Launched on British Satellite Broadcasting, The Movie Channel was a predecessor of some of the Sky Movies channels, having survived the 1990 merger with Sky Television, another satellite service launched by Rupert Murdoch's News International.

The Movie Channel was one of the five services of British Satellite Broadcasting, a consortium consisting of Granada Television, Pearson, Virgin, Anglia Television and Amstrad.

[1] Prior to its launch, BSB signed an exclusive first-run deal with United International Pictures (which distributed Paramount, Universal and MGM/UA releases).

One of its first premieres was the 1987 James Bond film, The Living Daylights.

[4] The Movie Channel continued to broadcast until 31 October 1997, when it closed by playing the ident, fading to a black screen, and after a while, cutting to the test card.