• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Clean Feed

Clean Feed

  • Timeline
  • News
  • Opinion
  • PresWatch
  • Bloopers
  • News+
  • Resources
  • Rewind
  • Showreel
  • Studio A
  • TX
  • Webfax

BSB merger anniversary reflections

Posted on 5th December 2020
By Andrew Nairn
Last updated on 3rd July 2023
Filed under Opinion

It is but a footnote in the history of British broadcasting. 30 years ago BSB – the IBA-regulated satellite broadcaster on the air for barely 8 months  – merged with Sky to create British Sky Broadcasting.

A merger which looked like a takeover – BSB’s channels were all closed within months, some within days.

BSB with its neat “squarial” dishes and emphasis on British programmes had tried to market itself as a quality operation in the traditions of British broadcasting – Sky, in contrast, was sometimes condemned as a downmarket, Americanised operation which threatened traditional standards.

What is remarkable is just how much the presentation of BSB’s channels owed to the established British channels.

The structure of the junctions was very similar to those of Channel 4’s or the ITV companies which had moved to more modern styles of presentation. There was also more than a hint of BBC presentation: trails, slides, idents, out-of-vision announcers and a clear separation between adverts and editorial content.

The look of the channels was designed by Lambie-Nairn. What’s also remarkable is how closely some of the idents almost seem like prototypes for the new BBC idents which were introduced in 1991.

The idea of the “squarial” in different environments for each channel is not unlike the basic idea behind BBC Two’s 1991 idents.

And Galaxy’s swirling mass of lights has more than a passing resemblance to BBC One’s 1991 globe.

All in all it was a very classy package. But, ultimately, few people saw it or appreciated it.

The odds were stacked against the company and it made little impact on the public. Sales of boxes were unsustainably low. For that reason it’s impossible to say if the channels’ presentation and marketing strategies failed or succeeded.

But the look of BSB reminds you of what might have been had the company enjoyed the satellite monopoly which the IBA had envisaged and been able to grow over the next few years.

Related

Acknowledgements

Related

FEATURE IMAGE:

PICTURED: BSB logo. COPYRIGHT: Sky plc.

Related

Related

Sidebar

Tags: BSB, On-Screen Presentation

Follow Us on Bluesky

Bluesky is the only social media platform where you'll find regular updates from The TV Room.

You'll find us here.

Pres Café Forum



Join in the discussion about TV presentation and branding.

TV Pres Updates



The latest updates from a number of presentation-related websites.

Latest updates over on: Rewind

The Spinning Wheel interlude (1st September 1982)

The Spinning Wheel interlude (1st September 1982)

BBC One continuity followed by The Kitten interlude (1st September 1982)

BBC One continuity followed by The Kitten interlude (1st September 1982)

About This Site · Contact Us · FAQ · Privacy Policy · Terms and Conditions

Unless otherwise indicated material featured on this site is © 2025 The TV Room.

Established in 1999, The TV Room is not affiliated with any broadcaster, production company or design/marketing/talent agency.

Back to top