United States Satellite Broadcasting
Encyclopedia
United States Satellite Broadcasting was a satellite television
company that ran from 1981 to 1998. It was purchased by DirecTV
in 1998.
founder Stanley S. Hubbard, who is widely considered to be the father of modern satellite broadcasting. Hubbard spent most of the 1980s raising awareness and money to launch a digital satellite television service. In the 1990s, he had teamed up with RCA/Thomson Consumer Electronics and Hughes Electronics Corporation to come up with a practical digital satellite service capable of 175 channels. The original name of the service was HUBTV, named after Hubbard, but was soon changed to USSB before launch. When the service launched, USSB offered a comparatively small slate of channels, but included almost all of the major American premium channels, the MTV Networks
, and any channel in which Viacom
had a stake at the time. Lacking any news channels, Hubbard instead used its in-house All News Channel
, operated as a cooperative of Hubbard-owned stations. Hughes offered programming from most other cable television channels under the banner of DirecTV
. DirecTV later acquired USSB.
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...
company that ran from 1981 to 1998. It was purchased by DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
in 1998.
History
USSB was founded in 1981 by Hubbard BroadcastingHubbard Broadcasting Corporation
Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. is an American television and radio broadcasting corporation based in St. Paul, Minnesota that was started by Stanley E...
founder Stanley S. Hubbard, who is widely considered to be the father of modern satellite broadcasting. Hubbard spent most of the 1980s raising awareness and money to launch a digital satellite television service. In the 1990s, he had teamed up with RCA/Thomson Consumer Electronics and Hughes Electronics Corporation to come up with a practical digital satellite service capable of 175 channels. The original name of the service was HUBTV, named after Hubbard, but was soon changed to USSB before launch. When the service launched, USSB offered a comparatively small slate of channels, but included almost all of the major American premium channels, the MTV Networks
MTV Networks
MTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...
, and any channel in which Viacom
Viacom International
Viacom International, Inc. is a current subsidiary of Viacom .It is the holding company for copyrights associated with Viacom's corporate website and its cable networks, specifically MTV Networks, and is the division which licenses the product rights for their various properties...
had a stake at the time. Lacking any news channels, Hubbard instead used its in-house All News Channel
All News Channel
All News Channel was a 24-hour news channel carried mainly on DirecTV . All News Channel had also been syndicated to network television afflliates in the United States.-Background:...
, operated as a cooperative of Hubbard-owned stations. Hughes offered programming from most other cable television channels under the banner of DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
. DirecTV later acquired USSB.
Channels
- HBO East
- HBO West
- HBO2 East
- HBO2 West
- HBO Signature
- HBO Family East
- HBO Family West
- Showtime East
- Showtime West
- Showtime 2
- Showtime 3
- Showtime Extreme
- CinemaxCinemaxCinemax, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Max", is a collection of premium television networks that broadcasts primarily feature films, along with softcore erotica, original action series, documentaries and special behind-the-scenes features. Cinemax is operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a...
East- CinemaxCinemaxCinemax, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Max", is a collection of premium television networks that broadcasts primarily feature films, along with softcore erotica, original action series, documentaries and special behind-the-scenes features. Cinemax is operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a...
West - MoreMax
- Cinemax
- The Movie ChannelThe Movie ChannelThe Movie Channel is an American premium channel owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, which shows mostly movies, as well as special behind-the-scenes features, softcore adult erotica and movie trivia....
East- The Movie ChannelThe Movie ChannelThe Movie Channel is an American premium channel owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, which shows mostly movies, as well as special behind-the-scenes features, softcore adult erotica and movie trivia....
West
- The Movie Channel
- Comedy CentralComedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
- MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
- MTV2MTV2MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
- Nickelodeon
- VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
- TV LandTV LandTV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
- Sundance Channel
- Lifetime TelevisionLifetime TelevisionLifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
- All News ChannelAll News ChannelAll News Channel was a 24-hour news channel carried mainly on DirecTV . All News Channel had also been syndicated to network television afflliates in the United States.-Background:...
- Flix
- FX
- fXMFox Movie ChannelThe Fox Movie Channel is a channel which shows movies uncut and commercial-free.-Overview:Movie content consists mainly of selections from 20th Century Fox's library of releases through the 1990s and movies produced exclusively for television. Widescreen versions are shown whenever available....
- TVKO (HBO's PPV arm at the time)
- SET (Showtime's PPV arm)
- Channel 999 (previews)