Sky movies started out as a free movie channel in 1989. In 1990 Sky Movies becomes the first UK encrypted channel, it was due to share the same transponder as The Disney Channel, but this fell through and never happened, instead they launched 'The Satellite Shop' a shopping channel during the daytime hours.
In 1988, this press release describes the launch of Sky Movies.. "Sky Movies will offer an unencrypted preview period from February 5th with films from 2pm to midnight, with an extra midnight movie at the weekends. Films in the early days will include The Color of Money with Paul Newman and Tom Cruise, Ruthless People with Danny DeVito and Bette Midler, 9 1/2 weeks with Kim Basinger, Commando with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Aliens with Sigourney Weaver, Johnny Dangerously with Michael Keaton, Eye of the Tiger with Garey Busey, Eddie and the Cruisers with Tom Berenger, Daniel with Ed Asner, Project X with Matthew Broderick, One Summer Love with Susan Sarandon and Ladyhawke with Michelle Pfeiffer.
Nearer to the launch of Sky Movies as a premium channel along with The Disney Channel, the station will increase its broadcast hours to at least 18 hours a day.
Late Summer/Autumn, Sky Movies and The Disney Channel will encrypt their signals and will become a premium service offered as a joint package. For your guide, home dish owners will be offered a total subscription price of £12 per month (inc VAT) to receive these quality services.
Major agreements with Hollywood's most successful studios in '88 guarantee that the Sky Movies schedules will be packed with blockbuster films. Warner Brothers, Twentieth Century Fox, Touchstone Films and Orion are top studios signed up to Sky Movies."
Sky Movies Idents1989
Sky in 1989, commissioned Harry Marks of Marks Communications in Los Angeles to create their identity to distinguish itself from what it saw as the rather prissy, overdesigned look of British Terrestrial TV.
The Sky Movies ident was based on the same design of the NBC ident at the time
Start-up / Closedown1989
A fantastic CG tower of images was used as the opening start up sequence for Sky Movies in '89
right clip - "From all of us here at Sky Movies, goodnight."
Start-ups1989
2 more start-ups from Sky Movies, An updated CG sequence and a longer opening start up sequence later in 1989...
right clip - the CG tower was dropped in favour of a fast cut montage of movies that were showing on Sky at the time.
Late Night Movie / BBFC Promos1989
Left clip - "On the 1st April 1989 Sky Movies introduce the late night movie."
Right clip - explaining what those captions at the start of a movie are all about. Sky joined forces initially with the British Board of Film Classification, but later decided to rate their films themselves.
A selection of various stings, idents and break bumpers...
Sky Movies Idents1990 / 1991
In November 1990 Sky TV and BSB merged to form British Sky Broadcasting... here's the two idents which followed...
Sky Movies Promo1991
The CG tower sequence is updated in 1991 to include flying cinema-related objects, in this promo for whats on in November
Sky Movies Plus Promos1993
A couple of promos including a cross-channel promo for Sky's movies channels from 1993
Sky Movies Ident1993
In 1993 a new corporate look was rolled out across the network, designed by GRFX Novocom
Sky Movies Ident1995
In 1995 another corporate look rolled out ... using the 'tombstone' logo and silk sheets
Sky Movies Screen 11997
In 1997 Sky Movies was rebranded Sky Movies screen 1, whilst it's sister channel The Movie Channel became Sky Movies Screen 2
Sky Movies Screen 1 Bumper & Promo1997
left clip - break bumper
right clip - Film promo for Theodore Rex
Sky Premier1998 Sky Movies Screen 1 was rebranded Sky Premier on September 10th 1998. Sky wanted to reflect each of the channel's own personality by creating individual idents, and not following one corporate look as seen in previous years.
Reminiscent of a Maxfield Parrish illustration, CGI environments were created for Sky Premier - with Goddesses in a fantasy ethereal world above the clouds. Possibly seen by some as a bit scary as these women fall to their deaths into a shower of gold dust!
Sky Premier Widescreen1998
With the launch of Sky digital in 1998, Sky launched a widescreen version of Sky Premier, it simulcast films but in their original widescreen format. They also launched Sky Premier 2, 3 and 4
This promo explains how to tune in.
Sky Premier Widescreen Ident1998 Sky Premier Widescreen Star Wars Ident
1999 Sky Premier Widescreen Filler
1998
Sky Premier Bumper1998 Sky Premier 2 Bumper
1999 Sky Premier 3 Bumper
1999 Sky Premier 4 Bumper
1999
Sky Movies 6 & 8 Idents2007 On November 1st 2003, Sky brings back it's original screen name Sky Movies, as it regroups its film channels under one banner - Sky Movies 1 -9
Pin Protection Promos2007 These clever and graphically brilliant promos explain how to use Sky Movies' pin protection.
In 2006 Sky Movies 9 and 10 became PIN protected channels, which allowed them to broadcast 15 certificate films from 1pm
Sky Movies Promo2007 In April 2007, Sky Movies categorised it's channels into Sky Movies Premiere, Sky Movies Comedy, Sky Movies Action and Thriller, Sky Movies Family, Sky Movies Drama, Sky Movies Classics, Sky Movies SciFi & Horror, Sky Movies Modern Greats, Sky Movies Indie and Sky Movies HD 1 & 2
