Scotland, produced by STV Central . Despite its name suggesting a national remit, the programme was actually limited to stories around STV's Central Belt franchise...
and episodes of Take the High Road
Take the High Road
Take the High Road was a Scottish soap opera produced by Scottish Television, and set in the fictional village of Glendarroch , and claims to have about 2 million fans, including the Queen Mother...
from 1994. Celtic F.C.
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
's 1997 pre-season friendlies were shown on the channel.
Scotsport
Scotsport
Scotsport was a Scottish sports television programme, broadcast on STV in northern and central Scotland, as well as on Border Television in southern Scotland. It was recognised as the world's longest-running sports television magazine....
was also shown on the channel as well as spin-off show Extra Time. There was also The Football Show presented by Jim Delahunt
Jim Delahunt
Jim Delahunt is a Scottish sports television presenter.-Broadcasting career:Delahunt joined Setanta Sports in August 2006 after more than eight years as anchorman of STV's Scotsport, the longest running sports programme in the world...
and Peter McGuire.
Despite BSkyB and SMG entering into a seven year contract to run the service, Sky Scottish was closed down after just 18 months. Its closure was explained as the channel having failed to meet its financial targets. Reports suggested that only The Ibrox Club Hour and The Celtic Park Hour, programmes relating to Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
and Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
football clubs, had attracted more than 10,000 viewers.
Speaking about its demise, the managing director of SMG at the time, Donald Emslie, described the service as having "been a valuable learning experience" for his company. SMG's finance director, Gary Hughes, stated that the service had shown "it is very difficult to access a Scottish audience outside Scotland", but also that Scottish audiences wanted more home-grown programmes.