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Click for larger image This Is Super Channel - (Super Channel Launch)
1987 Super Channel was a satellite pioneer in the field of true pan-european broadcasting. Available to most audiences via cable, Super Channel was to be the forerunner of many "Classic Television" stations, such as UK Gold and Granada Plus. Perhaps it was ahead of it's time. This clip shows the launch from the opening night on January 30th 1987
 
Things didn't go to well for Super, and following financial difficulties the station was taken over by American broadcaster NBC in 1993. The channel renamed NBC Super Channel still featuring a fair mix of european programming aswell as exclusive programmes from NBC in the US. Later in 1996 the channel rebranded and 'Super Channel' was dropped and simple became simply 'NBC Europe'.
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Click for larger image Super Channel Ident
1987 Click for larger image A wonderful ident from Super Channel in 1987.
 
Guess who the announcer is - yes that's right, it's former LWT continuity announcer Trish Bertram!

Click for larger image Launch Day Ident
1987 Click for larger image

Click for larger image Super Channel Presentation
1987
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Click for larger image Super Quiz
1987 Click for larger image

Click for larger image ITN Super Channel News Promo
1987 This ITN promo is taken from the launch day and explains the new service!
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Click for larger image Super Channel Clocks
1987 Click for larger image The time in Europe is 10 O'clock.
 
Super Channel, being primarily a channel for Central Europe used European time for it's shedules.

Super Time
1987 Super Time was a morning show produced by Music Box showing a mix of music videos and childrens entertainment. On weekends there was a special edition called Super Time Club from 10am to 11am.
 
This is a great CG sequence.

Click for larger image Weather Service Promo
1987
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Click for larger image Weather
1987 Click for larger image The Super Channel weather forecast was produced by the BBC and presented from both the daytime studio (above) and from the weather map.
 
It utilised the usual BBC weather forecasters of the time.

Click for larger image Fun Bus
1987 Click for larger image

Eclipse
1987 Even cable channels are broadcast by satellite to the cable provider. The ECS 1 satellite from which Super Channel was beamed would be eclipsed twice a day!
 
Even this break was sponsored!

Click for larger image Super Channel 24 Hours A Day Promo
1987 Click for larger image Super Channel broadcaster of many quality programmes such as Blakes 7, Spitting Image, ITN World News, The Benny Hill Show, The Muppet Show, Shoestring and Doctor who to name but a few!

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1987 Presentation
1987 Presentation
1987 Hippo Presentation
1987

Super Channel Ident
1987 Here's a blue version of the Super ident used in late 1987.

Click for larger image Super Channel Ident
1988 Click for larger image Promo and ident feature in this clip with early DVE effects for this ident. Super also had a new 'S' symbol, inspired from the Superman logo? which was often used as the channel bug.

Click for larger image Super Channel Ident
1989 Click for larger image A new look for 1989 with lots of tv screens!

Click for larger image Super Channel break bumper
1989 Click for larger image Here's a long break bumper!

Click for larger image Super Channel Promo
1989 Click for larger image Promotion advertising Super Channel's pan european entertainment

Click for larger image Tonight Promo
1989 Click for larger image Promo for tonight's Coca Cola Eurochart Hot 100 chart show.

Click for larger image Super Channel Promos
1989 Click for larger image A couple of programming promotions for The Assassination Run and Daybreak

Click for larger image Weather
1989 Click for larger image The Super Channel weather still from the BBC, now with a jazzy new theme tune, that makes you feel warm and fuzzy!

News & Newsflash
1989 The closing titles for the news, featuring a compass theme with the type. The right clip is from a news flash.

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Click for larger image Super Channel Ident & Clock
1993 Click for larger image A new look for Super Channel in 1993, just prior to the takeover by NBC.
 
This clip shows the new ident and a nice old mechanical clock! before the news...

Click for larger image Super Channel Break Bumper
1993 Click for larger image here's how the break bumper looked...

Click for larger image News Sting
1993 This 'news' sting would be played before any news programme.

Click for larger image Super Channel Promos
1993 These 2 clips show various programme promotions
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NBC Super Channel

In 1993, the American broadcaster NBC steps in. the channel was rebranded NBC Super Channel.
 
The channel now featured NBC entertainment programming including The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Saturday Night Live. NBC News from the US was also shown including Today and NBC Nightly News.


Click for larger image NBC Super Channel Ident
1994 Click for larger image NBC steps in, and the result a big flash flying 3D logo!

ITN World News
1993 Here's an NBC Super Channel clock into The ITN World News...

Click for larger image NBC Super Channel Promo
1994 Click for larger image This promo explains, NBC's broad range of business and news and entertainment programmes aimed at European professionals.

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1994 Promotions
1994 Continuity
1994 Promotions
1994

Click for larger image Promotions
1994 Click for larger image

Click for larger image FT Business Today
1994 Click for larger image FT Business Today was NBC Super Channel's business programme produced by Thames Television.

Click for larger image ITN World News Update
1994 Click for larger image A couple of news bulletins here from 1994

Click for larger image NBC Super Channel Christmas
1994 A festive ident from 1994

Click for larger image NBC Super Channel Promo
1995 Click for larger image So what is NBC Super Channel all about? All of NBC's Europe and US personalities tell you.

Continuity
1995 Coming next... The ITN World News, complete with Peacock break bumper.

Click for larger image NBC Super Channel Break Bumpers
1995 Click for larger image during 1995, there were many creative break bumper animations, here's 2 different ones..

Click for larger image NBC Super Channel Break Bumper
1994 Click for larger image Another of those break bumpers

Click for larger image NBC Super Channel Ident
1995 Click for larger image Now a large GE Company subtitle is added to the main ident
 
(Thanks to David Farrimond for the recording)

NBC (Super Channel)
1996 By 1996 the NBC brand was far more prominent than Super Channel, being relegated to very fine print adjacent to the C!

NBC
1996 It had to happen, later in '96 no mention of Super Channel here, now it's just NBC.

NBC
1996 Using the classic NBC chimes, just to remind you, this is NBC!

Where the stars come out at night
1996 NBC came up with the slogan "Where the stars come out at night" to remind viewers most of its US chat shows were shown live after 11pm CET

NBC Tonight
1996 So what's on this evening?

NBC Promo Caption
1996 Even though you could watch the NBC Nightly News from the States, NBC Europe's domestic news was provided by ITN.

NBC Weather
1996 Gone were the familiar BBC weather forecasters, now the weather forecast came directly from NBC in the States, utilising their meteorologists.

NBC Europe shuts down

By 1998 NBC Europe had stopped broadcasting to much of Europe, and turned to Germany with German programmes.
 
By 2005 NBC was no more and was taken over by Das Vierte


This page has been written and presented by Hayden Walker.

The information presented on this page has been researched by me on behalf of TV ARK and is offered in good faith, correct to the best of my knowledge. If any factual errors have appeared here inadvertently, then I would be delighted to hear from anyone wishing to offer corrections. All opinions expressed are my own and no offence is intended. Should they be a cause of concern or distress to any readers, please inform me immediately so that I can remove or amend them accordingly.