The channel originally started as a single analogue channel on the Astra 1A satellite, entirely without any commercials, showing films dubbed into German, as well as in original audio, live football matches from the German Bundesliga and Austrian Bundesliga (and at one time the UEFA Cup), and documentaries, concerts and TV series.

In the following years Bertelsmann and Canal+ sold their ownership of Premiere to Kirch Group leaving it as the only owner of the service.

At the same time, Kirch Group filed for bankruptcy, due to Pay TV services in Germany failing to gain much traction, and terrestrial television in Germany having already become very robust in a shorter period of time when compared with other European regions, leaving Premiere as a pretty notorious flop.

In 2003, investment group Permira stepped in and took control of Premiere and managed to turn the service profitable in the following years.

The package included TNT Serie, TNT Film, Sat.1 emotions, Kabel eins Classics, AXN, Kinowelt.TV, RTL Living, RTL Crime, FOX, Syfy Universal, Animax, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, ESPN America, Eurosport HD, Eurosport 2, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, MTV Germany, MTV Live HD and Nicktoons.

At that time it was the only European cable television company to broadcast live TNA pay per views.

It was also the only cable television company to broadcast both WWE and TNA entire programming in the same years, on the same channels.

[12][13] BSkyB also made a required takeover offer to Sky Deutschland's minority shareholders.

[15] On 17 November 2016, Sky Deutschland and WWE signed a multiyear agreement to distribute WWE's premier pay-per-view events and broadcast Raw and SmackDown live on Sky Sports starting in April 2017.

[16] In May 2017, Sky Deutschland acquired Homedia, operator of the Swiss over-the-top streaming company Hollystar.

[25][26] On 29 November 2018, 14 SD feeds were closed on Astra 19.2 satellite: Disney Junior, Beate-Uhse.TV, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, 13th Street, Fox, TNT Series, Syfy, NatGeo Wild, Spiegel Geschichte, Sky 1, TNT Film, Disney Cinemagic and Sky Atlantic.

[29] The SD switch-off is part of a major transponder reorganisation by Sky Deutschland on 29 November on the Astra satellite.