Sky Multichannels

[1][2] The service started on 1 September 1993,[3] based on the idea from chief executive officer Sam Chisholm and Rupert Murdoch of converting the company's business strategy to an entirely fee-based concept.

[2] Some of the channels had been broadcast either in the clear or soft encrypted (i.e. a VideoCrypt decoder was required, but without a subscription card) prior to their addition to the Multichannels package.

[4] Within two months of the launch, Sky gained 400,000 new subscribers with the majority taking at least one premium channel, which helped BSkyB reach 3.5 million households by mid-1994.

[5] The service continued until the closure of BSkyB's analogue platform on 27 September 2001,[6] due to the expansion of Sky Digital after its launch three years earlier.

[8] When VH1's German version started on 10 March 1995, VideoCrypt decoders would blank out the service to British viewers and prevent them from watching the channel for free.

The launch of Astra 1D allowed Sky to further expand the Multichannels package,[20] including the pay-per-view Box Office channels on 1 December 1997.

To promote the Sky Multichannels package on the Astra satellites, a selection of channels was placed on Sky's preview service on transponder 47 of Astra 1C in the clear[23] This showed promotional material in the centre of the screen and 12 channels around the edge,[24] including some English services which were not part of the package.

During football matches on Sky One, services which were also part of the Multichannels package were made available free-to-view, allowing sports subscribers to sample them.