History of Sky Sports in Timeline
Sky Sports is a leading group of subscription sports channels in the UK and Ireland, owned by Sky Group. Since 1991, it has significantly influenced the commercialization of British sport. Notably, Sky Sports played a crucial role in the formation of the Premier League in 1992 by encouraging the First Division's breakaway from the Football League. The channels hold major broadcasting rights for a variety of sports and have been instrumental in driving revenue and organizational changes within British sports leagues.
April 1991: Sky Sports launched
On April 20, 1991, The Sports Channel was renamed Sky Sports and began broadcasting to Sky viewers via the newly launched Astra 1B satellite, continuing to transmit on BSB's Marcopolo satellite. The channel initially aired sports such as rugby and golf before acquiring rights to German and Italian league football. The channel was initially encrypted and broadcast free-to-view but an analogue VideoCrypt decoder was required to watch the channel, measure was intended to prevent viewing of the service outside the United Kingdom and Ireland.
1991: Increased commercialisation of British sport
In 1991, Sky Sports played a major role in the increased commercialisation of British sport.
1991: Pulled out of Eurosport venture
In 1991, Sky pulled out of the Eurosport venture after a complaint by competitor Screensport.
September 1992: Sky Sports acquired exclusive live Premier League football broadcasting rights
In September 1992, after the formation of the Premier League, Sky Sports acquired the exclusive live Premier League football broadcasting rights for the United Kingdom and Ireland for a five-year period by bidding £304 million, taking live top-flight English league football from terrestrial and free-to-air television for the first time. Sky Sports became a monthly subscription channel, sold either on a standalone basis or at a reduced price with Sky's movie channels.
1992: Encouraged the First Division to break away from the Football League
In 1992, Sky Sports played a large role inducing organisational changes in sports, most notably encouraging the First Division to break away from the Football League to form the Premier League.
August 1994: Sky Sports 2 was launched
On August 19, 1994, Sky Sports 2 was launched, although it initially only aired at weekends.
November 1995: Sky Sports Gold was launched
In November 1995, Sky launched a classic sports service called Sky Sports Gold, which ceased broadcasting after only a year on the air.
August 1996: Sky Sports 3 was launched
In August 1996, Sky launched Sky Sports 3, and the original channel was soon after renamed to Sky Sports 1.
September 1997: Sky Sports 2 became a full-time service.
In September 1997, Sky Sports 2 became a full-time service.
October 1998: Sky Sports News was launched
On October 1, 1998, with the launch of the Sky Digital satellite platform, Sky Sports launched Sky Sports News, a channel carrying rolling sports news coverage.
August 1999: Sky Sports Xtra was launched
In August 1999, Sky Sports launched Sky Sports Xtra (later branded as Sky Sports 4 since 2010, then Sky Sports Golf since 2017).
2000: At the Races founded
In 2000 At the Races was founded by the Go Racing consortium.
August 2001: PremPlus was launched
On August 18, 2001, PremPlus was launched as a pay-per-view channel dedicated to airing live Premier League football, showing 40 pay-per-view Premier League matches. The main presenter on PremPlus was Marcus Buckland with former Arsenal manager George Graham providing punditry.
May 2002: World Wrestling Federation Changes Name to World Wrestling Entertainment
In May 2002, the World Wrestling Federation changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment due to legal issues with the World Wide Fund for Nature.
2003: Sky Sports Broadcasts UK Open
In 2003, Sky Sports began broadcasting the UK Open darts tournament from its inception.
July 2004: Channel 4 removes itself from the consortium
Following its high-profile collapse in July 2004, Channel 4 removing itself from the consortium.
2004: Premiership Plus was shortened to PremPlus
In 2004, the channel called Premiership Plus was shortened to PremPlus for the beginning of the 2004–05 season.
May 2006: Sky Sports HD launched
On May 22, 2006 Sky Sports Main Event HD launched as Sky Sports HD and airs live all sports screened in HD like cricket, Premier League and English Football League as well as English Premiership, Super League Rugby and among others.
August 2006: Ofcom Complaint and ECW Broadcast
In August 2006, following a viewer complaint to Ofcom about an image in the opening credits, Sky agreed to air WWE's third brand, ECW on Sci-Fi, after the watershed.
2006: PremPlus closed down
PremPlus closed down after the last match of the 2006–07 season.
2007: PremPlus closed down
In 2007, PremPlus closed down after Setanta Sports obtained a third of the Premier League rights for 2007–10, leaving Sky with only 92 live matches, meaning a pay-per-view service was unsustainable.
February 2008: WWE Event Shown in Widescreen
On 18 February 2008, Sky Sports broadcast the WWE event No Way Out in widescreen (16:9) format for the first time.
2008: 2008 Ryder Cup was screened in HD
The 2008 Ryder Cup was screened in HD.
2009: Rights Transferred to ESPN
In 2009, rights to show the top division of English club rugby transferred from Sky Sports to ESPN.
June 2010: Sky Sports Radio was launched
Sky Sports Radio was launched in June 2010 and broadcasts online and via digital platforms from the Teamtalk studios in Leeds. It originally broadcast from 8.00am to 6.00pm.
August 2010: Sky Sports Radio began broadcasting 24 hours a day
In August 2010, Sky Sports Radio began broadcasting 24 hours a day to coincide with the start of the 2010–11 football season.
2010: Sky Sports Xtra rebranded as Sky Sports 4
In 2010, Sky Sports Xtra was rebranded as Sky Sports 4.
January 2011: Sexist comments controversy
On January 25, 2011, Sky Sports' Premier League football coverage was at the centre of controversy when footage emerged of long serving presenters Andy Gray and Richard Keys making comments perceived as sexist. Gray was sacked over the comments, and fellow reporter Andy Burton was suspended by Sky due to his involvement in the sexist comments made about a female assistant referee Sian Massey, which also involved Gray and Keys. Burton later returned to his regular duties at Sky.
July 2011: Sky Sports acquired rights to Formula One racing
On July 29, 2011, Sky Sports acquired rights to Formula One racing from 2012 through 2018, with the BBC to share free-to-air rights to roughly half of the events and have highlights rights for the remainder. Sky subsequently announced that it would introduce a new channel dedicated specifically to its coverage, Sky Sports F1, which would air practices, qualifying and advert-free coverage of each race; the service was made available at no extra charge to all Sky high-definition subscribers, regardless of whether they were a Sky Sports subscriber.
2012: Agreement Ended
Sky's agreement to show the majority of matches from the Four Nations and the Tri Nations live ended in 2012.
2012: Premier Sports Purchased Rights
Until 2012, Sky aired Championship and Northern Rail Cup games until Premier Sports purchased the rights for these games.
2013: UK Open moves to ITV
In 2013, Sky Sports ceased broadcasting the UK Open darts tournament, with the rights moving to ITV.
2013: Sky Sports Loses Rights to International Rugby League
In 2013, Sky Sports lost the rights to International Rugby League from the 2013 Rugby League World Cup to the BBC and Premier Sports.
September 2014: Sky Sports Radio closed
Sky Sports Radio closed in September 2014.
2014: BBC and Premier Sports Sign Deal
In 2014, the BBC and Premier Sports signed a deal to cover the 2014 Four Nations.
2015: WWE pay-per-views exclusively on Sky Sports Box Office
As of 2015, all WWE pay-per-views were broadcast on Sky Sports Box Office at a cost of £19.95.
2015: Sky Sports Withdraws from Tennis
In 2015, Sky Sports withdrew from tennis coverage, after tennis was a major staple of Sky Sports' output.
2015: Tennis Coverage Team
In 2015, Sky Sports' tennis coverage was presented by Marcus Buckland with pundits Annabel Croft, Greg Rusedski, and Peter Fleming, and commentators including Barry Millns, Leif Shiras, Mark Petchey, and Barry Cowan.
August 2016: Sky Sports Mix was launched
On August 24, 2016, Sky launched Sky Sports Mix, a new channel designed to offer a shop-window of content from the full range of Sky Sports networks to those who are not subscribers. On Sky, the channel is included as a basic service with all plans, and was also available on certain Virgin Media packages.
2016: Sky Sports rights to Formula One racing extended
In 2016, Sky extended its contract from 2016 to last through 2024.
2016: BBC and Premier Sports Cover Four Nations
In 2016, the BBC and Premier Sports covered the 2016 Four Nations.
2016: End of GAA deal with Sky Sports
In 2016, the initial deal between Sky Sports and GAA concluded.
July 2017: Sky re-aligned its sports channels
On July 18, 2017, Sky re-aligned its sports channels, dropping the numbered services in favour of dedicated channels devoted to their core sports properties including cricket, Formula One, golf, and two football channels (with one specifically dedicated to the Premier League), and three channels dedicated to general sports coverage. Sky also revised the pricing structure of the channels to make them more attractive to viewers; Sky customers could purchase up to three of the channels on an a la carte basis, or the entire bundle. Sky Sports Mix continued to air selected programming from across the channels as part of Sky's basic service. On Sky's Now TV service, the entire Sky Sports service continues to be available through the timed pass system. The availability and packaging of the new service varies on other providers.
2017: Sky Sports 4 rebranded as Sky Sports Golf
In 2017, Sky Sports 4 was rebranded as Sky Sports Golf.
2017: Purchased majority control of Sky Sports Racing
In 2017, Sky purchased majority control of Sky Sports Racing.
2017: BBC and Premier Sports Cover Rugby League World Cup
In 2017, the matches for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup were shared between the BBC and Premier Sports.
2018: Premier Sports Broadcasts All Pro14 Games Live
From 2018, Premier Sports broadcast all 152 Pro14 games live, expanding coverage beyond terrestrial broadcasters.
2018: Eleven Sports Wins La Liga Rights
From the 2018-19 season, Eleven Sports acquired the rights to broadcast La Liga, ending Sky Sports' 21-year tenure as the broadcaster of the top-tier Spanish domestic football league.
2018: Sky Sports Loses Champions Cup Rights
From the 2018–19 season, Sky Sports no longer had shared rights to the Rugby Champions Cup, as these passed to Channel 4. The contracts to cover Ireland's Autumn Internationals also moved after 2018.
2018: Amazon Prime Video Becomes Exclusive UK Broadcaster
In 2018, Amazon Prime Video became the exclusive UK broadcaster of ATP Tour events, ending Sky's tenure which started in 2002.
2018: BT Sport Acquires UEFA Rights
In 2018, BT Sport acquired the rights to the highlights of the Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
2018: Sky Sports Broadcast Saturday Match Exclusively
In 2018, Sky Sports broadcast a 3:00 PM Saturday match exclusively for subscribers in the Republic of Ireland under the Premier League Live banner.
2018: Sky Sports signs deal to broadcast NBA
In 2018, Sky Sports signed a four-year deal to broadcast the NBA in the United Kingdom before the rights moved to TNT Sports.
2018: Sky Sports rights to Formula One racing extended
In 2018, Sky extended its contract from 2016 to last through 2024.
January 2019: At the Races relaunched as Sky Sports Racing
On January 1, 2019, At the Races relaunched as Sky Sports Racing; the relaunch includes wider availability and heavier integration with the remaining Sky Sports channels, the relocation of production facilities to Sky Campus in Isleworth from their former base at SIS's facilities in Milton Keynes, and availability in high-definition. The network also acquired rights to fixtures from the Ascot Racecourse.
January 2019: Partnership with NBC Sports on transfer deadline coverage
On January 29, 2019, Sky and sister American pay television network NBCSN partnered on coverage of the transfer deadline (NBC holds the Premier League rights in America).
April 2019: Sky Sports Aired World Boxing Super Series Fights
In April 2019, Sky Sports aired nine fights of the World Boxing Super Series in the 2018-19 season, starting with the semi-final world title bouts.
2019: Sky became exclusive broadcaster of F1 races
Beginning in 2019, Sky became the exclusive broadcaster of all F1 races excluding the British GP, which was also broadcast on the free-to-air Channel 4.
2019: Eleven Sports Wins Chinese Football Rights
From the start of the 2019 season, live and exclusive rights to the Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League were secured by Eleven Sports, ending Sky Sports' coverage.
2019: Premier Sports Takes Over Rights
In 2019, Premier Sports acquired the rights to the Saturday 3:00 PM matches previously broadcast by Sky Sports for subscribers in the Republic of Ireland.
2019: Sky Sports NBA Coverage
In 2019, Sky Sports resumed coverage of the NBA.
September 2020: Sky Sports NFL Launch
On September 2020, Sky Sports NFL, an in-season rebrand of Sky Sports Action, was launched for the entire NFL season. The channel has continued in subsequent years.
November 2020: British Basketball League Returns to Sky Sports
In November 2020, coverage of the British Basketball League returned to Sky Sports in a new two-year deal, with Sky broadcasting 30 games per season, including finals.
May 2021: Jonathan Licht became the managing director of Sky Sports
In May 2021, Jonathan Licht became the managing director of Sky Sports.
October 2022: Sky Sports and GAA End Broadcast Partnership
In October 2022, Sky Sports and the GAA mutually agreed to end their broadcast partnership after nine years.
2022: Sky Sports held the rights to every home and away match featuring Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Wales until 2022
Until 2022 Sky Sports held the rights to every home and away match featuring Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Wales and cover every other match in the European Qualifiers except the England match which is on ITV, under this Sky Sports have highlights of England matches.
May 2023: Sky renewed its rights to the EFL
In May 2023, Sky renewed its rights to the EFL through 2028–29 for £935 million, announcing that it planned to televise over a thousand matches per-season via linear television and streaming.
November 2023: Sky Acquires Rights to ESPN College Football
In November 2023, Sky announced an agreement with ESPN International to broadcast ESPN College Football for the rest of the 2023 season and the 2024 season, including regular season games, studio programs, and ESPN-televised bowl games. The deal also included ESPN College Basketball games and March Madness.
2023: TNT Sports Takes Over NBA Broadcasts
In 2023, TNT Sports became the UK broadcaster of the NBA after Sky's deal expired.
2023: Extension of British Basketball League deal
In 2023, the deal between Sky Sports and British Basketball League has been extended to cover the 2023/24 season.
May 2024: Sky announced "Sky Sports+"
In May 2024, Sky announced "Sky Sports+", a new streaming platform that will house its expanded EFL and tennis rights, among other properties; the platform will be capable of streaming up to 100 concurrent programmes. Sky also announced that one of its channels would also be rebranded under the Sky Sports+ name.
2024: Sky Sports rights to Formula One racing extended
In 2024, Sky extended its contract from 2016 to last through 2024.
2024: Super League Basketball moves to DAZN
In 2024, when the competition was relaunched as Super League Basketball, coverage moved to DAZN.
2028: Sky renewed its rights to the EFL
Sky renewed its rights to the EFL through 2028–29 in May 2023.
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