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Rediffusion Starview was an early premium
cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...
channel in the United Kingdom, operated by
Rediffusion Rediffusion was a business that distributed radio and TV signals through wired relay networks. The business gave rise to a number of other companies, including Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, the first ITV (commerci ...
.


History


Operation

The Home Office had granted several experimental licenses to broadcast
subscription television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, bu ...
services, of which Rediffusion also received licenses for five different areas –
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River ...
, Hull,
Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest () ...
,
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
and
Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. ...
. Starview was the first of these services launched on 9 September 1981, with its first showing of ''
The Sea Wolves ''The Sea Wolves'' is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. The film, which is based on the 1978 book ''Boarding Party'' by James Leasor, is a fictionalised account of Operation Creek during the Second World War. In ...
'' which had been only for cinema release a year earlier. The subscription cost varied from several towns – £8 in Hull and £12 in Reading – were available around 22,000 homes served by Rediffusion's cable service, although it is illegal to copy this film onto domestic recorders (such as VHS,
Betamax Betamax (also known as Beta, as in its logo) is a consumer-level analog recording and cassette format of magnetic tape for video, commonly known as a video cassette recorder. It was developed by Sony and was released in Japan on May 10, 197 ...
and
Video 2000 Video 2000 (also known as V2000, with the tape standard Video Compact Cassette, or VCC) is a consumer videocassette system and analogue recording standard developed by Philips and Grundig to compete with JVC's VHS and Sony's Betamax video ...
) by preventing
piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
. Schedules for weekdays consisted of two daily slots (7.00pm and 9.00pm) with Fridays and Saturdays also featuring an 11.00pm slot for X-rated films, whilst Sundays offered a
matinée In the performing arts, film exhibition, and other forms of entertainment, a matinée is a performance or exhibition in the afternoon (or occasionally earlier), as distinguished from the evening. Matinée may also refer to: * ''Matinée'' (alb ...
showing at 5.00pm, as well as non-movie content for special events which include
Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...
's ''
Tonight I'm Yours ''Tonight I'm Yours'' is the eleventh studio album by Rod Stewart released in 1981. It features hints of classic rock, pop and new wave. The album had three hit singles, with the title track " Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me)" (US ''Billboard' ...
'' concert was broadcast on 1 January 1982. Other early British cable television services started around the same time during 1981 were: Showcable (Visionhire/
BBC Enterprises #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
) on 15 October, and Cinematel (
Radio Rentals Radio Rentals was formed in 1930Radio Rentals Staff Handbook in Brighton, Sussex, UK to rent out radio sets by Percy Perring-Thoms with a turnover in the first year of £780 (). It later offered televisions and ultimately video recorders for re ...
/
Thorn EMI Thorn(s) or The Thorn(s) may refer to: Botany * Thorns, spines, and prickles, sharp structures on plants * '' Crataegus monogyna'', or common hawthorn, a plant species Comics and literature * Rose and Thorn, the two personalities of two DC Com ...
) on 6 November.


Demise

Starview struggled to make a huge impact where the channel only had a 10% uptake was dropped by five remaining towns, with The Entertainment Network replacing it on the Rediffusion cable service from 29 March 1984.


See also

*
Timeline of cable television in the United Kingdom This is a timeline of cable television in the United Kingdom. The first part of the timeline covers the development of cable across the country, including details of the cable-exclusive channels which launched in the 1990s as part of cable tele ...
* List of former TV channels in the United Kingdom *
Sky Cinema Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema ...
(formerly Sky Movies) *
The Movie Channel The Movie Channel (TMC) is an American premium television network owned by Showtime Networks, a subsidiary of Paramount Global operated through its Media Networks unit. The network's programming mainly features first-run theatrically relea ...
* Carlton Cinema *
Film4 Film4 is a British free-to-air television network owned by Channel Four Television Corporation launched on 1 November 1998, devoted to broadcasting films. While its standard-definition channel is available on Freeview and Freesat platforms, ...


References


External links


Rediffusion Hull Starview
Rediffusion.info {{Original UK satellite channels Defunct British television channels Television channels and stations established in 1981 Television channels and stations disestablished in 1984 Movie channels in the United Kingdom 1980s in the United Kingdom 1980s in British television History of television in the United Kingdom